Modeling of parent-rated psychopathology in children and adolescents using the Child Behavior Checklist.

= 3.5; 57.1% male) with a wide range of mental disorders, who had been referred to a university outpatient clinic for assessment and treatment. Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory structural equation modeling were employed to test one-dimensional, correlated first-, second-, and third-order models and a fully symmetrical bifactor model. Additionally, the retained models were analyzed for measurement invariance across age and gender. Models that allow cross-loadings were superior. As expected, symptoms seem to be attributed to more than one dimension. The eight-factor exploratory structural equation modeling model provided a better factor structure than the more complex models such as the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling model, showing consistent factor structure and loading patterns across age and gender. A higher order structure of internalizing and externalizing dimensions was demonstrated. In our clinical sample, parent-reported juvenile psychopathology seems to be better represented by several latent variables than by only one general factor of psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).