Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology

Jonah Ormel; Melissa Vos; Odilia M. Laceulle; Charlotte Vrijen; Camiel M. van der Laan; Ilja M. Nolte; Catharina A. Hartman

doi:10.1111/jcpp.13979

Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology

Jonah Ormel^*, Melissa Vos, Odilia M. Laceulle, Charlotte Vrijen, Camiel M. van der Laan, Ilja M. Nolte, Catharina A. Hartman

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Background: The general factor of psychopathology, often denoted as p, captures the common variance among a broad range of psychiatric symptoms. Specific factors are co-modeled based on subsets of closely related symptoms. This paper investigated the extent to which wide-ranging genetic, personal, and environmental etiologically relevant variables are associated with p and specific psychopathology factors.

Methods: Using data from four waves (ages 11–19) of TRAILS, we modeled a bifactor model of p and four specific factors [internalizing, externalizing, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)]. Next, we examined the associations of 19 etiologically relevant variables with these psychology factors using path models that organized the variables according to the distal-to-proximal risk principle.

Results: Collectively, the etiologically relevant factors, including temperament traits, accounted for 55% of p's variance, 46% in ADHD, 35% in externalizing, 19% in internalizing, and 7% in ASD. The low 7% is due to insufficient unique variance in ASD indicators that load more strongly on p. Excluding temperament, variables accounted for 29% variance in p, 9% ADHD, 14% EXT, 7% INT, and 4% ASD. Most etiologically relevant factors were generic, predicting p. In addition, we identified effects on specific factors in addition to effects on p (e.g., parental SES, executive functioning); only effects on specific factors (e.g., parental rejection); opposite effects on different factors [e.g., diurnal cortisol (high INT but low EXT, p); developmental delay (high ASD and p but low EXT)]. Frustration, family functioning, parental psychopathology, executive functioning, and fearfulness had strong effects on p.

Conclusions: (1) Strong generic effects on p suggest that etiologically relevant factors and psychopathology tend to cluster in persons. (2) While many factors predict p, additional as well as opposite effects on specific factors indicate the relevance of specific psychopathology factors in understanding mental disorder. (3) High frustration, neurodevelopmental problems, and a disadvantaged family environment primarily characterize p.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1340-1354
Number of pages	15
Journal	Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
Volume	65
Issue number	10
Early online date	19 Mar 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13979
Publication status	Published - Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Funding

This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), the Consortium on Individual Development (CID), Comorbid Conditions of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CoCA), and TIMESPAN. TRAILS has been financially supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (Medical Research Council Program grant GB-MW 940-38-011; ZonMW Brainpower grant 100-001-004; ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence grants 60-60600-97-118; ZonMw Culture and Health grant 261-98-710; Social Sciences Council Medium-Sized Investment grants GB-MaGW 480-01-006 and GB-MaGW 480-07-001; Social Sciences Council project grants GB-MaGW 452-04-314 and GB-MaGW 452-06-004; NWO Large-Sized Investment grant 175.010.2003.005; NWO Longitudinal Survey and Panel Funding 481-08-013 and 481-11-001; NWO Vici 016.130.002 and 453-16-007/2735; NWO Gravitation 024.001.003), the Dutch Ministry of Justice (WODC), the European Science Foundation (EuroSTRESS project FP-006), the European Research Council (ERC-2017-STG-757364 and ERC-CoG-2015-681466), Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure BBMRI-NL (CP 32), the Gratama Foundation, the Jan Dekker Foundation, the participating universities, and Accare Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. CID is funded through the Gravitation Program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. CoCA has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 667302. TIMESPAN has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 965381. The authors are thankful to iPSYCH (Ditte Demontis and Anders B\u00F8rglum) and deCODE (G. Bragi Walters, Hreinn Stefansson, and Kari Stefansson) for giving them access to the recent GWAS meta-analysis summary statistics of ADHD. The authors have declared that they have no competing or potential conflicts of interest. This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), the Consortium on Individual Development (CID), Comorbid Conditions of Attention\u2010Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CoCA), and TIMESPAN. TRAILS has been financially supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (Medical Research Council Program grant GB\u2010MW 940\u201038\u2010011; ZonMW Brainpower grant 100\u2010001\u2010004; ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence grants 60\u201060600\u201097\u2010118; ZonMw Culture and Health grant 261\u201098\u2010710; Social Sciences Council Medium\u2010Sized Investment grants GB\u2010MaGW 480\u201001\u2010006 and GB\u2010MaGW 480\u201007\u2010001; Social Sciences Council project grants GB\u2010MaGW 452\u201004\u2010314 and GB\u2010MaGW 452\u201006\u2010004; NWO Large\u2010Sized Investment grant 175.010.2003.005; NWO Longitudinal Survey and Panel Funding 481\u201008\u2010013 and 481\u201011\u2010001; NWO Vici 016.130.002 and 453\u201016\u2010007/2735; NWO Gravitation 024.001.003), the Dutch Ministry of Justice (WODC), the European Science Foundation (EuroSTRESS project FP\u2010006), the European Research Council (ERC\u20102017\u2010STG\u2010757364 and ERC\u2010CoG\u20102015\u2010681466), Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure BBMRI\u2010NL (CP 32), the Gratama Foundation, the Jan Dekker Foundation, the participating universities, and Accare Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. CID is funded through the Gravitation Program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. CoCA has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 667302. TIMESPAN has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 965381. The authors are thankful to iPSYCH (Ditte Demontis and Anders B\u00F8rglum) and deCODE (G. Bragi Walters, Hreinn Stefansson, and Kari Stefansson) for giving them access to the recent GWAS meta\u2010analysis summary statistics of ADHD. The authors have declared that they have no competing or potential conflicts of interest.

Funders	Funder number
Gratama Stichting
Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum
Dutch Ministry of Justice
Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science
Jan Dekker Stichting
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	016.130.002, 481‐08‐013, 175.010.2003.005, 481‐11‐001, 024.001.003, GB‐MW 940‐38‐011, 453‐16‐007/2735
European Science Foundation	FP‐006
European Research Council	ERC‐CoG‐2015‐681466, ERC‐2017‐STG‐757364
Horizon 2020	965381, 667302
ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence	60‐60600‐97‐118
ZonMw	100‐001‐004
Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure BBMRI‐NL	CP 32
ZonMw Culture and Health	261‐98‐710
Social Sciences Council	GB‐MaGW 452‐06‐004, GB‐MaGW 452‐04‐314, GB‐MaGW 480‐01‐006, GB‐MaGW 480‐07‐001

Keywords

Psychopathology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

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Child Psychology Psychiatry - 2024 - Ormel - Distal‐to‐proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with theFinal published version, 648 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

@article{7fd5612c44eb40728331865e3cfb7f15,

title = "Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology",

abstract = "Background: The general factor of psychopathology, often denoted as p, captures the common variance among a broad range of psychiatric symptoms. Specific factors are co-modeled based on subsets of closely related symptoms. This paper investigated the extent to which wide-ranging genetic, personal, and environmental etiologically relevant variables are associated with p and specific psychopathology factors. Methods: Using data from four waves (ages 11–19) of TRAILS, we modeled a bifactor model of p and four specific factors [internalizing, externalizing, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)]. Next, we examined the associations of 19 etiologically relevant variables with these psychology factors using path models that organized the variables according to the distal-to-proximal risk principle. Results: Collectively, the etiologically relevant factors, including temperament traits, accounted for 55% of p's variance, 46% in ADHD, 35% in externalizing, 19% in internalizing, and 7% in ASD. The low 7% is due to insufficient unique variance in ASD indicators that load more strongly on p. Excluding temperament, variables accounted for 29% variance in p, 9% ADHD, 14% EXT, 7% INT, and 4% ASD. Most etiologically relevant factors were generic, predicting p. In addition, we identified effects on specific factors in addition to effects on p (e.g., parental SES, executive functioning); only effects on specific factors (e.g., parental rejection); opposite effects on different factors [e.g., diurnal cortisol (high INT but low EXT, p); developmental delay (high ASD and p but low EXT)]. Frustration, family functioning, parental psychopathology, executive functioning, and fearfulness had strong effects on p. Conclusions: (1) Strong generic effects on p suggest that etiologically relevant factors and psychopathology tend to cluster in persons. (2) While many factors predict p, additional as well as opposite effects on specific factors indicate the relevance of specific psychopathology factors in understanding mental disorder. (3) High frustration, neurodevelopmental problems, and a disadvantaged family environment primarily characterize p.",

keywords = "Psychopathology",

author = "Jonah Ormel and Melissa Vos and Laceulle, {Odilia M.} and Charlotte Vrijen and {van der Laan}, {Camiel M.} and Nolte, {Ilja M.} and Hartman, {Catharina A.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.",

year = "2024",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1111/jcpp.13979",

language = "English",

volume = "65",

pages = "1340--1354",

journal = "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines",

issn = "0021-9630",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "10",

}

Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology. / Ormel, Jonah; Vos, Melissa; Laceulle, Odilia M. et al.
In: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, Vol. 65, No. 10, 10.2024, p. 1340-1354.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology

AU - Ormel, Jonah

AU - Vos, Melissa

AU - Laceulle, Odilia M.

AU - Vrijen, Charlotte

AU - van der Laan, Camiel M.

AU - Nolte, Ilja M.

AU - Hartman, Catharina A.

PY - 2024/10

Y1 - 2024/10

N2 - Background: The general factor of psychopathology, often denoted as p, captures the common variance among a broad range of psychiatric symptoms. Specific factors are co-modeled based on subsets of closely related symptoms. This paper investigated the extent to which wide-ranging genetic, personal, and environmental etiologically relevant variables are associated with p and specific psychopathology factors. Methods: Using data from four waves (ages 11–19) of TRAILS, we modeled a bifactor model of p and four specific factors [internalizing, externalizing, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)]. Next, we examined the associations of 19 etiologically relevant variables with these psychology factors using path models that organized the variables according to the distal-to-proximal risk principle. Results: Collectively, the etiologically relevant factors, including temperament traits, accounted for 55% of p's variance, 46% in ADHD, 35% in externalizing, 19% in internalizing, and 7% in ASD. The low 7% is due to insufficient unique variance in ASD indicators that load more strongly on p. Excluding temperament, variables accounted for 29% variance in p, 9% ADHD, 14% EXT, 7% INT, and 4% ASD. Most etiologically relevant factors were generic, predicting p. In addition, we identified effects on specific factors in addition to effects on p (e.g., parental SES, executive functioning); only effects on specific factors (e.g., parental rejection); opposite effects on different factors [e.g., diurnal cortisol (high INT but low EXT, p); developmental delay (high ASD and p but low EXT)]. Frustration, family functioning, parental psychopathology, executive functioning, and fearfulness had strong effects on p. Conclusions: (1) Strong generic effects on p suggest that etiologically relevant factors and psychopathology tend to cluster in persons. (2) While many factors predict p, additional as well as opposite effects on specific factors indicate the relevance of specific psychopathology factors in understanding mental disorder. (3) High frustration, neurodevelopmental problems, and a disadvantaged family environment primarily characterize p.

AB - Background: The general factor of psychopathology, often denoted as p, captures the common variance among a broad range of psychiatric symptoms. Specific factors are co-modeled based on subsets of closely related symptoms. This paper investigated the extent to which wide-ranging genetic, personal, and environmental etiologically relevant variables are associated with p and specific psychopathology factors. Methods: Using data from four waves (ages 11–19) of TRAILS, we modeled a bifactor model of p and four specific factors [internalizing, externalizing, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)]. Next, we examined the associations of 19 etiologically relevant variables with these psychology factors using path models that organized the variables according to the distal-to-proximal risk principle. Results: Collectively, the etiologically relevant factors, including temperament traits, accounted for 55% of p's variance, 46% in ADHD, 35% in externalizing, 19% in internalizing, and 7% in ASD. The low 7% is due to insufficient unique variance in ASD indicators that load more strongly on p. Excluding temperament, variables accounted for 29% variance in p, 9% ADHD, 14% EXT, 7% INT, and 4% ASD. Most etiologically relevant factors were generic, predicting p. In addition, we identified effects on specific factors in addition to effects on p (e.g., parental SES, executive functioning); only effects on specific factors (e.g., parental rejection); opposite effects on different factors [e.g., diurnal cortisol (high INT but low EXT, p); developmental delay (high ASD and p but low EXT)]. Frustration, family functioning, parental psychopathology, executive functioning, and fearfulness had strong effects on p. Conclusions: (1) Strong generic effects on p suggest that etiologically relevant factors and psychopathology tend to cluster in persons. (2) While many factors predict p, additional as well as opposite effects on specific factors indicate the relevance of specific psychopathology factors in understanding mental disorder. (3) High frustration, neurodevelopmental problems, and a disadvantaged family environment primarily characterize p.

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SN - 0021-9630

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Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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