Table 3.
Factor solution for the 18 items of the Paranoia Checklist. The first factor is named “unspecific suspiciousness,” the second factor “psychotic paranoia.” Factor loadings above 0.6 are set in bold type.
| Paranoia Checklist items | Components | |
|---|---|---|
| Factor 1 unspecific suspiciousness |
Factor 2 psychotic paranoia |
|
| There might be negative comments being circulated about me. | .830 | .123 |
| Bad things are being said about me behind my back. | .813 | .228 |
| People communicate about me in subtle ways. | .748 | .345 |
| People deliberately try to irritate me. | .738 | .320 |
| People might be hostile towards me. | .729 | .306 |
| I need to be on my guard against others. | .721 | .138 |
| Someone I know has bad intentions towards me. | .663 | .430 |
| People are trying to make me upset. | .663 | .353 |
| Strangers and friends look at me critically. | .653 | .247 |
| People would harm me if given an opportunity. | .638 | .470 |
| People are laughing at me. | .610 | .354 |
| I can detect coded messages about me in the press/TV/radio. | .131 | .865 |
| I am under threat from others. | .222 | .844 |
| There is a possibility of a conspiracy against me. | .367 | .790 |
| My actions and thoughts might be controlled by others. | .245 | .780 |
| Someone I don't know has bad intentions towards me. | .444 | .653 |
| I have a suspicion that someone has it in for me. | .578 | .594 |
| I might be being observed or followed. | .499 | .560 |