Path Analysis of the SCL-90-R

Abstract

The Symptom Checklist–90–Revised (SCL-90-R) is a widely used assessment of mental health pathology; however, its factor structure has been called into question by numerous studies. This study assessed a community mental health outpatient sample (N = 336) with the SCL-90-R and analyzed the factor structure. The results indicated that the SCL-90-R measures one large factor, but the test items held together reasonably well when a nine-factor extraction was executed. A shorter 67-item variant, which was a by-product of this study, is hypothesized as having some key advantages over the original 90-item version. Implications for the assessment of the outpatient population with the SCL-90-R and its variants are discussed.

• factor analysis
• SCL-90-R
• outpatient
• community mental health

Notes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/orPUBLICation of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Todd L. Grande

Todd L. Grande, PhD is an assistant professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Wilmington University. He conducts research and consults in several counseling-related areas including assessment, etiology of psychopathology, gender differences, measurement of treatment effectiveness, and pedagogy. He is a licensed professional counselor and licensed chemical dependency professional in Delaware.

Mark D. Newmeyer

Mark D. Newmeyer, EdD is an assistant professor in the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University, where he is the program coordinator for the PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision. He is a licensed counselor in both Ohio and Virginia, with over 15 years of clinical experience.

Lee A. Underwood

Lee A. Underwood, PsyD is a Professor in the School of Psychology & Counseling at Regent University. He conducts research and consults in areas including screening, assessment, and program development for juvenile sex offenders, survivors of human trafficking, and mentally ill offenders. Dr. Underwood is licensed as a psychologist in several states and is a certified sex offender treatment provider.

Cyrus R. Williams

Cyrus R. Williams III is an assistant professor in the Counseling Department at Regent University. He holds a PhD in Counselor Education from the University of Florida his primary research interests include: multiculturalism, advocacy counseling, addictive behaviors and career development. He is a licensed counselor in Virginia and Florida.