The dimensions of the Dutch SCL-90: more than one, but how many?

Abstract

Within the Netherlands, there is a controversy regarding the question to what extent the SCL-90 can be considered an eight-dimensional self-assessment scale for psychopathology. Recently, the Dutch group who introduced the SCL-90 in the Netherlands again defended the premise that the SCL-90 has a structure of eight dimensions, on the basis of LISREL analyses on the SCL-90 scores of a large group of pain patients. In our study, also using the confirmatory factor analytic LISREL model, we investigated to what extent an eight-dimensional structure for the SCL-90 could be found in a large group of psychiatric patients (n = 1219). A parsimonious dimensional structure sufficiently explained our SCL-90 data. A reduced dimensionality was found for the Dutch SCL-90. The differences between the results of our study and the earlier findings of the Dutch promoters of the SCL-90 are mainly due to their accommodating application of the fit criteria. (Netherlands Journal of Psychology, 63, 29-35.)