The P Factor: One General Psychopathology Factor in the Structure of Psychiatric Disorders?

Overview

Journal Clin Psychol Sci

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2014 Nov 1

PMID 25360393

Citations 841

Authors

Avshalom Caspi

Renate M Houts

Daniel W Belsky

Sidra J Goldman-Mellor

HonaLee Harrington

Salomon Israel

Madeline H Meier

Sandhya Ramrakha

Idan Shalev

Richie Poulton

Terrie E Moffitt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

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.

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