Abstract
BackgroundThe Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) was designed to specifically measure the Tripartite model of affect and is proposed to offer a delineation between the core components of anxiety and depression. Factor analytic data from adult clinical samples has shown mixed results; however no studies employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have supported the predicted structure of distinct Depression, Anxiety and General Distress factors. The Tripartite model has not been validated in a clinical sample of older adolescents and young adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the Tripartite model using scale-level data from the MASQ and correlational and confirmatory factor analysis techniques.Methods137 young people (M = 17.78, SD = 2.63) referred to a specialist mental health service for adolescents and young adults completed the MASQ and diagnostic interview.ResultsAll MASQ scales were highly inter-correlated, with the lowest correlation between the depression- and anxiety-specific scales (r = .59). This pattern of correlations was observed for all participants rating for an Axis-I disorder but not for participants without a current disorder (r = .18). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the model fit of a number of solutions. The predicted Tripartite structure was not supported. A 2-factor model demonstrated superior model fit and parsimony compared to 1- or 3-factor models. These broad factors represented Depression and Anxiety and were highly correlated (r = .88).ConclusionThe present data lend support to the notion that the Tripartite model does not adequately explain the relationship between anxiety and depression in all clinical populations. Indeed, in the present study this model was found to be inappropriate for a help-seeking community sample of older adolescents and young adults.
Highlights
The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) was designed to measure the Tripartite model of affect and is proposed to offer a delineation between the core components of anxiety and depression
Some support for the Tripartite model has been demonstrated in a clinical sample of children and adolescents, though this study only investigated two of the three tripartite constructs (NA and Positive Affect (PA)) [18]
There is, a clear need to replicate the findings presented by Boschen and Oei in their adult, clinical sample in order to determine whether their results generalise to younger clinical samples
Summary
The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) was designed to measure the Tripartite model of affect and is proposed to offer a delineation between the core components of anxiety and depression. BMC Psychiatry 2008, 8:79 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/8/79 anxiety) [3,4] The midpoint of this continuum may be marked by comorbid depressive and anxious symptoms. According to the Tripartite model, the comorbidity of depression and anxiety can be explained by a shared general distress factor. This factor, characterised by high levels of NA, is defined as relating to different aspects of depression and anxiety [7]. Nervousness, tension and worry are reported as being related to anxiety, while anger, guilt and sadness are associated with depression Both PA and NA have been argued to be relatively stable, heritable traits and largely independent of one another [10]
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