Investigating the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Self-Report (HiTOP-SR) Measure in a National LGBTQ+ Sample
The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is an emerging psychiatric classification system that seeks to understand underlying dimensions and spectra of mental health. The HiTOP Self-report (HiTOP-SR) is a novel measure that was created following years of work from the HiTOP Consortium (see Simms et al., 2022). However, in the data collected for the development of the HiTOP-SR measure, LGBTQ+ individuals remain underrepresented. For any classification system to appropriately represent the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ individuals, it is important that data from LGBTQ+ individuals–and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds—are included in this work. Previous work from our lab has demonstrated how measures of maladaptive personality domains show psychometric differences based on sexual orientation and gender identity (Asadi et al., 2023). The current study, therefore, expands the diversity of participants with HiTOP Self-Report data by specifically sampling LGBTQ+ adults across the US. Data were collected from May 2024 to July 2025. The HiTOP-SR LGBTQ+ Study consisted of a one-time cross-sectional survey containing demographic information, the HiTOP self-report measure, and some additional measures assessing general well-being, experiences of minority stress, compulsive sexual behavior, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology. The final sample size was 3,857. Additional details about these data can be found on the project’s OSF page.
If you are interested in learning more about the HiTOP model, please visit the following website: https://www.hitop-system.org/
Image credit: Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Society (we modified the HiTOP logo with the SPLAT Lab colors … until we get into trouble)
Study of Personality Centering Transgender, Racial, and Sexual Minorities (SPECTRUM Study)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is diagnosed more frequently and is more prevalent among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. SGM individuals exist in societies defined by heterosexism and cisnormativity, with important impact in the conceptualization, assessment, and diagnosis of BPD among SGM individuals. However, the BPD and SGM empirical research bases have developed relatively independently of one another. Thus, little data exists that examines how SGM minority stress processes impact BPD symptomatology. Some research suggests that various BPD symptoms are differentially endorsed among SGM, relative to cisgender heterosexual, individuals (Asadi et al., 2025; Rodriguez-Seijas et al., 2021a). The goal of the Study of Personality Centering Transgender, Racial, and Sexual Minorities (SPECTRUM Study) was to collect data—both cross-sectional and longitudinal—to facilitate further understanding of the associations between various BPD psychopathology domains and SGM minority stress processes. Data were collected from September 2023 to August 2024. The SPECTRUM Study consisted of two components: a cross-sectional between-subjects baseline survey and a 14-day period of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys designed to assess momentary experiences of BPD symptoms as well as various minority stress processes. 602 individuals completed the baseline survey for the study, with 451 participants completing at least one timepoint in the EMA portion of the study. Additional details may be found at the project’s OSF page.
Diagnosis of borderline personality disorder as a function of sexual and gender minority status: A criterion-level examination of provider bias (Project AMP’D)
This study centered on the clinical utility of dimensional models of psychopathology. Participation in the study was restricted to practicing mental health professionals (i.e., MD-level psychiatrists and PhD-level clinical and counseling psychologists) and Clinical/Counselling psychology doctoral students who are in their 4th year or above in their training program. Participants were presented with clinical case vignettes describing psychiatric patients and asked to rate the cases using various dimensional models of psychopathology and personality pathology. In addition, participants were asked basic demographic questions as well as information about their competence in providing clinical intervention services for diverse patient populations. The research aimed to better understand the relationship between dimensional models of psychopathology and their practical utility in clinical settings. If you are interested in learning more about the results of this project, check out our paper in Clinical Psychological Science.
