Internalizing, disinhibited, or antagonistic: Support for a transdiagnostic model of risky or dysregulated behaviors in two community samples

Risky or dysregulated behaviors such as non-suicidal self-injury, risky substance use, aggression, and disordered eating co-occur at higher-than-expected rates; dimensional, structural and personality-informed models of psychopatholgy may help to explain these patterns of covariation. We used latent variable models to test three transdiagnostic models of risky behaviors in two community samples: youth aged 14-20 ( N =565, Sample 1), and first-year university students ( N =627, Sample 2). In both samples, fit indices favored a hierarchical model wherein a higher-order general risky behavior factor was indicated by three lower-order dimensions: internalizing risky behaviors , comprised of self-injurious behaviours, prescription drug misuse, and maladaptive weight control behaviors; disinhibited risky behaviors, comprised of substance misuse, risky sex, and intoxicated driving; and, antagonistic risky behaviors, comprised of physical aggression toward objects and people, intoxicated driving, and law-violating behaviors. Next, we examined associations between risky behavior dimensions, self-reported personality traits, and performance on computerized approach/avoidance tasks in Sample 2. Internalizing risky behaviors were most strongly associated with neuroticism and negative urgency, while disinhibited and antagonistic risky behaviors were most strongly associated with sensitivity to reward and sensation seeking. Antagonistic risky behaviors were negatively associated with agreeableness and conscientiousness, while disinhibited risky behaviors were negatively associated with sensitivity to punishment. Results support the potential of a dimensional transdiagnostic model to identify meaningful patterns of co-occurrence that are distinguishable in terms of personality.