Back to Search
Start Over
The p Factor: One General Psychopathology Factor in the Structure of Psychiatric Disorders?
- Source :
-
Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science [Clin Psychol Sci] 2014 Mar; Vol. 2 (2), pp. 119-137. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Mental disorders traditionally have been viewed as distinct, episodic, and categorical conditions. This view has been challenged by evidence that many disorders are sequentially comorbid, recurrent/chronic, and exist on a continuum. Using the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, we examined the structure of psychopathology, taking into account dimensionality, persistence, co-occurrence, and sequential comorbidity of mental disorders across 20 years, from adolescence to midlife. Psychiatric disorders were initially explained by three higher-order factors (Internalizing, Externalizing, and Thought Disorder) but explained even better with one General Psychopathology dimension. We have called this dimension the p factor because it conceptually parallels a familiar dimension in psychological science: the g factor of general intelligence. Higher p scores are associated with more life impairment, greater familiality, worse developmental histories, and more compromised early-life brain function. The p factor explains why it is challenging to find causes, consequences, biomarkers, and treatments with specificity to individual mental disorders. Transdiagnostic approaches may improve research.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2167-7026
- Volume :
- 2
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 25360393
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702613497473