The relationship between schizotypy and reactive aggression in western adults is mediated by victimization

A large body of literature suggests that schizophrenia and nonclinicalschizotypal personality traits, or "schizotypy, " are associated with increased aggression.However, recent studies focused on school-aged Asian samples haveexamined the relationship between schizotypal personality and 2 distinct formsof aggression: reactive and proactive aggression. This study aimed to investigatewhether schizotypal personality traits would be associated more strongly with reactive, compared with proactive, aggression in an adult Western sample andwhether victimization experiences mediated the schizotypy-reactive aggressionrelation. One hundred twenty-one Australian university undergraduates completedself-report inventoriesmeasuring levels of schizotypal personality, reactiveand proactive aggression, and victimization. Results showed that, as hypothesized, schizotypal personality traits were more strongly associated with reactivethan proactive aggression and that victimization experiences mediated theschizotypy-reactive aggression relationship. While acknowledging the limitationsof nonclinical schizotypy research, the findings are discussed with regardto possible implications for the treatment of aggression in schizophrenia.