Relationship between Dissociative Experiences and Schizotypal Personality Traits: Mediating Role of Inferential Confusion

Objective: Previous research has shown a relationship between schizotypal personality traits and dissociative tendencies. The Inference-Based Approach (IBA) can explain this relationship to some extent. Purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of inferential confusion in relation to dissociative experiences and schizotypal personality traits. Method: A total of 341 students from Shahed University participated in this cross-sectional study. Sampling was conducted randomly by the cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the Inferential Confusion Questionnaire (ICQ-EV), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II). Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 software based on statistical methods including Pearson correlation, Baron and Kenny hierarchical regression and the Sobel test. Results: There were significant positive relationships between dissociative experiences, schizotypal personality traits, and inferential confusion (P < 0.01). Findings showed that inferential confusion mediates the relationship between dissociative experiences and schizotypal personality traits (β = 0.29; P < 0.001). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, the present study, considering role of inferential confusion, succeeded in explaining the relationship between dissociative experiences and schizotypal personality traits to some extent.