title: Analysis of the multidimensionality of hallucination-like experiences in clinical and nonclinical Spanish samples and their relation to clinical symptoms: implications for the model of continuity.
abstract: Numerous studies have found that hallucinatory experiences occur in the general population. But to date, few studies have been conducted to compare clinical and nonclinical groups across a broad array of clinical symptoms that may co-occur with hallucinations. Likewise, hallucination-like experiences are measured as a multidimensional construct, with clinical and subclinical components related to vivid daydreams, intrusive thoughts, perceptual disturbance, and clinical hallucinatory experiences. Nevertheless, these individual subcomponents have not been examined across a broad spectrum of clinically disordered and nonclinical groups. The goal of the present study was to analyze the differences and similarities in the distribution of responses to hallucination-like experience in clinical and nonclinical populations and to determine the relation of these hallucination-like experiences with various clinical symptoms. These groups included patients with schizophrenia, non-psychotic clinically disordered patients, and a group of individuals with no psychiatric diagnoses. The results revealed that hallucination-like experiences are related to various clinical symptoms across diverse groups of individuals. Regression analysis found that the Psychoticism dimension of the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) was the most important predictor of hallucination-like experiences. Additionally, increased auditory and visual hallucination was the only subcomponent that differentiated schizophrenic patients from other groups. This distribution of responses in the dimensions of hallucination-like experiences suggests that not all the dimensions are characteristic of people hearing voices. Vivid daydreams, intrusive thoughts, and auditory distortions and visual perceptual distortions may represent a state of general vulnerability that does not denote a specific risk for clinical hallucinations. Overall, these results support the notion that hallucination-like experiences are closer to a quasi-continuum approach and that total scores on these scales explain a state of vulnerability to general perceptual disturbance.
authors: Dpto. Personality, Assessment & Psychological Treatment, University de Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano s/n. 04120, Almería, Spain. alh750@ual.es
authors: Alvaro I
authors: AI
authors: Langer
authors: Adolfo J
authors: AJ
authors: Cangas
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Serper
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D057189:Checklist; D005201:Fantasy; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010469:Perceptual Distortion; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013850:Thinking