Examination of the structure of psychopathology using latent class analysis

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.05.008

Comprehensive Psychiatry

Volume 53, Issue 4, May 2012, Pages 323-332

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.05.008 Get rights and content

Abstract

Several recent studies using factor analytic methods find that the structure of psychopathology reflects broad internalizing and externalizing dimensions, with the internalizing dimension being further divided into fear and distress disorders. Although these variable-centered studies have provided important insights into the structure of psychopathology, they provide limited information about the classification of individual cases. The present study examines patterns of lifetime internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in participants from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project using latent class analysis that classifies individuals rather than variables. A 4-class solution best fits the data. The largest class (62.5%) included individuals with relatively little psychopathology; 1 class (16.4%) was largely characterized by internalizing disorders, 1 class (16.9%), largely characterized by externalizing disorders; and the final class (4.2%), characterized by both internalizing and externalizing disorders. The validity of the classes was further examined using data on psychiatric morbidity, temperament, and family aggregation of psychopathology. Classes differed on indices of positive, negative, and disinhibited temperament in ways that were consistent with theoretical predictions. Patterns of familial aggregation of psychopathology demonstrated relative specificity of transmission of different disorders. Overall, the findings support conclusions from studies of dimensional models of internalizing and externalizing disorders, and extend them to person-centered approaches to classification.

Section snippets

Participants

The present study uses data from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project (OADP) [37], a longitudinal study of a large cohort of high school students who were assessed twice during adolescence, a third time when the average age was 24 years, and a fourth time when the average age was 30 years. Participants were randomly selected from 9 high schools in western Oregon. A total of 1709 adolescents (ages 14-18 years; mean age, 16.6 years; SD, 1.2) completed the initial (T₁) assessments between 1987

Identification of best fitting class solution

Latent class analyses were performed by estimating models for 2 through 10 classes. However, models are only presented for 2 through 5 classes because inadmissible solutions were found for models of 6 through 10 classes. The minimum BIC was found for the 3-class solution (Table 1), suggesting that this is the preferred solution. However, the BLRT found that the 4-class solution provided a significant improvement relative to the 3-class solution. In addition, the BLRT found that the 5-class

Discussion

Previous literature on the structure of psychopathology has largely relied on variable-centered methods such as factor analysis. Models derived from these methods describe the organization of psychopathology across individuals; however, disorder classification is intended to provide information about individual cases. To accomplish this latter goal, alternative methods such as LCA are required. The present study used LCA to identify classes of psychopathology, with the validity of the resultant

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Examination of the structure of psychopathology using latent class analysis

Abstract

Section snippets

Participants

Identification of best fitting class solution

Discussion

J Psychiatr Res

J Psychiatr Res

Clin Psychol Rev

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

The structure of common DSM-IV and ICD-10 mental disorders in the Australian general population

Psychol Med

The structure of common mental disorders

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Reinterpreting comorbidity: a model-based approach to understanding and classifying psychopathology

Annu Rev Clin Psychol

The structure and stability of common mental disorders (DSM-III-R): a longitudinal-epidemiological study

J Abnorm Psychol

The structure and stability of common mental disorders: the NEMESIS study

Arch Gen Psychiatry

The structure of common mental disorders: a replication study in a community sample of adolescents and young adults

Int J Methods Psychiatr Res

Testing structural models of DSM-IV symptoms of common forms of child and adolescent psychopathology

J Abnorm Child Psychol

The structure of child and adolescent psychopathology: generating new hypotheses

J Abnorm Psychol

Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

Arch Gen Psychiatry

How things fall apart: understanding the nature of internalizing through its relationship with impairment

J Abnorm Psychol

Refinements in the hierarchical structure of externalizing psychiatric disorders: patterns of lifetime liability from mid-adolescence through early adulthood

J Abnorm Psychol

Using item response theory to understand comorbidity among anxiety and unipolar mood disorders

Psychol Assess

Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications

J Abnorm Psychol

Structural relationships among dimensions of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders and dimensions of negative affect, positive affect, and autonomic arousal

J Abnorm Psychol

Positive and negative affectivity in children: confirmatory factor analysis of a two-factor model and its relation to symptoms of anxiety and depression

J Consult Clin Psychol

Testing a tripartite model: I. Evaluating the convergent and discriminant validity of anxiety and depression symptom scales

J Abnorm Psychol

Behavioral disinhibition and the development of substance-use disorders: findings from the Minnesota Twin Family Study

Dev Psychopathol

Behavioral disinhibition and the development of early-onset addiction: common and specific influences

Annu Rev Clin Psychol

Behavioral disinhibition: liability for externalizing spectrum disorders and its genetic and environmental relation to response inhibition across adolescence

J Abnorm Psychol

Current and lifetime comorbidity of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders in a large clinical sample

J Abnorm Psychol

Differential relations of depression and social anxiety symptoms to the facets of extraversion/positive emotionality

J Abnorm Psychol

Family study of co-morbidity between major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders

Psychol Med

The relationship between panic disorder and major depression: a new family study

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Family aggregation of mental disorders in the nationwide Danish three generation study

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

Separation of DSM-III attention deficit disorder and conduct disorder: evidence from a family-genetic study of American child psychiatric patients

Psychol Med

Familial transmission of substance use disorders

Arch Gen Psychiatry