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Gendered vulnerability in threat detection: Eye-tracking evidence for sex-differentiated schizotypal trait expression
Date Issued
2026
Publisher
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Citation
Lam, L. H., Lam, Y. H., Li, W. O., Ng, S. K., Chow, T. S., & Tang, S. K. (2026). Gendered vulnerability in threat detection: Eye-tracking evidence for sex-differentiated schizotypal trait expression. In Hong Kong Shue Yan University (Ed.). Conference proceeding of international conference on human resilience: Navigating life changes & challenges (HRCONF2026). International Conference on Human Resilience: Navigating Life Changes & Challenges (HRCONF2026), Hong Kong Shue Yan University (pp. 35). Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Schizotypal personality traits mark individuals as vulnerable to peer difficulties and mental health crises. However, self-report screening measures alone fail to capture how these vulnerabilities manifest distinctly across genders. Eye-tracking provides insight
into attentional allocation to threat, offering gender-sensitive biomarkers that self-report questionnaires may miss. Understanding these differences is crucial for fostering resilience and tailoring support strategies.
A sample of 119 healthy adults (ages 18–55) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) and demographic information. Participants were administered with an eye-tracking attention task containing high-threat and mild-threat visual stimuli, following mood induction (calm or anxious conditions). Using an EyeLink 1000 Plus system, first-look behavior was measured (whether participants’ initial gaze directed toward threat stimuli). Repeated-measures ANOVA and gender-stratified correlations were conducted to examine the threat-detection patterns and their associations with personality risk dimensions.
A three-way interaction (mood-condition × threat-level × gender; p = .050, η²ₚ = .032) revealed that females demonstrated more frequent first-look to mild-threat stimuli after anxious mood induction, while males showed weakened threat-orienting responses (t(117) = −3.57, p = 0.014, with Bonferroni correction). Critically, personality correlates differed by gender: in females, SPQ-B Disorganization showed negative correlation with threat-directed attention (r = −0.294, p = .009), whereas in males, the same dimension showed positive correlation (r = 0.335, p = 0.032).
These findings reveal distinct neurobehavioral phenotypes of schizotypal traits. Females’ heightened threat-orienting after mood challenge reflects anxiety-based reactivity, while males’ blunted responses suggest emotional detachment. Crucially, opposing personality correlates indicate that identical SPQ-B Disorganization scores mask opposing mechanisms: in females, higher disorganization paradoxically reduces threat-directed attention, reflecting cognitive fragmentation that impairs threat-processing, while in males, higher disorganization associates with enhanced threat-monitoring despite similar trait endorsement. Understanding these divergent resilience pathways enables development of gender-matched interventions targeting each group’s specific strengths and vulnerabilities.
A sample of 119 healthy adults (ages 18–55) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) and demographic information. Participants were administered with an eye-tracking attention task containing high-threat and mild-threat visual stimuli, following mood induction (calm or anxious conditions). Using an EyeLink 1000 Plus system, first-look behavior was measured (whether participants’ initial gaze directed toward threat stimuli). Repeated-measures ANOVA and gender-stratified correlations were conducted to examine the threat-detection patterns and their associations with personality risk dimensions.
A three-way interaction (mood-condition × threat-level × gender; p = .050, η²ₚ = .032) revealed that females demonstrated more frequent first-look to mild-threat stimuli after anxious mood induction, while males showed weakened threat-orienting responses (t(117) = −3.57, p = 0.014, with Bonferroni correction). Critically, personality correlates differed by gender: in females, SPQ-B Disorganization showed negative correlation with threat-directed attention (r = −0.294, p = .009), whereas in males, the same dimension showed positive correlation (r = 0.335, p = 0.032).
These findings reveal distinct neurobehavioral phenotypes of schizotypal traits. Females’ heightened threat-orienting after mood challenge reflects anxiety-based reactivity, while males’ blunted responses suggest emotional detachment. Crucially, opposing personality correlates indicate that identical SPQ-B Disorganization scores mask opposing mechanisms: in females, higher disorganization paradoxically reduces threat-directed attention, reflecting cognitive fragmentation that impairs threat-processing, while in males, higher disorganization associates with enhanced threat-monitoring despite similar trait endorsement. Understanding these divergent resilience pathways enables development of gender-matched interventions targeting each group’s specific strengths and vulnerabilities.
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