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A cumulative model of schizotypy in an offender patient population
Author(s) -
Kidd Robert,
Hammond Sean,
Bishopp Darren
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
criminal behaviour and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1471-2857
pISSN - 0957-9664
DOI - 10.1002/cbm.282
Subject(s) - schizotypy , psychology , clarity , trait , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , relevance (law) , construct (python library) , population , clinical psychology , social psychology , personality , medicine , computer science , biochemistry , chemistry , environmental health , political science , law , programming language
Background Schizotypy is a much measured but ill‐defined construct. There is good reason to believe it may have relevance in the assessment and treatment of offenders, however, lack of clarity in its operational definition militates against a realistic evaluation of its role in criminal behaviour. Method Data were extracted from the records of 1987 men resident in Broadmoor Hospital with completed MMPI protocols, generated as part of their clinical assessment. A strict latent trait model was applied. The model chosen is cumulative such that the presence of schizotypy may be seen as an ordered accumulation of symptoms. Results Data from the MMPI fitted this model well. Conclusion The findings have implications for how the schizotypy trait is structured. The study is intended as the basis for the development of a properly structured measurement as well as potentially serving as the starting point for more detailed theoretical work associating schizotypy and criminal conduct. Copyright © 1998 Whurr Publishers Ltd.