Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted of
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) symptoms of common mental disorders derived from structured interviews of a representative sample
of 4,049 twin children and adolescents and their adult caretakers. A dimensional model based on the assignment of symptoms
to syndromes in DSM-IV fit better than alternative models, but some dimensions were highly correlated. Modest sex and age
differences in factor loadings and correlations were found that suggest that the dimensions of psychopathology are stable
across sex and age, but slightly more differentiated at older ages and in males. The dimensions of symptoms were found to
be hierarchically organized within higher-order “externalizing” and “internalizing” dimensions, which accounted for much of
their variance. Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder were substantially correlated with both the “externalizing”
dimension and the “internalizing” dimension, however, suggesting the need to reconceptualize the nature of these higher-order
dimensions.
Keywords Taxonomy - Psychopathology - Confirmatory factor analysis - Children and adolescents