Common and specific features of childhood psychopathology.
This article describes a conceptual and data-analytic model for characterizing different levels of common and specific features of child psychopathology: common features, which differentiate psychopathology from normality; broadband-specific features, which differentiate internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, somatization) from externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity); and narrowband-specific features, which differentiate different narrowband syndromes (e.g., anxiety from somatization, hyperactivity from aggression) within each of the broadband syndromes. As an illustration of the model, data for 6 cognitive variables (e.g., global self-worth, causal attributions) are related to 6 psychopathology domains (e.g., aggression, depression) in a sample of 204 children. It is suggested that common features may be related to severity of psychopathology, whereas specific features may be more related to differentiation of psychopathology.
Weiss
B
B
Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA. weissbh@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu
Süsser
K
K
Catron
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T
D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment