Mindfulness trait mediates between schizotypy and hallucinatory experiences

Abstract

Schizotypy is a personality trait in healthy people that is related to schizophrenic symptoms. People with high schizotypy tend to have hallucinatory experiences. The relationship between high schizotypy and hallucinatory experiences could be explained by mindfulness traits and stress. To test our hypothesized model, we conducted a preregistered online survey in a Japanese non-clinical sample. In the preregistered analysis, structural equation modeling revealed that our model insufficiently fit our data and stress did not mediate between schizotypy and hallucinatory experiences. However, consistent with our hypothesis, mindfulness traits mediated between them. Exploratory analysis revealed that the model including three facets of mindfulness traits (i.e., observing, acting with awareness, and non-judging) as mediators fit our data best. These findings suggest that attention to current experiences could be a key factor in understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying hallucinatory experiences in schizotypy and hallucinations in schizophrenia.