Structure of Current Psychopathology and its Associations with Daily Life Experiences using the HiTOP-SR in a Mixed Clinical/Community Sample

Overview

The HiTOP-SR is a recently developed self-report instrument operationalizing the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology, a dimensional nosological system designed to address limitations inherent in categorical diagnostic frameworks such as heterogeneity, boundary problems, and comorbidity artifacts. This study investigated the hierarchical factor structure of the HiTOP-SR and examined associations between its scales and daily life experiences in a mixed clinical/community sample.

Methods and approach

Preregistered analyses were conducted across two subsamples of a mixed clinical/community population (75% female, 81% white). Exploratory factor analysis was performed on HiTOP-SR data from 637 participants to examine the instrument's hierarchical structure. A separate subset of 531 participants completed daily life assessments measuring affect, stress, impulsivity, energy, sleep quality, and social interactions. Associations between HiTOP-SR facet scales and domains with daily behavior and experience variables were examined to establish construct validity and clinical utility.

Results

A nine-factor model emerged as the optimal representation of the HiTOP-SR structure, demonstrating substantial alignment with the theoretical HiTOP model while revealing notable departures, particularly for constructs with limited prior empirical investigation. HiTOP-SR facet scales and domains exhibited associations with individual differences in daily behaviors and experiences consistent with theoretical predictions, supporting the construct validity of the measure and demonstrating its potential utility for clinical applications.

Implications

The results validate the HiTOP-SR as a psychometrically sound instrument with meaningful associations to real-world functioning. The hierarchical structure observed generally corresponds to the HiTOP framework, providing empirical support for dimensional organization of psychopathology. However, identified departures between the empirical structure and the theoretical model warrant further investigation and may necessitate refinements to conceptualizations of understudied psychopathological domains. These findings contribute to the broader validation effort of the HiTOP model as an alternative nosological framework for psychopathology assessment and research.