AIM:
To estimate the prevalence of HLEs in young adults; validate the mutidimensionality and explore the correlates of latent HLEs clusters.
METHODS:
Cross-sectional survey design. The extended 16-item Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS-E) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were administered to 649 Italian college students (males: 47%). Confirmatory factorial analysis was used to test multidimensionality of the LSHS-E. Hierarchical nested, progressively constrained models were used to assess configural, metric and scalar invariance of the LSHS-E. Latent class analysis was used to test the existence of different profiles of responding across the identified hallucination-proneness dimensions.
RESULTS:
Factor analysis showed that the four-factor model had the best fit. Factors were invariant across demographic variables and levels of psychological distress. Three latent classes were found: a large class with no HLEs (70% of participants), a multisensory HLEs