The relationship between schizotypal personality traits, attachment styles, and early adverse experiences

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the differences in manifestations of three schizotypal dimensions (cognitive-perceptive, interpersonal, disorganized), depending on the attachment style and exposure to different adverse experiences during the childhood. The study was conducted on 181 participants, with a mean age of 20.09 years (SD = 2.19). Schizotypy was measured using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire - Brief Revised (SPQ-BR), and for the assessment of attachment styles and harmful experiences during childhood, special questionnaires were constructed. MANOVA showed that participants with a preoccupied attachment had the most prominent interpersonal and disorganized symptoms, while individuals with a fearful style had the highest scores on interpersonal dimension. There were no significant differences between secure and avoidant attachment style in either dimension of schizotypy. Adverse childhood experiences that turned out to be relevant for the manifestation of cognitive-perceptual symptoms were: frequent quarrels, negative impact on self-esteem in the family and frequent harassment outside the family. For interpersonal dimension, the most relevant experiences were: rejection in the peer group, severe physical punishment, negative impact on self-esteem, frequent harassment outside the family. For disorganization, the most important experiences were: restrained or aggressive behavior of the mother, aggressive and punishing behavior of the father, rejection in the peer group, severe physical punishment, negative impact on self-esteem, harassment outside the family. The results showed that preoccupied and fearful attachment styles were characterized by the most prominent schizotypal manifestations, and that different dimensions of schizotypy can be associated with specific early harmful experiences, which could explain the great heterogeneity in schizotypal symptoms.