Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T20:44:16.212Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The structure of common psychiatric symptoms: how many dimensions of neurosis?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

J. Ormel ,
A. J. Oldehinkel ,
D. P. Goldberg ,
P. P. G. Hodiamont ,
F. W. Wilmink  and
K. Bridges
J. Ormel*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
A. J. Oldehinkel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
D. P. Goldberg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
P. P. G. Hodiamont
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
F. W. Wilmink
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
K. Bridges
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nijmegen; Out-patient Clinic Psychiatric Hospital Licht en Kracht, Assen, The Netherlands; Mental Illness Research Unit, University of Manchester; Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr J. Ormel, Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, PO 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

Synopsis In order to replicate and elaborate the two-dimensional model of depression and anxiety underlying the structure of common psychiatric symptoms proposed by Goldberg et al. (1987), we carried out latent trait analyses on PSE symptom data of the original Manchester study and two recent Dutch studies. We used the same analytical strategy as Goldberg et al. to facilitate comparison with the earlier work. It was found that a more comprehensive set of common psychiatric symptoms caused an extra, third dimension to emerge, so that the earlier anxiety dimension became split between a specific anxiety axis characterized by situational and phobic anxiety and avoidance, and a non-specific anxiety axis characterized by free-floating anxiety, various symptoms relating to tension, irritability and restlessness. It is argued that three dimensions are sufficient to account for the covariance between common psychiatric symptoms. A fairly consistent correlation between the non-specific anxiety and the depression dimension was found across sites, as well as independence of the specific anxiety dimension from the other two dimensions. Furthermore, the depression dimension was robust with similar symptom profiles across samples, but there appeared to be local differences in the structure of anxiety symptoms.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , May 1995 , pp. 521 - 530
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Clark, L. A. & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite models of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 100, 316–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duncan-Jones, P., Grayson, D. A. & Moran, P. (1986). The utility of latent trait models in psychiatric epidemiology. Psychological Medicine 16, 391–405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, C. (1986). NOHARM II. A Fortran Program for Fitting Unidimensional and Multidimensional Normal Ogive Models of Latent Trait Theory. Centre for Behavioural Studies, University of New England: Armidale (NSW).Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P., Bridges, P., Duncan-Jones, P. & Grayson, D. A. (1987). Dimensions of neurosis seen in primary care settings. Psychological Medicine 17, 461–470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grayson, D. A., Henderson, A. S. & Kay, D. W. K. (1987 a). Diagnoses of dementia and depression: a latent trait analysis of their performance. Psychological Medicine 17, 667–675.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grayson, D. A., Bridges, P., Duncan-Jones, P. & Goldberg, D. P. (1987 b). The relationship between symptoms and diagnoses of minor psychiatric disorder in general practice. Psychological Medicine 17, 933–942.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hodiamont, P., Peer, S. & Syben, N. (1987). Epidemiological aspects of psychiatric disorder in a Dutch health area. Psychological Medicine 17, 495–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kandel, E. R. (1991). Disorders of mood: depression, mania and anxiety disorders. In Principles of Neural Science (ed. Kandel, E. R., Schwartz, J. H. and Jessell, T. M.), pp. 869–883. Prentice-Hall: London.Google Scholar
McDonald, R. P. (1982). Linear versus non-linear models in item-response theory. Applied Psychological Measurement 6, 379–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackinnon, A., Christensen, H., Jorm, A. F., Henderson, A. S., Scott, R., Korten, A. E. (1995). A latent trait analysis of an inventory designed to detect symptoms of anxiety and depression using an elderly population. NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, ANU, Canberra, Australia.Google Scholar
Ormel, J., Brink, W.van den, , Koeter, M. W. J., Giel, R., Meer, K.van der, , Willige, G.van de, & Wilmink, F. W. (1990). Recognition, management and outcome of psychological disorders in primary care: a naturalistic follow-up study. Psychological Medicine 20, 909–923.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ormel, J., Oldehinkel, T., Brilman, E. & Van den Brink, W. (1993). Outcome of depression and anxiety in primary care. Archives of General Psychiatry 50, 759–766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilmink, F. W. (1989). Patient, physician, psychiatrist: assessment of mental health problems in primary care. Ph.D. thesis. University of Groningen.Google Scholar