Mapping Research Domain Criteria using a transdiagnostic mini-RDoC assessment in mental disorders: a confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to build on the relationship of well-established self-report and behavioral assessments to the latent constructs positive (PVS) and negative valence systems (NVS), cognitive systems (CS), and social processes (SP) of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework in a large transnosological population which cuts across DSM/ICD-10 disorder criteria categories. One thousand four hundred and thirty one participants (42.1% suffering from anxiety/fear-related, 18.2% from depressive, 7.9% from schizophrenia spectrum, 7.5% from bipolar, 3.4% from autism spectrum, 2.2% from other disorders, 18.4% healthy controls, and 0.2% with no diagnosis specified) recruited in studies within the German research network for mental disorders for the Phenotypic, Diagnostic and Clinical Domain Assessment Network Germany (PD-CAN) were examined with a Mini-RDoC-Assessment including behavioral and self-report measures. The respective data was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to delineate the underlying latent RDoC-structure. A revised four-factor model reflecting the core domains positive and negative valence systems as well as cognitive systems and social processes showed a good fit across this sample and showed significantly better fit compared to a one factor solution. The connections between the domains PVS, NVS and SP could be substantiated, indicating a universal latent structure spanning across known nosological entities. This study is the first to give an impression on the latent structure and intercorrelations between four core Research Domain Criteria in a transnosological sample. We emphasize the possibility of using already existing and well validated self-report and behavioral measurements to capture aspects of the latent structure informed by the RDoC matrix.

Keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis CFA; Diagnosis and classification; PD-CAN; RDoC; Research Domain Criteria; Transdiagnostic.

Fig. 1

Factorial loadings of the final model on the four Research Domain Criteria. Standardized latent variables: PVS Positive valence systems, NVS Negative valence systems, CS Cognitive systems, SP Social processes, Manifest variables: BIS/BAS Behavioral Inhibition Anxiety Anxiety based inhibition aspects of BIS/BAS subscale Behavioral Inhibition, BSI-53 Anhedonia BSI-53 single item Anhedonia, BIS-53 Anxiety BIS-53 subscale Anxiety, BSI-53 Habituation habituational aspects of BSI-53 single items Obsessive–compulsive, BSI-53 Hostility BSI-53 subscale Hostility, BSI-53 Interpersonal Sensitivity BSI-53 subscale Interpersonal Sensitivity, BSI-53 Phobic Anxiety BSI-53 subscale Phobic Anxiety, BSI-53 Paranoid Ideas BSI-53 subscale Paranoid Ideation, BSI-53 Social Anhedonia BSI-53 single Item Social Anhedonia, BSI-53 Somatization BSI-53 subscale Somatization, DSST Work Memory Digit Symbol Substitution Test raw score, PANAS Hedonic Hedonic aspects of PANAS subscale Positive Affect, TMT-A Time Attention Trail Making Test—Version A completion time, TMT-B Time Cognitive Control Trail Making Test—Version B completion time, WHO-DAS Friendships WHO-DAS 2.0 Single item Friendships reversed