The ARCH Lab recently published a paper titled P factor in children with chronic physical illness in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

The p factor is a marker of overall liability for the development of mental illness within individuals; there has been a rejuvenated attention placed on understanding this in the general population.

This paper is important, as this is the first study to examine the p factor in children with chronic physical illness. Data come from the ongoing Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life-course (MY LIFE) study and demonstrate that physical-mental comorbidity is pervasive in children.

Findings supported the p factor using a bi-factor model – meaning symptoms/diagnoses load onto specific domains of psychopathology (e.g., internalizing, externalizing), as well as the overall p factor. Also discussed is the fact that p factor scores were correlated (dose-response) with number of psychiatric diagnoses.

Overall, transdiagnostic approaches may be useful in preventing the onset of physical-mental comorbidity in children. Studies that identify early predictors of the p factor are warranted to identify at-risk individuals and support personalized care for children.