Testing Models of The Phenotypic Structure of Psychopathology Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

In this study, we tested models of the structure of psychopathology on a continuum from fully confirmatory to exploratory. We overcame one of the major limitations of previous studies by including more diagnoses of both common and uncommon psychopathology spanning all spectra of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), except for the somatoform and detachment spectra. We also tested a greater number of alternative models than in previous studies. Our goal was not to find a best-fitting model, but rather to 1) exclude models based on poor fit to data and assessment of alternative indices, and 2) come up with a set of models that are robust contenders based on their good fit, the alternative indices, replicability, and associations with external correlates. Confirmatory analyses showed that single general factor fit poorly, while correlated factors models had identical fit, with some resulting in errors. Exploratory analyses revealed a promising six-factor structure, which resolved many model-generated errors and was used as a base model for testing the placement of various disorders. Subsequent analyses found optimal placements for ADHD subtypes, eating disorders, and tic disorders, while the placement of obsessive-compulsive disorders and borderline personality disorder remained unresolved. Additionally, we explored the placement of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and found that having ASPD load on the substance use factor produced the best model characteristics. We also investigated the addition of correlated residuals and the use of bifactor models. Our findings suggest that models containing a general psychopathology factor in addition to specific factors may be untenable, highlighting the dangers of relying solely on model fit. Internal split-half replication showed robust model parameters, and associations with external correlates mostly aligned with the existing literature. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the structure of psychopathology and have important implications for research and clinical practice as identifying robust parsimonious transdiagnostic dimensions could lead to more efficient and effective evidence-based treatments targeting shared mechanisms across disorders.

Table of Contents

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES       7

INTRODUCTION                                  8

THE PRESENT STUDY                      13

1. METHODS                                     14

1.1. Participants                         14

1.2. Measures                               15

1.3. Data Analyses                              16

2. RESULTS                                          24

2.1. Confirmatory Models        25

2.2. Exploratory Models          27

2.3. Internal Replication           31

2.4. External Correlates           32

3. DISCUSSION                                   33

REFERENCES                                      41

TABLES                                                50

FIGURES                                              63

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Clinical Psychology
Degree	MA
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Clinical
Keyword	Exploratory factor analysis psychopathology Structural Equation Modeling HiTOP Psychiatric diagnoses Dimensional categorization DSM Confirmatory factor analysis
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Irwin D. Waldman, Emory University
Committee Members	Philip Kragel, Emory University Rohan Palmer, Emory University

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