Reliability, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the Dominic Interactive across European countries: Cross-country utility of a child mental health self-report.

Abstract Aims The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been used in many epidemiological studies to assess adolescent mental health problems, but cross-country comparisons of the self-report SDQ are scarce and so far failed to find a good-fitting, common, invariant measurement model across countries. The present study aims to evaluate and establish a version of the self-report SDQ that allows for a valid cross-country comparison of adolescent self-reported mental health problems. Methods Using the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, the measurement model and measurement invariance of the 20 items of the self-report SDQ measuring adolescent mental health problems were evaluated. Nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year old adolescents (n = 33 233) from seven countries of different regions in Europe (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia) were used. Results In order to establish a good-fitting and common measurement model, the five reverse worded items of the self-report SDQ had to be removed. Using this revised version of the self-report SDQ, the SDQ-R, partial measurement invariance was established, indicating that latent factor means assessing conduct problems, emotional symptoms, peer relationships problems and hyperactivity-inattention problems could be validly compared across the countries in this study. Results showed that adolescents in Greece scored relatively low on almost all problem subscales, whereas adolescents in Poland scored relatively high on almost all problem subscales. Adolescents in the Netherlands reported the most divergent profile of mental health problems with the lowest levels of conduct problems, low levels of emotional symptoms and peer relationship problems, but the highest levels of hyperactivity-inattention problems. Conclusions With six factor loadings being non-invariant, partial measurement invariance was established, indicating that the 15-item SDQ-R could be used in our cross-country comparison of adolescent mental health problems. To move the field of internationally comparative research on adolescent mental health forward, studies should test the applicability of the SDQ-R in other countries in- and outside Europe, continue to develop the SDQ-R as a cross-country invariant measure of adolescent mental health, and examine explanations for the found country differences in adolescent mental health problems.

Download Full-text

Commentary_on_Hussey&Hughes(2020)

10.31234/osf.io/ew2td ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eunike Wetzel ◽

Brent Roberts

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Self Report ◽

Measurement Properties ◽

Structural Validity ◽

Consistency Test ◽

Personality Psychology ◽

Reliability Factor ◽

Psychological Scales ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Hussey and Hughes (2020) analyzed four aspects (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor structure, and measurement invariance) relevant to the structural validity of psychological scales in 15 self-report questionnaires and concluded that social and personality psychology has a “hidden invalidity” problem. We argue that their argument that the field ignores structural validity (hence “hidden”) is incorrect because many published papers specifically investigate the measurement properties of instruments applied in social and personality psychology. Furthermore, we show that the models they used to test structural validity do not match the construct space for many of the measures. Lastly, we argue that their conclusion that measures are invalid based on a pass/fail decision for measurement invariance is overly simplistic. Rather, partial measurement invariance and the effect size of the noninvariance should be considered. Moving forward, we think it would be important for all researchers to more actively engage with prior measurement research, know the limits of existing measures, and invest in a deeper examination of the psychometric properties of their own measures in each of their studies.

Download Full-text

Reliability and Construct Validity of a Child Self-Report Instrument

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000166 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 40-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rowella C. W. M. Kuijpers ◽

Roy Otten ◽

Ad A. Vermulst ◽

Rutger C. M. E. Engels

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

High Reliability ◽

Age Groups ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Self Report ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Mental Health Assessment ◽

Dsm Iv

Both clinicians and researchers agree on the value of self-report in child mental health assessment. The pictorial format of the computerized Dominic Interactive is an addition to the existing questionnaires, specifically concerning young children. Although prior studies on the Dominic Interactive reported favorable psychometric properties, the reliability was not always satisfactory for every scale, and no studies confirmed the proposed DSM-IV factor structure of the Dominic Interactive. This study examines these two psychometric aspects using a sample of 1,504 Dutch primary-school children aged 6–13 years. α was computed and compared with ω, an alternative index of reliability. CFA was conducted as was the measurement invariance at a configural, scalar, and metric level across both age and sex. The results showed that ω values were above .80, indicating good to high reliability for all scales. The DSM-IV factor structure was confirmed and proved to be identical across age groups and among both boys and girls in this sample. These findings lay the foundation for the meaningful use of the norms needed in clinical practice. They also contribute to the increasing value of the Dominic Interactive as a self-report instrument in child mental health screening.

Download Full-text

Three-generation households and child mental health in European countries

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-018-1640-9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 427-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Viviane Kovess Masfety ◽

Carlijn Aarnink ◽

Roy Otten ◽

Adina Bitfoi ◽

Zlatka Mihova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

European Countries

Download Full-text

Hidden Invalidity Among 15 Commonly Used Measures in Social and Personality Psychology

Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2515245919882903 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 166-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Ian Hussey ◽

Sean Hughes

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Self Report ◽

Structural Validity ◽

Data Set ◽

Personality Psychology ◽

Reliability Factor ◽

And Gender ◽

Gender Groups

It has recently been demonstrated that metrics of structural validity are severely underreported in social and personality psychology. We comprehensively assessed structural validity in a uniquely large and varied data set ( N = 144,496 experimental sessions) to investigate the psychometric properties of some of the most widely used self-report measures ( k = 15 questionnaires, 26 scales) in social and personality psychology. When the scales were assessed using the modal practice of considering only internal consistency, 88% of them appeared to possess good validity. Yet when validity was assessed comprehensively (via internal consistency, immediate and delayed test-retest reliability, factor structure, and measurement invariance for age and gender groups), only 4% demonstrated good validity. Furthermore, the less commonly a test was reported in the literature, the more likely the scales were to fail that test (e.g., scales failed measurement invariance much more often than internal consistency). This suggests that the pattern of underreporting in the field may represent widespread hidden invalidity of the measures used and may therefore pose a threat to many research findings. We highlight the degrees of freedom afforded to researchers in the assessment and reporting of structural validity and introduce the concept of validity hacking ( v-hacking), similar to the better-known concept of p-hacking. We argue that the practice of v-hacking should be acknowledged and addressed.

Download Full-text

Bridging the gap between child mental health need and professional service utilisation: Examining the influence of mothers’ parental attributions on professional help-seeking intentions

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1007/s00787-020-01682-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Vilas Sawrikar ◽

Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽

Lucy Tully ◽

David J. Hawes ◽

Caroline Moul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Subgroup Analysis ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Self Report ◽

Professional Service ◽

Service Utilisation ◽

Parental Attributions ◽

Professional Help

AbstractThere is a significant gap between the need for child mental health services and use of these services by families. Parental attributions may play a role in this. This study examined whether mothers’ attributions about their child’s problems influence professional help-seeking intentions in a general sample of community mothers. Secondary analysis re-examined this hypothesis in a subgroup of mothers of children with clinically elevated mental health symptoms. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from mothers (N = 184) of children aged between 2 and 12 years recruited from the community. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires measuring parental attributions: child-responsible attributions and parental self-efficacy; professional help-seeking intentions; and psychosocial covariates: child mental health, mothers’ anxiety and depression, child age, gender, marital status, education, and professional help-seeking experience. Hierarchical regression modelling indicated that parental attributions explained professional help-seeking intentions after controlling for covariates in both the general sample (ΔF = 6.07; p = .003) and subgroup analysis (ΔF = 10.22, p = .000). Professional help-seeking intentions were positively associated with child-responsible attributions (β = .19, p = .002) but not parental self-efficacy (β = – .01, p = .865) in the general sample, while positively associated with child-responsible attributions (β = .20, p = .009) and negatively associated with parental self-efficacy (β = – .16, p = .034) in the subgroup analysis. Findings were independent of the presence of clinically elevated symptoms, problem type, and severity. Overall, the findings support models suggesting that parental attributions have a role in professional help-seeking for child mental health problems.

Download Full-text

Reliability, Validity, Factor Structure, and Measurement Invariance of the Japanese Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS)

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment ◽

10.1177/0734282919842030 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 337-349

Author(s):

Fumio Someki ◽

Masafumi Ohnishi ◽

Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson ◽

Kazuhiko Nakamura

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Factor Structure ◽

North American ◽

Adult Adhd ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Factor Model ◽

Self Report ◽

Dimensional Structure ◽

Scalar Invariance ◽

Adhd Rating Scales

To examine reliability, validity, factor structure, and measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric, and scalar invariance) of the Japanese Conners’ Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Rating Scales (CAARS), Japanese nonclinical adults ( N = 786) completed the CAARS Self-Report (CAARS-S). Each participant was also rated by one observer using the CAARS Observer Form (CAARS-O). For the test of measurement invariance, excerpts from the original (North American) CAARS norming data ( N = 500) were used. Dimensional structure was examined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Test–retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were satisfactory. Based on the DSM-IV model and Japanese four-factor model, configural and metric invariance were established for the CAARS-S/O across Japanese and North American populations. Scalar invariance was established for the CAARS-O based on the Japanese model. The use of the Japanese CAARS for diagnostic purposes in Japan was supported; however, it should be used with caution for cross-cultural comparison research.

Download Full-text

Development of the Remoralization Scale

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000039 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 293-301 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Wiede Vissers ◽

Ger. P. J. Keijsers ◽

William M. van der Veld ◽

Cor A. J. de Jong ◽

Giel J. M. Hutschemaekers

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Change Process ◽

Somatic Symptoms ◽

Therapeutic Change ◽

Self Report ◽

Initial Scale ◽

Demoralization Scale ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Remoralization is the process of restoration of morale. Remoralization constitutes an important step in the therapeutic change process. Because no appropriate self-report instrument was available to indicate the level of morale in mental health care, the Remoralization Scale (RS) was developed. In a first study (299 outpatients), a pool of 69 items was examined to produce an initial scale with 16 items with a unidimensional factor structure. In a second study (199 outpatients, 192 nonpatients), the unidimensionality and scalar invariance of the initial scale was tested. To make the RS as short and easy to complete as possible, four items with low factor loadings were removed. In a third study (124 students), the test-retest reliability (r = 0.89) and internal consistency (α = 0.91) of the RS were estimated. In a fourth study, the construct validity of the RS was investigated using a demoralization scale (r = –.72) and scales that measure anxiety (r = –.52), depression (r = –.50), somatic symptoms (r = –.36), and social dysfunction (r = –.37). In a fifth study (23 panic outpatients), the sensitivity of the RS to therapeutic change was examined and found to be good. In closing, limitations of the RS are discussed.

Download Full-text

Psychometric Properties of The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC- SF) In Iranian Adolescents

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1236021/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Majid Yousefi Afrashteh

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Construct Validity ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Short Form ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Convenience Sample

Abstract Background: Psychological tests are necessary to assess and assess the mental state of individuals. Mental health is one of the important psychological indicators and is increasingly considered as having various aspects of well-being. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is a 14-item instrument that assesses mental health, focusing on emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the MHC-SF among adolescents, focusing on its factor structure, internal consistency, construct validity, and gender measurement invariance.Methods: The population of this study was Iranian adolescents between 11 and 18 years old who were enrolled in the seventh to twelfth grades. A convenience sample of 822 Adolescents from four large cities in the Iran (Tehran, Zanjan, Hamedan and Ghazvin) participated in the present study. Questionnaires were completed online. Statistical analyses to evaluate the factor structure, internal consistency, construct validity, gender and age factorial invariance were performed in SPSS and LISREL.Results: The results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the 3-factor structure of MHC-SF (emotional, psychological, and social well-being). Reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha method and composite reliability (>.7). Measurement invariance were confirmed among girls and boys. Convergent and divergent validity were also evaluated and confirmed by correlating the test score with similar and different tests.Conclusion: This study examined and confirmed the psychometric properties of GHQ in the Iranian adolescent community. This instrument can be used in psychological research and diagnostic evaluations.

Download Full-text