Abstract
Taxometrics is a statistical tool that can be used to discern categories from continua. Taxometric analyses (MAXCOV and MAXEIG) were conducted in a large nonclinical sample (N = 1,215) to determine whether extreme anxiety forms a distinct psychopathological category, an anxiety taxon. Anxiety was operationalized with self-report measures of subjective anxiety, anxious cognitive style, physiological arousal, and anxiety-related impairment. Procedures consistently identified a taxon with a prevalence of approximately 11%. Examination of the taxon's convergent and discriminant validity revealed that it reflects general distress rather than physiological arousal. Taxon membership showed some evidence of incremental validity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 369-374 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Psychological Assessment |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1 2005 |
Keywords
- Anxiety
- General distress
- Taxometrics
- Taxon
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health