Validation of the Mandarin Chinese Version of the Detachment, Internalizing, and Somatoform Spectra of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Self-Report (HiTOP-SR)

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is a dimensional approach to understanding mental health, addressing limitations of categorical systems such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This study aimed to validate a Mandarin version of the HiTOP Self-Report (HiTOP-SR), with a focus on the Internalizing, Detachment, and Somatoform spectra among a Chinese population. A translation and back-translation process was followed by collaborative item refinement from a team of bilingual and monolingual scholars to ensure both linguistic equivalence and cultural relevance. The final 213-item scale was administered to 1,999 undergraduate students across four Chinese universities, with follow-up assessments conducted five weeks later. The Mandarin HiTOP-SR demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (α > .70 for 45 scales/subscales), good test-retest reliability (r > .70 for 32 scales/subscales), adequate model fit for 45 scales/subscales, and acceptable discriminant validity (only 13 pairs showed a latent correlation of > .90). Convergent validity was supported by strong correlations with corresponding DSM-5-TR symptom domains. These findings confirm the structural and conceptual alignment of the Mandarin HiTOP-SR with the HiTOP framework. This culturally informed adaptation advances the development of evidence-based, dimensional assessment tools in Chinese contexts and contributes to the global applicability of transdiagnostic models of psychopathology.