SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS OF THE SCL-90-R - A TEST OF THE TRIPARTITE MODEL OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

To determine the extent to which the SCL-90-R assesses general distres s or specific dimensions of psychopathology, two principal components analyses were conducted based on 900 outpatients diagnosed with mixed psychiatric disorders. The first component explained 30.5% of the tota l variance and was interpreted as reflecting overall symptom distress. Partialling the first component out of the correlations among the sym ptoms in a second principal components analysis, we found four specifi c residual components reflecting somatic anxiety, depression, irritabi lity, and attention problems. The results were discussed as partially supporting Clark and Watson's (1991) tripartite model of anxiety and d epression.