The NEO Five-Factor Inventory: latent structure and relationships with dimensions of anxiety and depressive disorders in a large clinical sample

Abstract

The present study evaluated the latent structure of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) and relations between the five-factor model (FFM) of personality and dimensions of DSM-IV anxiety and depressive disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia [SOC], major depressive disorder [MDD]) in a large sample of outpatients (N = 1,980). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to show that a five-factor solution provided acceptable model fit, albeit with some poorly functioning items. Neuroticism demonstrated significant positive associations with all but one of the disorder constructs whereas Extraversion was inversely related to SOC and MDD. Conscientiousness was inversely related to MDD but demonstrated a positive relationship with GAD. Results are discussed in regard to potential revisions to the NEO FFI, the evaluation of other NEO instruments using ESEM, and clinical implications of structural paths between FFM domains and specific emotional disorders.

Figure 1

Latent structural relationships between the five factors of personality and dimensions of DSM-IV disorder constructs Note. N = Neuroticism; E = Extraversion; O = Openness; A = Agreeableness; C = Conscientiousness; PD/AG = panic disorder with or without agoraphobia; GAD = generalized anxiety disorder; OCD = obsessive–compulsive disorder; SOC = social phobia; MDD = major depressive disorder; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Only significant paths and residual correlations are shown. Completed standardized estimates are presented. *p < .05. **p < .001.