Formal thought disorder in schizophrenia: a factor analytic study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional factor-analytic study of a single clinical cohort without a control group
PubMed 1544294 · doi:10.1016/0010-440x(92)90005-b
What was done
The Thought, Language and Communication Scale was administered to 115 acutely admitted inpatients with DSM-III-R schizophrenia. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed on the scale items to evaluate underlying factor structures within formal thought disturbance and examine their associations with clinical variables including SAPS and SANS subscales.
What was found
Seven factors had eigenvalues greater than 1, and five showed appropriate internal consistency. The first factor (disorganization) corresponded closely to the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms formal thought disturbance subscale. The second factor (negative factor: perseveration, poverty of speech, and poverty of content) was moderately correlated with poor premorbid functioning and poor response to neuroleptic treatment. The third factor consisted of stilted speech and word approximations. The fourth factor consisted of neologisms and clanging. The fifth factor (distractibility and blocking), as well as the first two factors, correlated with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms attention subscale. Exact numerical loadings, variance explained, and correlation coefficients were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The study demonstrates that formal thought disorder in schizophrenia comprises multiple distinct syndromic dimensions rather than a single unitary construct.
Limits
The sample was restricted to 115 acute inpatients, which limits generalizability to stable outpatients. The abstract provides no exact numerical values or effect sizes, and the factor solution was not validated in an independent replication sample.
Cited by
- supports In psychosis, clang associations occur when individuals associate words based on their phonetic sounds rather than their meaning.