Dimensions of psychopathology in a neurodevelopmental transdiagnostic sample

Background–Hierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology have been derived for adult and child community populations, offering more informative and efficient methods for assessing and treating symptoms of mental ill-health than traditional diagnostic approaches. There have been no explorations of the hierarchical structure of psychopathology in children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Aims–To delineate the hierarchical dimensional structure of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents with problems in learning. To validate the derived model against clinically relevant measures, and to test the predictive value of the model for socially and educationally relevant outcomes. Method–A hierarchical factor analytic approach was used to derive dimensions of psychopathology for a sample of N= 403 participants from the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) cohort. Factor analysis was conducted on scores from the Conner’s Parent Rating Short Form, the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results–A hierarchical structure with a general p factor at the apex, broad internalising and broad externalising spectra below, and three more specific factors (specific internalising, social maladjustment, and neurodevelopmental) emerged. The p factor explained all clinical validators and predicted learning problems, but the other dimensions provided incremental validity. The neurodevelopmental dimension was the strongest predictor of learning skills. Conclusion–A hierarchical dimensional model of psychopathological symptoms can be …