Abstract
Investigators are persistently aiming to clarify structural relationships among the emotional disorders in efforts to improve
diagnostic classification. The high co-occurrence of anxiety and mood disorders, however, has led investigators to portray
the current structure of anxiety and depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, APA 2000) as more descriptive than empirical. This study assesses various structural models in a clinical sample of youths with emotional
disorders. Three a priori factor models were tested, and the model that provided the best fit to the data showed the dimensions
of anxiety and mood disorders to be hierarchically organized within a single, higher-order factor. This supports the prevailing
view that the co-occurrence of anxiety and mood disorders in children is in part due to a common vulnerability (e.g., negative
affectivity). Depression and generalized anxiety loaded more highly onto the higher-order factor than the other disorders,
a possible explanation for the particularly high rates of comorbidity between the two. Implications for the taxonomy and treatment
of mood and anxiety disorders for children and adolescents are discussed.
diagnostic classification. The high co-occurrence of anxiety and mood disorders, however, has led investigators to portray
the current structure of anxiety and depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, APA 2000) as more descriptive than empirical. This study assesses various structural models in a clinical sample of youths with emotional
disorders. Three a priori factor models were tested, and the model that provided the best fit to the data showed the dimensions
of anxiety and mood disorders to be hierarchically organized within a single, higher-order factor. This supports the prevailing
view that the co-occurrence of anxiety and mood disorders in children is in part due to a common vulnerability (e.g., negative
affectivity). Depression and generalized anxiety loaded more highly onto the higher-order factor than the other disorders,
a possible explanation for the particularly high rates of comorbidity between the two. Implications for the taxonomy and treatment
of mood and anxiety disorders for children and adolescents are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-12
- DOI 10.1007/s10802-011-9582-7
- Authors
- Sarah E. Trosper, NYU Child Study Center, 577 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Sarah W. Whitton, Psychology Department, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Timothy A. Brown, Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Donna B. Pincus, Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Journal Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Online ISSN 1573-2835
- Print ISSN 0091-0627