An empirical investigation of the structure of anxiety and depressive symptoms in late adolescence: cross-sectional study using the Greek version of the revised Clinical Interview Schedule

Abstract

Several studies in the past have examined whether the hierarchical structure of anxiety and depressive symptoms can explain the high comorbidity between them but more studies are needed from other settings and with different methods. The present study aimed to examine the structure of common anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents 16-18 years old attending secondary schools using the Greek version of the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R), a fully structured psychiatric interview. A total of 2431 adolescents were interviewed with the computerized version of the CIS-R. The hierarchical structure of 12 depressive and anxiety symptoms was examined with confirmatory factor analytical methods. Four alternative models of increasing complexity were tested. The best-fitting model included three first-order factors, representing the dimensions of anxiety, depression and non-specific distress respectively. A model with a higher-order factor representing the broader internalizing dimension was less supported by the data. The findings of this and other studies should be taken into account in future classifications of psychiatric disorders and may have clinical practical implications.