The Placement of the MMPI-3 Compulsivity (CMP) Scale Within a Hierarchical Structure of Psychopathology

In the current literature on compulsivity, it is unclear whether this construct is best conceptualized as an internalizing disorder, a fear disorder, a thought disorder, or some combination of the three. The Compulsivity (CMP) scale introduced with the MMPI-3 assesses compulsive behaviors. To address the question of compulsivity’s placement within a hierarchical psychopathology structure, the current study examined the degree to which CMP scores share variance with internalizing, fear, and thought dysfunction factors using confirmatory factor analyses. Results indicated that a model in which CMP scores cross-loaded onto latent fear and thought dysfunction factors exhibited preferential fit compared to a model in which CMP scores cross-loaded onto a higher-order internalizing factor and a thought dysfunction factor. Constraining equality in the cross-loading of CMP scores onto fear and thought dysfunction factors caused no significant decrement in fit. These findings indicate that the MMPI-3 CMP scale measures both fear and thought dysfunction. Implications and limitations of these findings and future research directions are discussed.