Clinical relevance of the two-factor rasch version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale

Abstract

The two-factor Rasch version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale reportedly measures individually oriented (New Age Philosophy) and socially oriented (Traditional Paranormal Belief) paranormal beliefs. Preliminary studies investigated the construct validity of this revised scale against other variables, but the prediction that dissociative and schizotypal tendencies are more strongly related to New Age Philosophy than to Traditional Paranormal Beliefs has not been tested. Thus, a sample of 116 Australian adults completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), and the two-factor Rasch version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale. As predicted, the clinical measures showed different patterns of correlations with the two types of paranormal belief. New Age Philosophy showed small but consistent associations with pathological and nonpathological dissociation and the Perceptual-Cognitive subscale of the SPQ-B. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that the cumulative effects of psychopathology predicted only beliefs associated with New Age Philosophy. Thus, only particular types of paranormal belief are related to dissociative and schizotypal tendencies, and this knowledge may help guide therapeutic approaches to paranormal beliefs and experiences related to 'Religious or Spiritual Problems' of the DSM-IV.