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Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) to Examine the Internal Structure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2020

Andrés Fresno Open the ORCID record for Andrés Fresno [Opens in a new window] ,
Víctor Arias Open the ORCID record for Víctor Arias [Opens in a new window] ,
Daniel Núñez ,
Rosario Spencer Open the ORCID record for Rosario Spencer [Opens in a new window] ,
Nadia Ramos Open the ORCID record for Nadia Ramos [Opens in a new window] ,
Camila Espinoza ,
Patricia Bravo ,
Jessica Arriagada  and
Alain Brunet Open the ORCID record for Alain Brunet [Opens in a new window]
Andrés Fresno*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Víctor Arias
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
Daniel Núñez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Rosario Spencer
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Nadia Ramos
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Camila Espinoza
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Patricia Bravo
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Jessica Arriagada
Affiliation:
Universidad de Talca (Chile)
Alain Brunet
Affiliation:
McGill University (Canada)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrés Fresno. Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad de Talca. 3460000 Talca (Chile). E-mail: andresfresno@gmail.com
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Abstract

Several studies have reported the factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results show models with different number of factors, high correlations between factors, and symptoms that belong to different factors in different models without affecting the fit index. These elements could suppose the existence of considerable item cross-loading, the overlap of different factors or even the presence of a general factor that explains the items common source of variance. The aim is to provide new evidence regarding the factor structure of PTSD using CFA and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). In a sample of 1,372 undergraduate students, we tested six different models using CFA and two models using ESEM and ESEM bifactor analysis. Trauma event and past-month PTSD symptoms were assessed with Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC–5) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL–5). All six tested CFA models showed good fit indexes (RMSEA = .051–.056, CFI = .969–.977, TLI = .965–.970), with high correlations between factors (M = .77, SD = .09 to M = .80, SD = .09). The ESEM models showed good fit indexes (RMSEA = .027–.036, CFI = .991–.996, TLI = .985–.992). These models confirmed the presence of cross-loadings on several items as well as loads on a general factor that explained 76.3% of the common variance. The results showed that most of the items do not meet the assumption of dimensional exclusivity, showing the need to expand the analysis strategies to study the symptomatic organization of PTSD.

Keywords

bifactor analysisCFAESEMPTSD
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 23 , 2020 , e48
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2020

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Footnotes

Conflicts of Interest: None

Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico [AF, grant number 1171794]; Convenio de Desempeño para el Desarrollo y Fortalecimiento de las Artes, Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales [AF, grant number TAL0901], Fondo de Proyectos de Investigación para Investigadores Iniciales [NR, grant number I002719], and by the Programa de Investigación Asociativa (PIA) en Ciencias Cognitivas del Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Cognitivas de la Universidad de Talca.

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