The meaning of momentary psychotic-like experiences in a non-clinical sample: a personality perspective

The relationships between Momentary Psychotic-Like Experiences (MPLEs) and HEXACO - complemented by the proneness to PLEs conceptualized as a basic personality trait (Disintegration), and a maladaptive trait (PID-5 Psychoticism) - were investigated in a prospective study that includes experience-sampling methodology (ESM). The main goal was to investigate whether MPLEs are better predicted by HEXACO or measures of the dispositional proneness to PLEs. A sample of 180 participants assessed MPLEs and affective states they experienced in the previous two-hours, twice per day, with randomly set assessment time-points, during seven days, by using ESM. Personality inventories were administered to them 1-2 months earlier. MPLEs were found to be better predicted by the measures of dispositional tendencies toward PLE than by the HEXACO, no matter whether it was broadly defined as the nine-faceted general tendency toward PLEs (Disintegration), or narrowly as three-faceted positive psychotic-like symptoms of maladaptive personality tendencies (PID 5 - Psychoticism).