The present study examined paranoid ideation, most of which is self-referring, in a non-clinical adolescent population. Four hundred and eighty-seven (487; 267 male, 225 female, and 5 unknown) high school students completed a questionnaire that included scales measuring self-reference, fear and avoidance of social relation- ship, depression (Children's Depression Inventory,. CDI), avoidance and absenteeism kom school, and person- ality characteristics apparently associated with school avoidance and absenteeism. Eighty-one percent of the students endorsed at least one item of the self-reference scale as somewhat applicable or applicable to them. Self-reference tendency had a positive correlation with social phobic tendency and CDI score, and its correla- tions with school avoidance and related personality traits were positive but weak. The distinction and similarity between self-reference and social phobic tendency were discussed.
Key words: paranoid ideation, self-reference, depression, social phobic tendency, adolescents