Exploring the SPECTRA: Indices of Psychopathology's (SPECTRA) hierarchical factor structure in a clinical sample

The SPECTRA: Indices of Psychopathology (SPECTRA) is a psychological inventory that measures psychopathology at three hierarchically related levels; symptom, spectra, and global. However, to date, the SPECTRA's hierarchical factor structure has not been evaluated in a clinical sample. The present study used second-order factor analysis to explore the SPECTRA's factor structure and the congruence between the SPECTRA's manifest (raw score) and factor derived higher-order scales in a clinical sample. The findings showed the SPECTRA's factor structure to be consistent with a tri-dimensional hierarchical model. The SPECTRA's manifest global psychopathology scale was highly correlated with the global second-order factor scale, with 92% shared variance. The manifest and factor derived first-order Internalizing, Externalizing, & Reality Impairing scales were also highly correlated, having 88% to 94% shared variance. The findings provide additional support for the SPECTRA's hierarchical structure and the correspondence its manifest higher-order scales.