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General Psychopathology and Dysregulation Profile in a Longitudinal Community Sample: Stability, Antecedents and Outcomes

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Abstract

The general factor of psychopathology (GP, or p factor) and the Dysregulation Profile (DP) are two conceptually similar, but independently developed approaches to understand psychopathology. GP and DP models and their stability, antecedents and outcomes are studied in a longitudinal sample of 1073 children (49.8% female). GP and DP models were estimated at ages 8 and 14 years using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self Report (YSR). Early childhood antecedents and adolescent outcomes were derived using a multi-method multi-informant approach. Results showed that the general GP and DP had similar key symptoms and were similarly related to early-childhood antecedents (e.g., lower effortful control, higher maternal depression) and adolescent outcomes (e.g., reduced academic functioning, poorer mental health). This study demonstrates that GP and DP are highly similar constructs in middle childhood and adolescence, both describing a general vulnerability for psychopathology with (emotional) dysregulation at its core. Scientific integration of these approaches could lead to a better understanding of the structure, antecedents and outcomes of psychopathology.

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Acknowledgements

Sanne Geeraerts is affiliated with the Consortium on Individual Development (CID), which is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO Grant Number 024.001.003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Marike H. F. Deutz, Sanne B. Geeraerts, Maja Deković & Anneloes L. van Baar

  2. Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Marike H. F. Deutz & Peter Prinzie

  3. University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Jay Belsky

  4. University College London, London, UK

    Praveetha Patalay

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  1. Marike H. F. Deutz
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  2. Sanne B. Geeraerts
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  5. Anneloes L. van Baar
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  7. Praveetha Patalay
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Correspondence to Marike H. F. Deutz.

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Deutz, M.H.F., Geeraerts, S.B., Belsky, J. et al. General Psychopathology and Dysregulation Profile in a Longitudinal Community Sample: Stability, Antecedents and Outcomes. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 51, 114–126 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-019-00916-2

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