اسکیزوفرنی و ماوراء الطبیعه:اعتقاد بیشتر و خرافات و آشناپنداری کمتر در بیماران مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی درمانی

Objective The present study examined the relation between déjà vu experiences and paranormal beliefs in schizophrenic patients. Methods A total of 522 participants (54.5% female; mean age = 33.3, SD = 16.02) were recruited, including 422 healthy adults (60.9% female; mean age = 29.48, SD = 15.07) and 100 medicated adult schizophrenic patients (27.3% female; mean age = 48.98, SD = 8.57). The Chinese version of the Inventory of Déjà-vu Experiences Assessment was created via back translation. Chinese versions of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (CRPB), Beck Anxiety Inventory (CBAI), and Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) were also used. Results and Conclusion After controlling for age, gender, education, and anxiety, the results supported the following three hypotheses. Schizophrenic persons have fewer déjà vu experiences than normal persons. These experiences are positively related to paranormal beliefs in healthy adults but not in schizophrenic patients. Schizophrenic patients have higher scores than healthy adults on the psi and superstitious subscales of the CRPB.

Neppe [1] defined déjà vu as “any subjectively inappropriate impression of familiarity of a present experience with an undefined past.” Déjà vu experiences are usually visual, and the experience lasts only a few seconds [1] and [2]. Researchers have studied déjà vu in populations such as schizophrenic patients and healthy persons [3] and [4]. Schizophrenic patients have fewer déjà vu experiences than healthy persons [4]. Brown [2] indicated the incidence of déjà vu experiences to be 55% and 68% in clinical and nonclinical samples respectively. Schizophrenic patients were found to have fewer déjà vu experiences than normal persons possibly because of their negative symptoms [3]. However, these issues have not been examined in a Chinese sample. Thus, the first aim of the present study was to replicate the above findings in such a sample. We hypothesized that adult schizophrenic patients would have fewer déjà vu experiences than healthy adults in Taiwan. Previous studies indicate a relationship between déjà vu experiences and paranormal experiences, because items representing the latter are embedded in scales measuring the former [5], [6] and [7]. These results imply that déjà vu experiences are associated with paranormal beliefs. Specifically, paranormal belief measures have been shown to correlate with scores on the MMPI schizophrenia scale in college students [8] and with scores on a measure of schizotypal tendencies in adolescents [9]. However, as noted before, schizophrenic patients tend to have fewer déjà vu experiences than healthy persons. Therefore, it is logical to infer that déjà vu experiences are positively related to paranormal beliefs in healthy persons but not in schizophrenic patients. To date, the relation between déjà vu experiences and paranormal beliefs in schizophrenic patients has not been examined in a single study. We tested this assumption in the present study.