The structure of dimensions of psychopathology in normative and clinical samples: Applying causal discovery to MMPI-2-RF scales to investigate clustering of psychopathology spectra and p-factors

We applied a Bayesian Constraint-based Causal Discovery method (BCCD) to examine the hierarchical structure of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Restructured Clinical (RC) scales. Two different general psychopathology super spectra (p-factor) scales were extracted from (1) all RC scales and (2) all RC scales except the RCd (Demoralization) scale. These p-factor scales were included in separate models to investigate the structure of dimensions of psychopathology in a normative (n = 3,242) and clinical (n = 2,466) sample, as well as the combined normative/clinical sample (N = 5,708), by applying the BCCD algorithm to obtain a data-driven reconstruction of the internal hierarchical structure of the MMPI-2-RF. Research on the underlying structure of the MMPI-2-RF has clinical relevance as well as conceptual relevance in the context of the HiTOP model. Results demonstrated that the syndromes measured with the RC-scales—in presence of a p-factor—cluster into six spectra: internalizing, disinhibited-externalizing, antagonistic-externalizing, thought disorder, detachment, and somatoform. These results may support a super spectrum construct, as it was necessary for obtaining a bottom-up reconstruction of this six-spectrum structure. We found support for superiority of a broad super spectrum with additional variance over and above demoralization, as it resulted in the clearest structure (i.e., clustering of the RC scales). Furthermore, our results indicate independent support for the bifactor structure model of psychopathology.