title: Developmental trajectories of schizotypal personality disorder-like behavioural manifestations: a two-year longitudinal prospective study of college students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous evidence has shown that schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) is part of the schizophrenia spectrum. Few studies have examined latent classes in the developmental trajectories of SPD features over time in individuals with SPD features.
  
  
  METHODS
  We adopted a longitudinal prospective study design to follow up a cohort of 660 college students during a two-year period. Participants' SPD-like symptoms and psychosocial function were measured by a comprehensive set of questionnaires that covered SPD features and cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial functions. Latent class growth analysis was used to examine the trajectory classes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three trajectory classes were identified: a low, a medium, and a high SPD features group. Participants in the low group reported few SPD features and their symptoms declined over time. The medium group students had more SPD features than the low group and these symptoms stabilized during the follow up period. Participants in the high group reported the most SPD features and their symptoms increased over time. The three groups differed in paranoid thoughts, psychological distress, neurocognition function, and emotional expression over time. Results of multivariate regression analysis suggested that paranoid thoughts, emotional experience and prospective memory were predictors of social functioning in the high SPD feature group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that individuals with SPD features may be delineated into different developmental subgroups and these subgroups differ significantly in psychosocial function. Delusions, emotion, and prospective memory may be important features to consider in early diagnosis and interventions for individuals predisposed to SPD and schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, 100101, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. rckchan@psych.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Fu-lei
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-song
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: David H K
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shum
authors.forename: Simon S Y
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Eric F C
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Raymond C K
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult