title: The relationship of Asperger's characteristics and schizotypal personality traits in a non-clinical adult sample.
abstract: The study examines the relationship between Asperger's Disorder (AD) and Schizotypal Personality Disorder (SPD), mutually exclusive but similar diagnoses [DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, DC: Author]. The literature and comparison of diagnostic criteria suggest that the two disorders may overlap: AD social impairment with SPD interpersonal problems and AD communication deficits with SPD disorganized features. Questionnaire measures of AD and SPD were administered to a large non-clinical adult sample. Consistent with expectations, the Asperger's and Schizotypal questionnaires were positively correlated. Further, the social-interpersonal and communication-disorganized areas were positively correlated, though the relationship between social-interpersonal areas is particularly strong. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between AD and schizotypy to confirm current findings and improve understanding of distinctions between the disorders.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA. hurstr@uncw.edu
authors.forename: Ruth M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hurst
authors.forename: Rosemery O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Nelson-Gray
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Kwapil
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires