The purpose of this study was to develop Japanese-version Paranoia Checklist (JPC), originally by Freeman et al. (2005), to assess persecutory ideation, and test its internal consistency and validity on a population of Japanese undergraduates. In Study 1, 244 undergraduates completed JPC and Paranoia Scale. Results indicated that JPC had a one-factor structure and high internal consistency. Also, Paranoia Scale had a positive correlation with JPC frequency, conviction, and distress scores. In Study 2, 124 undergraduates completed JPC as well as a questionnaire assessing trait anxiety, self-esteem, social anxiety, trait anger, and social support. Multiple regression analyses with JPC as dependent variable revealed that JPC was positively associated with trait anxiety, social anxiety, and anger, and negatively with social support. The results suggested that JPC was internally consistent and fairly valid, and that anxiety, social anxiety, anger, and social support appeared to play important roles in the development and/or maintenance of persecutory ideation.
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