Latent Trait, Latent-Trait State, and a Network Approach to Mental Problems and Their Mechanisms of Change

Abstract

In this theoretical study, we examined whether and how a latent trait, a latent-trait state, and a network conceptualization of mental problems account for their descriptive features and causal mechanisms. The latent-trait approach is restricted to between-persons relations and thus provides no direct tests of mechanisms, which involve within-persons relations. The latent-trait-state approach can address within-persons relations, but the assumption of independence between latent constructs is often violated. Moreover, the focus on latent states results only in global clinical recommendations. In the network approach, clinical disorders are viewed as causal networks of observable mental problems and symptoms. The network approach has so far not addressed the episodic clusters of reactions surrounding every symptom. We propose an extended network approach, which identifies mechanistic relationships with the causal interactions among the reactions of these clusters. This approach is associated with differentiated clinical models and leads to specific clinical recommendations.