Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Psychometric Analysis Of The School Success Profile 2020 Microthreat Scale Using Modern Measurement Theory Methods, Gerald J. Bean, Natasha K. Bowen

International Journal of School Social Work

Objective: Microthreatening behaviors are often prevalent in school settings and can accumulate to create an array of negative impacts on students and staff. There is a substantive need for a scale that can help to measure student perceived microthreats. The primary aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of one such scale—the SSP 2020 Microthreat Scale—using modern measurement theory methods. Method: Data used in this study were collected from sixth through ninth grade students in three schools in in the southeastern region of the United States. Schools were using the SSP 2020 compendium to gain a better …

Disability In Cluster Headache Is More Than Attack Frequency – Results From And Validation Of The English Version Of The Cluster Headache Impact Questionnaire (Chiq), Katharina Kamm, Andreas Straube, Mark Burish, Ruth Ruscheweyh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cluster headache (CH) is associated with high disability. The Cluster Headache Impact Questionnaire (CHIQ) is a short, disease-specific disability questionnaire first developed and validated in German. Here, we validated the English version of this questionnaire.

METHODS: The CHIQ was assessed together with nonspecific headache-related disability questionnaires in CH patients from a tertiary headache center and an American self-help group.

RESULTS: 155 active episodic and chronic CH patients were included. The CHIQ showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.93, n = 44). Factor analysis identified a single factor. Convergent validity was shown by …

(Don’T Fear) The Factors: An Item-Level Meta-Analysis Of The Fear Of Covid-19 Scale’S Factor Structure And Measurement Invariance, William P. Jimenez, Asiye Zeytonli, Yasmine Nabulsi, Xiaoxiao Hu

Psychology Faculty Publications

The global COVID-19 pandemic saw marked research and clinical interest in evaluating pandemic-related distress, namely fear and anxiety regarding infection and death. The most widely used and earliest developed measure of COVID-19 distress is Ahorsu et al. (2022) seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). To investigate the factor structure and measurement equivalence of the FCV-19S, we conducted an item-level meta-analysis synthesizing 1155 effect sizes across k = 55 independent samples comprising N = 71,161 individuals. We found that a two-factor measurement model comprising a four-item Emotional factor and a three-item Psychosomatic factor exhibits better fit than the originally proposed single-factor …

Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Social Communication Questionnaire In Rural Kenya, Patricia Kipkemoi, Jeanne Savage, Joseph Gona, Kenneth Rimba, Martha Kombe, Paul Mwangi, Collins Kipkoech, Danielle Posthuma, Charles Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

Children can be reliably diagnosed with autism as early as 3 years of age, and early interventions are initiated. There is often a significant gap between the age of onset of symptoms (2–3 years) and diagnosis (8–10 years) in Africa. We conducted a study to validate the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) as a screening instrument in a rural setting in Kenya. The study was conducted along the Kenyan Coast. Study participants included 172 children with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) diagnosis (84 of which were autism) and 112 controls. Internal consistency was evaluated through the use of Cronbach’s alpha, confirmatory factor …

Invarianza De La Escala De Evaluación De Las Relaciones Intrafamiliares En Padres Con Y Sin Migración De Retorno Y Salud Mental [Invariance Of The Intrafamily Relations Evaluation Scale In Parents With And Without Return Migration And Mental Health], María Elena Rivera Heredia, Patricia Andrade Palos, Jaime Fuentes Balderrama, Luis H. Zayas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Se analizaron las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Evaluación de las Relaciones Intrafamiliares (ERI) en padres de familia que retornaron a México y que tienen hijos e hijas menores de edad nacidos en E.E.U.U., así como en padres mexicanos sin experiencia migratoria. Participaron189 padres (92 retornados y 97 sin migración). Se llevaron a cabo Análisis Factoriales Exploratorios y Confirmatorios para derivar una versión culturalmente invariante. Una vez obtenidas las evidencias de invarianza configural, métrica, escalar, estricta y estructural, se encontró mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales que la unión y apoyo familiar se asocian con la sintomatología depresiva y …

A Validation Study Of The Occupational Depression Inventory In Poland And Ukraine, Krystyna Golonka, Karine O. Malysheva, Dominika Fortuna, Bożena Gulla, Leon T. De Beer, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

This study examined the psychometric and structural properties of the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI). We relied on two samples of Polish employees (NSample1 = 526, 47% female; NSample2 = 164, 64% female) and one sample of Ukrainian employees (NSample3 = 372, 73% female). In all samples, the ODI exhibited essential unidimensionality and high total-score reliability (e.g., McDonald’s omegas > 0.90). The homogeneity of the scale was strong (e.g., 0.59 ≤ scale-level Hs ≤ 0.68). The ODI’s total scores thus accurately ranked individuals on a latent occupational depression continuum. We found evidence of complete measurement invariance …

A Validation Study Of The Occupational Depression Inventory In Poland And Ukraine, Krystyna Golonka, Karine O. Malysheva, Dominika Fortuna, Bożena Gulla, Serhii Lytvyn, Leon T. De Beer, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

This study examined the psychometric and structural properties of the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI). We relied on two samples of Polish employees (NSample1 = 526, 47% female; NSample2 = 164, 64% female) and one sample of Ukrainian employees (NSample3 = 372, 73% female). In all samples, the ODI exhibited essential unidimensionality and high total-score reliability (e.g., McDonald’s omegas > 0.90). The homogeneity of the scale was strong (e.g., 0.59 ≤ scale-level Hs ≤ 0.68). The ODI’s total scores thus accurately ranked individuals on a latent occupational depression continuum. We found evidence of complete measurement invariance …

Assessment Of Simultaneous Alcohol And Cannabis Use And Its Related Consequences And Cognitions In College Students: A Narrative Review, Jennifer L. Shipley, Abby L. Braitman

Psychology Faculty Publications

As rates of students using cannabis continue to rise, simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis (such that their effects overlap; commonly referred to as simultaneous alcohol and marijuana [SAM] use) is prevalent among college students who use both substances. Although research focusing on SAM use and related cognitions and consequences continues to grow, there are no common established measures, as approaches vary across studies. This narrative review identifies current methods for assessing SAM use and measures of SAM-related consequences and cognitions (motives and expectancies) among college students, evaluates how they were developed, identifies gaps in the literature, and provides recommendations …

Exploring Usability In Exercise Interventions: From Conceptualization To Measurement And Application, Anne Inger Mørtvedt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Exercise interventions hold promise for preventing and treating numerous conditions, diseases, and injuries. However, these interventions will only be effective if they are being used. Unfortunately, uptake and adherence to prescribed exercise and physical activity guidelines are insufficient. Some reasons for this include lack of knowledge, resources, flexibility, and enjoyment. Exercise program developers need to not only consider the effectiveness of the program during the development phase, but also involve end-users and receive feedback on program usability to determine likelihood of uptake and adoption. Usability testing can be used to detect barriers to use and implementation likelihood but has not …

Examining Correlations Between Graphic Indicators In Projective Tests And Clinical Criteria Of Ptsd In Children And Adolescents, Melissa Brennan

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The use of art and drawing has been known to be a well-suited assessment and treatment modality with children, especially children who have been traumatized, due to their hesitancy or inability to verbalize complex emotional thoughts and experiences. The use of projective arts-based assessments can be an effective approach for facilitating engagement, reducing resistance, and offering an alternative for self-expression that can provide insight into a child’s experience that words alone cannot. This study aimed to examine whether specific graphic indicators of the House-Tree-Person (H-T-P) assessment correlated with particular clinical or psychometric criterion according to the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale …

Assessing Alexithymia In Adolescents: Psychometric Properties Of The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire In High School Students, Annette C. Trimble, Ken Robinson, David A. Preece

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conceptually, alexithymia is a key transdiagnostic risk factor for the development of numerous psychopathologies across the lifespan. However, to date, most alexithymia research has focused on adults, with adolescent work limited by a lack of validated age-appropriate assessment tools. Recently, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) was introduced to enhance the comprehensiveness of alexithymia assessments, but its psychometric properties have only been tested in adults. In this study, we address this by examining the psychometric properties of the PAQ in a sample of English-speaking high school students (N = 225, aged 11 to 18), and use the PAQ to further establish …

Functional Cynicism, Michelle Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trait cynicism, or “cynical hostility” as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s Cook-Medley Scale, is defined and studied as characteristics associated with psychopathology, interpersonal conflict, and negative health outcomes including heart disease and cognitive decline. Likewise, “organizational cynicism” is operationalized in industrial/organizational psychology for the purpose of describing and identifying an undesirable employee type in the workplace. This research proposes an alternative assessment. It reconnects cynicism with its roots in ancient philosophy by asking if cynical attitudes, despite their negative valence ascribed in the modern literature and conventional opinion, may serve a practical purpose. This study of Functional Cynicism …

Body Appreciation Around The World: Measurement Invariance Of The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (Bas-2) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, And Age, Viren Swami, Ulrich S. Tran, Stefan Stieger, Toivo Aavik, Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo, Reza Ahfami, Oli Ahmed, Annie Aimé, Marwan Akel, Hussam Al Halbusi, George Alexias, Khawla F. Ali, Nursel Alp-Dal, Anas B. Alsalhani, Sara Álvares-Solas, Ana Carolina Soares Almaral, Sonny Andrianto, Trefor Aspden, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset – with data collected between 2020 and 2022 – to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has …

Indirect Aggression And Victimization: Investigating Instrument Psychometrics, Gender Differences, And Its Relationship To Social Information Processing, Taylor Steeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of indirect bullying behaviors, relational aggression and social aggression, has been of theoretical importance and interest to researchers and psychologists within the last few decades. In this investigation, using a convenience sample of 451 late adolescents attending a private university in the mid-Atlantic U.S., I examined the factor structure of two measures of indirect bullying, the Young Adult Social Behavior Scale – Victim (YASB-V) and the Young Adult Social Behavior Scale – Perpetrator (YASB-P). Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), I found that the YASB-V comprised a four-factor model, differing from the model that had been identified in the …

Measurement Invariance Of Impact In Bilingual And Monolingual High School Athletes, Hana Cecilia Kuwabara

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given the reported negative consequences of sport related concussion (SRC), establishing the validity of concussion management tools is essential if they are used to determine the severity of concussion, track recovery or decline, implement effective interventions, and assist in return-to-play decision making. Previous research has found cognitive and symptoms differences on ImPACT, the most widely used SRC assessment measure, between monolingual and bilingual student athletes. Before further investigation of these differences can occur, measurement invariance of ImPACT must be established to ensure that differences are not attributable to measurement error. The current study has two aims: 1) to replicate a …

The Psychopathology Circumplex+: A Novel Conceptualization Of Psychopathology And Associated Measure, Edward A. Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fearless Dominance (FD) and Impulsive Antisociality (IA) are two personality traits often used in the study of psychopathic personality. FD is characterized by a lack of empathy, resilience to stress, and social potency, while IA is marked by impulsivity, selfishness, and manipulativeness. The current trio of studies sought to expand the use of FD and IA to assess psychopathology more generally. Study 1 consisted of a meta-analysis of all the relationships between FD/IA and various forms of psychopathology. Results affirmed that FD and IA each correlate with a variety of different psychological disorders, each to varying degrees of magnitude, but …

Psychometric Validation Of The Team Resilience Inventory, Alexander J. Mcgregor 6971928

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Work teams frequently face adversities that may affect group processes and ultimately lead to a loss of performance. Despite a large literature on the characteristics of high-performance work teams, we know little about the processes by which teams resist, persist through, adapt to, recover from, or otherwise be resilient to challenges that they encounter. In part, this is due to the lack of a psychometrically sound and well-validated measure for team resilience; how work teams collectively respond to and ‘bounce back’ from adversities. The present dissertation project addresses this need in the literature through the development and validation of the …

A Novel Examination Of None-Of-The-Above As It Influences Examinee Item Responses, Kathryn N. Thompson

Dissertations, 2020-current

It is imperative to collect validity evidence prior to interpreting and using test scores. During the process of collecting validity evidence, test developers should consider whether test scores are contaminated by sources of extraneous information. This is referred to as construct irrelevant variance, or the “degree to which test scores are affected by processes that are extraneous to the test’s intended purpose” (AERA et al., 2014, p. 12). One possible source of construct irrelevant variance is violating item-writing guidelines, such as to “avoid the use of none-of-the-above” in multiple-choice items (Rodriguez, 2016, p. 268).

Numerous studies have been conducted with …

Trait Sadism In Bdsm Practitioners And Non-Practitioners, Marley Russell

Psychology ETDs

Sadism is an elusive construct within psychology. Multiple types are studied without clear psychometric or theoretical distinctions, and operationalizations of these respective sub-constructs lack validity. This study explores the empirical distinction between two sadism types: consensual sexual sadism (i.e. in the context of BDSM) and trait sadism. Trait sadism is widely synonymized with “everyday sadism”, but here conceptualized as a higher-order construct encompassing both everyday and a novel “prosocial sadism”. I develop and pilot the BDSM Identities and Behaviors (BIB) checklist in a sample of BDSM practitioners. I then compare those practitioners to non-practitioners on trait sadism and dark triad …

The Structure Of Working Memory: A Review And New View Of Psychometric Models, Kevin Pablo Rosales

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Beginning in the 1970s, a great deal of research in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, psychometrics, and cognitive neuroscience has investigated the structure and function of working memory (WM), defined as the ability to actively maintain and manipulate information in the service of complex cognition (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). It is well established that WM is a limited capacity system and individual differences in WM capacity are strongly associated with important cognitive abilities and outcomes, such as general intelligence (Engle et al., 1999) and academic achievement (Swanson & Berninger, 1996; Ramirez et al., 2013). For this reason, WM is a central …

Using A Single Measure To Assess Adherence And Differentiation In Family Therapy For Adolescent Externalizing Problems, Stephanie Violante

Theses and Dissertations

Family therapy is considered a well-established treatment approach for adolescent externalizing problems; however, research examining its effectiveness when delivered in routine practice settings has produced mixed results. The accurate interpretation of these inconsistent results requires an understanding of what therapeutic techniques were delivered, including those that were prescribed (i.e., adherence) and those that were non-prescribed (i.e., differentiation), suggesting the need for a measure that can concurrently assess treatment adherence and differentiation. The current study examined the extent to which an observational measure of an array of therapeutic techniques for youth emotional and behavioral problems (the Therapy Process Observational Coding System …

Establishing Roots Before Branching Out: Parameter Recovery In Item Response Tree Models, Tyler Ryan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Item Response Trees are a type of item response model that incorporates information about conditional responding to items using a rooted tree graph structure. Researchers have used item response trees for common measurement tasks and for testing novel hypotheses. Previous simulation studies investigating item response trees either lack generalizability to the broad domain of their use or lack thorough investigation and reporting of the results. I conducted a simulation study to explore how sample size, test length, item characteristics, and tree structure affect both item and person parameter recovery for 1PL and 2PL models. The results suggested that, as with …

Validation Of The Brazilian Portuguese Version Of The Quick Inventory Of Depressive Symptomatology And Self-Report (Qids-Sr16) For The Brazilian Population, Lucas Bandinelli, Julia Luiza Schäfer, Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QID-SR16), a self-report instrument based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria that assesses the severity of depression symptoms, in the Brazilian population.

METHODS: Participants were 4,400 Brazilians over the age of 15 years recruited for an online survey assessing depressive symptoms during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Brazil. The internal consistency, construct validity, and convergent and discriminant validity of the QIDS-SR16 were evaluated.

RESULTS: The model tested was considered an adequate fit to the …

The Potential And Peculiarities Of Perma: A Meta-Analysis Of Two Well-Being Measures With Working Samples, William P. Jimenez, Xiaoxiao Hu, Rebecca Garden, Asiye Zeytonli

Psychology Faculty Publications

In the first meta-analysis of the PERMA well-being framework (i.e., positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, accomplishment), we cumulated 692 effect sizes (k = 33 independent samples, N = 10,050 workers). Average reliability did not meet the conventional ɑ = .70 threshold for engagement measured with the PERMA-Profiler or the Workplace PERMA Profiler or for negative emotions measured with the former. Overall, PERMA dimensions were strongly intercorrelated, and model comparisons suggested multidimensionality. We also summarized PERMA’s relationships with some conceptual antecedents (conscientiousness, loneliness); correlates (happiness, negative emotions); and outcomes (physical health, depressive symptoms, overall …

Commentaries On “Scale Use And Abuse: Toward Best Practices In The Deployment Of Scales”, Constantine S. Katsikeas, Shilpa Madan, C. Miguel Brendl, Bobby J. Calder, Donald R. Lehmann, Hans Baumgartner, Bert Weijters, Mo Wang, Chengquan Huang, Joel Huber

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Five comments below provide strong and interesting perspectives on multi-item scale use. They define contexts and research areas where developed scales are valuable and where they are vulnerable. Katsikeas and Madan begin by taking a global perspective on scale use, demonstrating how the use and transferability of scales become even more problematic as researchers move across languages and cultures. They provide guidance for scale use that is particularly relevant to international marketing and marketing strategy research. Brendl and Calder acknowledge the use of well-formed scales as measured variables in psychological experiments, both as independent and dependent variables, but critique the …

Measuring What Matters In Healthcare: A Practical Guide To Psychometric Principles And Instrument Development, Katina Swan, Renee Speyer, Martina Scharitzer, Daniele Farneti, Ted Brown, Virginie Woisard, Reinie Cordier

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The provision of quality healthcare relies on scales and measures with robust evidence of their psychometric properties. Using measurement instruments with poor reliability, validity, or feasibility, or those that are not appropriate for the target diagnostic group or construct/dimension under consideration, may be unfavorable for patients, unproductive, and hinder empirical advancement. Resources from the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) group can assist in identifying and developing psychometrically sound measures. The COSMIN initiative is the only international, research-based practice taxonomy and methodological guidelines for measurement in healthcare. This manuscript aims to provide an accessible introduction …

Assessing Differential Item Functioning And Differential Test Functioning In An Academic Motivation Scale Using Item Response Theory Methods, Gerald J. Bean

International Journal of School Social Work

Social work researchers and practitioners who use measurement instruments to make data-informed decisions need to ensure those decisions are based on items and scales that are free from possible bias or undesirable differential functioning. In this study, we provide an example of how a set of Item Response Theory (IRT) statistical methods and tools can be used by social work measurement researchers to assess differential item (DIF) and scale (DTF) functioning. For the example, we explored the possible race, gender, and family composition differential functioning of a scale—the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS)—developed for use by school social workers. The data …

University Inclusion Index: Inclusion At Brigham Young University, Rachel Zierenberg, Brigit Cooper, Amanda Foltz

Student Works

In order to investigate inclusion specifically at Brigham Young University (BYU), we measured students’ perception of belonging and representation through the use of our University Inclusion Index (UII). The UII is a measure of belonging and representation with 16 items on a 5-point Likert scale. This measure was distributed to a total sample of 171 BYU students, 60 of whom were self-identified minority students. The UII had high reliability (α = .92), high validity, and high internal consistency (≥ .55). The UII reports high face validity with 97% of respondents identifying inclusion at BYU. Factor analysis revealed one primary factor, …

Evidence Of Emotional Intelligence In College Presidents’ Public Writing: Does Their Emotional Intelligence Change Over Time?, Karen Powers Liebhaber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education (HIED) presidents face a wide variety of competing demands and pressures. High emotional intelligence (EI) has been found to be effective in good leadership, but few studies exist which examine HIED presidents’ EI. This quantitative growth model study attempted to expand the understanding of EI and its source of change among HIED presidents. Several conceptualizations link together in this study to better understand HIED presidents’ EI. First, higher EI has been linked to strong leadership and strong communication. Studies show EI can change over time and EI is associated with certain demographic factors. Further, language, particularly written language, …

Living In The Fast Lane: The Role Of Temporal Processing In Adhd Risk-Taking Behaviors, Ashley Schiros

Theses - ALL

Background: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, prevalent in the college student population, that is associated with temporal processing deficits and functional impairments, namely engagement in risky behaviors (ERB; e.g., binge drinking). An existing theoretical framework purposes that aberrant temporal processing and subjective experience of time passing slowly, experienced in individuals with a fast internal clock (e.g., individuals with ADHD), increases the likelihood of ERB. The primary aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the relationship between objective temporal processing deficits and the subjective experience of time passage among people with elevated ADHD symptoms. Method: …