Esquizotipia positiva : personalidade e saúde mental

Abstract

The dimensional perspective of Schizophrenia, already observed in the fifth edition of the DSM, presents psychosis as a continuum, which initiates in non pathological experiences, and can become a psychopathology. Therefore, we could consider Schizotypy as a personality trait which is inserted in the continuum of psychosis. Studies held since the 90s have been presenting forms of a "Healthy" Schizotypy, where people who present this Schizotypy profile develop creative abilities or give a new meaning to some unusual experiences (Positive Schizotypy) as experiences connected to certain religious expressions. In front of these findings, we consider of important to explore the profile of people who present Unusual Experiences without further pathologic characteristics, aiming to identify the people who need psychiatric support from others who do not present indicators of mental illness, even if they present experiences of psychotic nature. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate possible differences between the profiles of Schizotypy according to characteristics of Personality, Life Quality and Religious/Spiritual Coping. The present research was developed as a Master's degree dissertation using a secondary sample with 111 participants, which derived from a larger sample with a total of 526 people. Participants were divided into four groups: 1) Positive Schizotypy, 2) Low Schizotypy, 3) High Schizotypy and 4) Negative Schizotypy. The scales used in this research were O-LIFE – R, ITC-R, WHOQOL Bref and Brief RCope. The sample behaved in a non-parametric manner, and the data obtained from the statistical analysis infer that there is a difference/distinction between these groups as to their personality profiles, to the way of use of Religious/Spiritual Coping and to the manifestation of Quality of Life in each Schizotypy profile. Our results suggest that the Positive Schizotypy profile behaves similarly to the group that does not present Schizotypy and differently from the group with High Schizotypy in all of the evaluated domains of quality of life and presents all characteristics of a mature character personality. Significant differences emerged in the Spirituality/Anomalous Experiences markers, and in the Positive Schizotypy group, the predominant form of use of the Religious/Spiritual Coping was the Positive RSC and Self-transcendence, which was significantly higher in the Positive Schizotypy group than in all other groups. In light of these information, new research could be performed aiming to confirm or expand the results of the present dissertation, with the intent of contributing to future differential diagnosis.