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Purpose: The Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CompACT) is a 23-item questionnaire measuring psychological flexibility, a quality of life protective factor. An 18-item version was recently produced. We assessed validity and reliability of CompACT, and equivalence of paper and electronic (eCompACT) versions in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in Italy, Germany and Spain. Methods: We used confirmatory factor analysis and assessed CompACT-23 and CompACT-18 measurement invariance between the three language versions. We assessed construct validity (Spearman's correlations) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) and equivalence of paper and eCompACT (ICC and linear regression model for repeated measures) were assessed in subsamples of PwMS. Results: A total of 725 PwMS completed the study. The three-factor structure of the CompACT-23 showed poor fit (RMSEA 0.07; CFI 0.82; SRMR 0.08), while the fit of the CompACT-18 was good (RMSEA 0.05; CFI 0.93; SRMR 0.05). Configural and partial metric invariance were confirmed, as well as partial scalar invariance (reached when five items were allowed to vary freely). The CompACT-18 showed good internal consistency (all alpha ≥ 0.78); and test–retest reliability (all ICCs ≥ 0.86). Equivalence between paper and eCompACT was excellent (all ICCs ≥ 0.86), with no mode, order, or interaction effects. Conclusion: Results support using the refined CompACT-18 as a three-factor measure of psychological flexibility in PwMS. Paper and eCompACT-18 versions are equivalent. CompACT-18 can be used cross-culturally, but sub-optimal scalar invariance suggests that direct comparison between the three language versions should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding lay theories on the causes of economic inequality is the first step to comprehending why people tolerate, justify, or react against it. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop and validate with two cross-sectional studies the Attributions for Cross-Country Inequality Scale (ACIS), which assesses how people explain cross-country economic inequality–namely, the uneven distribution of income and wealth between poor and rich countries. After selecting and adapting items from existing scales of attributions for poverty and wealth, in Study 1, we tested the factorial structure of this initial pool of items in three countries with different levels of economic development and inequality, namely, Italy (n = 246), the UK (n = 248), and South Africa (n = 228). Three causal dimensions emerged from the Exploratory Factor Analysis: "rich countries" (blaming the systematic advantage of and exploitation by rich countries), "poor countries" (blaming the dispositional inadequacy and faults of poor countries), and "fate" (blaming destiny and luck). The retained items were administered in Study 2 to three new samples from Italy (n = 239), the UK (n = 249), and South Africa (n = 248). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) corroborated the factorial structure of the ACIS, and Multi-Group CFA supported configural and metric invariances of the scale across countries. In addition, we show internal consistency and construct validity of the scale: the scale correlates with relevant constructs (e.g., beliefs about cross-country inequality and ideological orientation) and attitudes toward relevant policies related to international redistribution and migration. Overall, the scale is a valid instrument to assess causal attribution for cross-national inequality and is reliable across countries. By focusing on resource distribution from an international perspective, this scale will allow researchers to broaden the discussion on economic inequality to a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to focus on inter-firm collaboration, exploring the main capabilities that can make a business more or less open to collaboration; it also considers the role of both firm-specific and relationship-specific capabilities. The paper proposes a model that can be used to study how the combination of the two categories of capabilities determines a firm's approach to collaboration. Design/methodology/approach: Through a survey of high-end hotels in tourist destinations in Italy and the USA, this paper tests variable connected with firm-specific and relationship-specific aspects, using confirmatory factor analysis. Findings: Firms with greater capabilities are less open to cooperation; weaker firms with fewer resources appear to be more inclined to cooperate, probably to gain access to resources and competencies they do not possess. Research limitations/implications: From a scientific perspective, this paper suggests an analysis based on both individual and relational capabilities when deciding whether to collaborate, while most studies based on a relational view just consider relational capabilities. The study could be enlarged to other countries and contexts. Practical implications: From a practical perspective, it indicates the importance of accounting for different and sometimes diverging aspects when deciding to cooperate. Social implications: In terms of social implications, it shows that, apart from the relational capabilities they have, potential partners can decide not to collaborate. Originality/value: The paper suggests a method of analyzing both individual and relational capabilities when deciding whether to engage in a collaboration. It shows that firms' behavior does not necessarily depend on the firm's relational capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sexual Inhibition Scales and Sexual Excitation Scales (Janssen et al., 2002a), based on the dual control model by Bancroft and Janssen (2000), are part of a 45-item self-report questionnaire evaluating individual tendencies to sexual inhibition or excitation according to three factors: two inhibition factors, SIS1, threat of performance failure, and SIS2, threat of performance consequences, and one excitation factor, SES. In this paper, we aimed to validate and explore psychometric properties of the SIS/SES in a sample of 2260 Italian men and women aged 18 to 75 years. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the three-factor structure proposed in the original version of the scales fit with our sample. Moreover, our data confirmed the results of the original validation sample: Women scored higher on the SIS and lower on the SES than men did, but no significant differences appeared in the factor scores by age group, except for a gender × age interaction, where younger women had higher SIS2 scores. The SIS/SES appeared to be an effective, appropriate cross-cultural measurement of human sexuality in Italian samples, also shedding light on sexual arousal differences in women and men in our country. We also discuss clinical and therapeutic aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the validity of Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas’ (2011) Calling Scale (CS) and the generalizability of previous findings about calling and work-related outcomes in Italy. In the first study, the Italian version of the CS was validated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported unidimensionality, and the measurement model was found to be invariant across gender and partially invariant across calling domains. Scale scores were found to possess adequate internal consistency and convergent validity. Study 2 supported the hypotheses that experiencing work as a calling relates to job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention, and that these relations are mediated by career commitment. These results support the validity of inferences drawn from the Italian version of the CS and generalize some critical propositions of the work as calling theory to an Italian sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Clinical reasoning for nurses is considered a valuable component of clinical nursing competencies, but there are few tools to ascertain this. This study tested the Italian Nurses Clinical Reasoning Scale (I-NCRS) psychometric properties based on Levett-Jones' theoretical clinical reasoning model. Methods: Content, face, and construct characteristics were ascertained for their validity. The study had a two-phase design: (a) content and face validity and (b) construct validity. Results: Three factors emerged from the factorial analysis of our reference sample: nursing problems of health, nursing information of health, and nursing assessment of health. Conclusions: The scale represents a valuable tool for the self-assessment of the clinical reasoning skills of nurses. I-NCRS showed evidence of validity and reliability, being also useful for assessing clinical reasoning for educational and research purposes among Italian nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-cultural study seeks to (a) investigate the internal structure of the English version of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) when administered to non-native English speakers (i.e., Asian individuals and (b) test for measurement invariance with its Italian counterpart). The whole sample comprises 338 participants, including 167 Asian international university students residing in the United States (50.3% females; Mage = 23.82, SD = 3.78) and 171 Italian university students living in Italy (69.6% females; Mage = 22.38, SD = 4.24). The dimensionality of the scale is assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) is employed to examine measurement invariance. The results confirm the one-dimensionality of the SWLS [χ2 = 9.815; df = 5; CFI = 0.989; TLI = 0.977; SRMR = 0.027]. Furthermore, achieving full strict invariance indicates that the SWLS items exhibit similar structures across both samples. The scale shows satisfactory internal reliability (α = 0.863, ω = 0.866). Overall, this study supports the cross-validity of the English version of the SWLS and underscores its robustness and suitability for assessing life satisfaction among non-native English speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: The main aim of this study has been the psychometric validation of an Italian translation of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale-Short Form (I-NPCS-SF), testing its validity and reliability. Methods: A multiphase design was used for the I-NPCS-SF translation and psychometric validation: (a) cultural and linguistic validation, (b) content and face validity, and (c) construct validity. Results: The I-NPCS-SF showed adequate linguistic translation, cultural adaptation, and content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure of the I-NPCS-SF, in explaining data obtained from nurses and nursing students. Conclusions: The I-NPCS-SF demonstrated evidence of validity and reliability in measuring four professional competencies. Having an appropriate tool to be applied in the Italian context for professional competence self-assessment constitutes an essential step in measuring professional competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) is one of the most commonly used measures of happiness. Many translations and validation studies have been carried out in different countries and languages. The aim of the current paper was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the SHS and to provide normative data. The SHS was administered with life satisfaction items, anxiety and depression scales to a community sample of 993 participants, aged 18-85 years, living in different parts of Italy. Age and gender distributions were stratified according to the population pyramid. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the unidimensionality of the SHS, with acceptable fit indexes (NNFI = .96; CFI = .99; RMSEA = .08; 95 % C.I. [.04-.12]). Multi-group analyses supported total invariance of the SHS measurement model for males and females, and partial invariance for younger (i.e., 18-44 years old) and older (i.e., 45-85 years old) participants. Significant correlations with satisfaction items, anxiety and depression provided evidence for concurrent validity. These findings showed that the Italian SHS translation is a reliable and valid tool, which adds to existing translations and validation studies in different countries and languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, the role of parental career-related behaviors in career development has been identified in several studies. Specifically, these behaviors involve difficulties in the adolescents' career decision-making. In the literature, there is a validated scale for measuring parental career-related behaviors in the Italian language, but the validation refers to the Swiss context. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric proprieties of the parental career-related behaviors questionnaire (PCB) in a sample of 323 adolescents and, after an item-adaption, in a sample of 374 university students in Italy. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to support the three-dimensional structure of the original PCB. Moreover, associations between PCB and career decision-making difficulties were investigated. The results showed that the PCB is a useful instrument for measuring parental career-related behaviors also in the Italian context. Finally, the PCB dimensions were meaningfully related to career decision-making difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) approach in school requires monitoring certain skills. As awareness of SEL increases in Italy, it is necessary to provide instruments to monitor these skills within a systemic approach. This study presents the cultural adaptation/validation of 5 scales from Panorama Education, which are widely used in school districts in the United States, to the Italian middle/high school context: Grit, Sense of Belonging, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Self-Efficacy. After cultural adaptation, 709 middle/high school students answered an online questionnaire (2021). Psychometric properties showed good internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit index. The differences in gender and grade level support the validity of the instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, gambling opportunities worldwide have increased significantly, providing continual access to more people. Thus, standardized measures to assess various facets of Gambling Disorder and holistic approaches to identifying sub-groups of disordered gamblers are needed. The Gambling Pathways Questionnaire (GPQ), based on the Pathways Model of problem gambling, is designed to assign gamblers to subtypes at intake and identify a variety of salient etiological factors. This study sought to validate the Italian version of the GPQ. After the translation and adaptation of the scale to the Italian language and culture, the GPQ was administered to 490 treatment-seeking disordered gamblers (84% males, Mage = 43.77, SD = 13.25) who attended 54 treatment centers distributed across all of Italy. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the six-factor structure and internal coherence coefficients showed good to very good reliability. Moreover, cluster analysis revealed that the three-cluster solution produced the best model fit, which generally corresponded with the Pathways Model. The Italian version of the GPQ evidenced good psychometric properties, and the Italian-adapted scoring corresponds to the cluster analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With data from the Italian Survey of Household Income and Wealth, we present an Index of Household Financial Condition and quantify with it the position of households between 2004 and 2010. The Index of Household Financial Condition is composed of subjective and objective indicators, which enable to capture differently the existing uncertainty concerning the future development of a household's financial situation. We show with a measurement model based on multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) that the proposed Index is two-dimensional and comprises financial position and financial prudence. Through application of the MGCFA, we show that the interrelations between the indicators had not changed at four measurement occasions (2004-2010), and thus the proposed set comprises a coherent and time-invariant framework for measuring two dimensions of the latent concept: financial condition. Established measurement invariance in the MGCFA framework allows an assessment of trend in financial position and financial prudence of Italian households. We show that the financial position of Italian households improved in the period 2004-2006 and later declined. Improvement of the financial prudence was observed, however, till 2008. Finally, we incorporate a set of socioeconomic features of Italian households into a structural equation model. With the provided set of indicators, we find positive relation between age and both financial position and prudence, but also we show the positive impact of white-collar jobs on scores in each of the dimensions of the financial condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high prevalence and dramatic impact of being bullied at school, it is crucial to get more insight into how teachers can reduce bullying. So far, few instruments have measured elementary teachers' responses to bullying. This study investigated the validity of the student-reported Teachers' Responses to Bullying Questionnaire. The factor structure and measurement invariance were tested across two educational contexts among fourth and fifth grade students from Italy (n = 235) and Belgium (n = 667). Furthermore, associations between student-perceived teachers' responses and students' bullying behavior were examined. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the predicted five-factor structure, distinguishing Non-Intervention, Disciplinary Methods, Group Discussion, Mediation, and Victim Support. A partial factor means invariance model was found, allowing for valid comparisons between the Italian and Belgian educational contexts. Significant associations were found between self-reported, but not peer-nominated, bullying behavior and most student-perceived teachers' responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BPA - Applied Psychology Bulletin (Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata) is the property of Giunti O.S. Organizzazioni Speciali and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This manuscript explores the psychometric properties of a scale measuring self-curiosity, a facet of general curiosity, consisting of the attitude and interest people have in understanding themselves better. In this study, we provide data on the comparison between the Self-Curiosity Attitude-Interest Scale in an Italian and a Mexican sample, paired for gender, age, and education. The scale reliability was satisfactory, and the two-factor structure of the scale showed a good fit in the Mexican sample. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed configural, metric, partial scalar, and strict invariance between samples. Overall, results indicated that the concept of self-curiosity is meaningfully measured by the SCAI items. In line with previous studies, construct validity of the scale highlighted the expected correlations with measures of trait openness, awareness, and general curiosity. In conclusion, the results show that the two-factor model of the Self-Curiosity Attitude-Interest Scale is similarly adequate in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Italy suffered from the earthquake of 2016 resulting in great damage to the community. The purpose of the present study was to determine the long-term traumatic outcomes among the population. A preliminary study aimed at obtaining the Italian translation of the first 16 item of HTQ IV part [1] which was administered, 20 months after the disaster, at 281 survivors. In backward stepwise logistic regressions models, we estimated among the respondent's characteristics and event-related variables the best predictors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) revealed a HTQ five-factors solution as best model, with satisfactory indexes of fit. HTQ held a positive correlation with both the SQD-P (r =.65, p <.05) and SQD-D subscales (r =.47, p <.05). ROC analysis suggested an area of.951 (95% CI =.917–.985) for the PTSD prediction. Basing on sensibility (.963) and specificity (.189), the best cut-off of 2.0 allowed discriminating for PTSD positive cases. After 20 months of the earthquake, the estimate prevalence of PTSD among the survivors is of 21.71% with a consistent and graded association between exposure variables and vulnerability factors (gender, age, exposure to death and home damage) and PTSD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the present paper was to examine the factorial structure of the Revised Eysenck personality questionnaire () in the Italian context and present its psychometric properties. Data from a sample of volunteers belonging to different professional categories and Italian regions were used. The factorial structure of EPQ-R was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Also invariance across gender was tested by means of a multi-group analysis. Findings confirm the dimensions of the Eysenck personality model for males and females in the Italian context. The invariance across gender was supported. Reliabilities of the subscales were satisfactory. The revised form of the questionnaire can be confidently used also in the Italian context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although Interdependent Happiness Scale (IHS) has been used in different socio-cultural contexts, no study has tested the measurement invariance across countries. Because previous research did not agree on the dimensionality of the scale, we primarily investigated the factorial structure of the IHS, comparing the one-factor model to three-factor, second-order, and bifactor models. We also evaluated the applicability of the IHS to Italian (N = 290) and Polish samples (students: N = 253; community: N = 241) using a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. We investigated also whether the scale measures an aspect of happiness different from satisfaction with life. The bifactor model fitted the sample data better than alternative models in all samples. The general factor accounted for over 90% of the reliable variance in the total IHS score for all samples. Our study supported the configural and metric invariance of the bifactor model in the Italian and Polish versions of the IHS, ensuring the comparability of correlations involving the IHS scores in the two different cultures and samples. We showed that IHS is not redundant with the SWLS, although the two concepts are deeply intertwined. Our findings provided support for a conceptualization of interdependent happiness as a hierarchically organized construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several authors have highlighted the importance of creating a useful tool to evaluate academic Burnout through the construction and validation of specific scales to evaluate academic Burnout. Based on the literature, the aim of this study is to evaluate in Italian university the psychometric properties of the SBI-U 9 scale for Academic Burnout in university students in Italy developed by Boada-Grau and colleagues. Study 1 (N=609) examined the factor structure of the scale (Male=45.6%, Female=54.4%; Mage= 21.9; SD=2.92). Study 2 (N=412) advanced the previous SBI-U 9 validation by testing its measurement equivalence across gender (Male=48.8%, Female= 51.2%) and different type of course of study (Technical-Mathematical-Scientific=33.5%, Medical- Scientific=32.5%, Scientific-Humanistic=34%) through Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results confirmed a one higher-order factor structure with three first-order factors, the scale was found to be invariant across gender and different type of course of study. The findings advanced the general claim of SBI-U 9 showed an important tool for detecting the academic Burnout in university students in the Italian context, this is confirmed by the good psychometric properties of the scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Italian version of a French scale to detect attitudes toward same-sex parenting. The Italian sample was split into two subsamples. On one, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to detect the factor structure of the Italian scale, and on the other, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was run to find the data's best fit model. The scales' internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. The questionnaire's convergent validity was also evaluated. EFA extracted a four-factor solution, in accordance with the original French scale's validation study. CFA showed that the translated scale had good consistency, similar to that of the original version, showing satisfactory internal consistency for three of four subscales. There will be benefits to further validation studies of the translated scale on the Italian population and it may possibly be innovative and useful in both research and social fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the measurement invariance of the three versions of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) across adolescent and young adult participants, 678 Italian adolescent high school students (M = 16.83 years old, SD = 1.85 years) and 678 adult university students (M = 23.99 years old, SD = 2.60 years) matched on gender, civil status, and geographic area, were administered the Italian translation of the original 52-item PNI. The PNI, the Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI), and Super Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI) scales all showed adequate reliabilities in both adolescent and young adult samples. In both samples, robust maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis indicated that covariation among the PNI/B-PNI first-order scales, as well as among the SB-PNI items, could be adequately explained by two-correlated factors operationalizing narcissistic grandiosity (NG) and narcissistic vulnerability (NV), respectively. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses supported scalar invariance for both B-PNI and SB-PNI NG and NV factors, and metric invariance for the PNI NG and NV factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sacred values are moral foundations that may make public and political debates among groups hard to resolve. A taboo trade-off framework offers the opportunity of measuring the inviolability and the "sacralization" of moral foundations. In this study, moral foundations in a taboo trade-off framework were assessed in a convenience sample of Italians (N = 224) using a new measure to assess sacred values, the Omission as a Compromise on Moral Foundations scale (OC-MF). The OC-MF measures the willingness of individuals to omit moral foundations in exchange for money. It was predicted that Italian center and left-wing participants would be less willing to compromise individualizing moral foundations as opposed to binding ones, and that center and right-wing participants would be less willing to compromise on binding moral foundations than left-wing participants. Confirmatory Factor Analyses demonstrated the two-factor structure of the OC-MF: individualizing and binding. As predicted, Repeated Measures Anova showed that political orientation was related with differential adoptions of moral foundations as sacred values, with center and left-wing participants refusing to compromise more on individualizing than on binding moral foundations. Moreover, left-wing participants were more willing to compromise on binding moral foundations than center and right-wing participants. The OC-MF shows the hypothesized differences between Italian political groups and offers a new understanding of moral reasoning. These findings provide opportunities for improving ideological debates concerning sacred values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on cyberbullying has been growing worldwide, with much of the focus on the characteristics of perpetrators and targets of cyberbullying. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid on bystanders of cyber‐attacks. This study presents the Italian validation of a newly developed self‐report scale that measures different forms of participation in cyberbullying, namely cyberbullying, cybervictimization, cyber‐defending and cyber‐passive bystanding. We used responses from 561 young adolescents (289 girls; mean age = 12 years, 1 month; SD = 9 months) attending middle schools in Italy. A 16‐item scale was developed paralleling the content of an already existing scale that measures young adolescents' behavior in traditional bullying. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four‐dimensional structure of the scale and the four subscale's scores showed acceptable levels of internal consistency. Multigroup analyses demonstrated full scalar invariance of the scale across gender groups. Finally, each behavior in the electronic context was positively correlated with its counterpart in the school context, suggesting certain stability across contexts. It is concluded that the scale may be a first, promising attempt to measure different youths' behavior during cyberbullying episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Advanced Nursing (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a screening test widely used in clinical practice and suited for detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Alternate forms of the MoCA were developed to avoid "learning effect" in serial assessments, and the present study aimed at investigating inter-form parallelism and at providing normative values for the Italian versions of MoCAs 2 and 3.Method: Three separate convenience samples were recruited: the first (n = 78) completed three alternate MoCA versions for ascertaining inter-form parallelism; the second (n = 302) and the third (n = 413) samples were administered MoCA 2 or 3 to compute normative data.Results: A three-step procedure complemented by confirmatory factor analysis and a mixed factorial ANOVA suggested that the three MoCA versions are not strictly parallel. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age and education significantly influenced MoCA 2 and 3 total scores. No significant effect of sex was found. From the derived linear equation, correction grids for MoCA 2 and 3 raw scores were built and equivalent scores computed. Inferential cutoff for adjusted scores, estimated using a non-parametric technique, were 17.49 for MoCA 2 and 18.34 for MoCA 3. Correlation analysis showed strong correlations of MoCA 2 (r = 0.69, p < .001) and MoCA 3 (r = 0.61, p < .001) adjusted total scores with MMSE adjusted scores.Conclusion: The three MoCA forms are not strictly parallel. Specifically developed normative data must be adopted for using MoCA in serial cognitive assessments for clinical and research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R) in a large community sample in Italy. Participants (845 Italians, aged 20–46; 50.1% women) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires: the DS-R, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Big Five Observer, and the Padua Inventory. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a six-factor dimensionality of the DS-R in the Italian population. The six-factor structure was partially scalar invariant across gender groups. The data provided some evidence of the scale's reliability for the sample. Correlations of the DS-R score with the assessed personality dimensions were consistent with the disgust literature. The six-factor dimensionality of the Italian version of the DS-R included the Animal reminder factor, which has also been found in other cultures. The second factor, which we named "Contamination by food," only partially overlapped the Contamination factor of previous samples. The four remaining factors seemed to assess distinct facets of the Core disgust factor. This also emerged in previous studies. For these four, there was only a partial overlap between the Italian and other populations, suggesting the relevance of cultural differences in the assessment of disgust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BPA - Applied Psychology Bulletin (Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata) is the property of Giunti O.S. Organizzazioni Speciali and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Given the increasing number of patients requiring palliative care and the need for more professionals who are able to provide care for the dying comfortably, assessment of medical attitudes toward end-of-life care is becoming a key aspect of medical education. The present study aimed to establish whether the Frommelt Attitude Toward the Care Of the Dying, Form B (FATCOD-B) meets current psychometric standards of validity for an assessment tool in medical education.Method: The participants were 200 undergraduate medical students. Since in a previous study the FATCOD-B was found to have a weak structure due to poor item validity, a refined version was proposed and tested in the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis and the Rasch model were employed to assess its dimensionality and psychometric properties.Results: The construct measured by the FATCOD-B continues to be misspecified. The tool has a two-dimensional structure. The first is well-structured and demonstrates appreciable measurement and discriminant capabilities. The second has low validity because its measurement capabilities are based on weakly correlated items.Significance Of Results: Our results suggest that the FATCOD-B measures a two-dimensional construct and that only its first dimension is a robust measurement tool for use in medical education to evaluate undergraduates' attitudes about caring for the dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BPA - Applied Psychology Bulletin (Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata) is the property of Giunti O.S. Organizzazioni Speciali and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of BPA - Applied Psychology Bulletin (Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata) is the property of Giunti O.S. Organizzazioni Speciali and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This contribution aims at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Positive Relational Management Scale (PRMS) in a sample of 251 Italian workers. The dimensionality, reliability, and concurrent validity of the scale were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a correlated three-dimensional version of the scale, comprising Respect, Caring, and Connectedness. Latent correlations among the dimensions were moderate-to-strong (0.44-0.57), but suggestive of the multidimensionality of the scores. In addition, good internal consistency was confirmed. The concurrent validity is good as the Pearson's correlations between PRMS and measure for social support, life satisfaction, life meaningfulness, and flourishing range from 0.39 to 0.52. The results indicate that the PRMS is a valid instrument for measuring positive relational management at work in the Italian context within a positive preventive perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A survey has been carried out among Italian car makers, suppliers, and customers to identify the potential changes that the traditional Italian automotive supply chain would need for the introduction of electric vehicles. In addition, this study investigates the degree of importance that enterprises attribute to the electric vehicle market and their perceptions about the development of this market, also evaluating which types of electric vehicles and body styles are receiving the most relevant investment. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical investigation has been carried out to examine the above-mentioned aspects. Data have been collected through an on-line survey and analysed by a descriptive statistical analysis, confirmatory factors analysis, and cluster analyses. Findings: Market penetration of electric vehicles is mainly influenced by technological choices of car makers and battery manufacturers and by the ability to organize and manage the integrated actions of stakeholders, also including component suppliers, and manufacturers of vehicle management systems. Stakeholders have to exploit economies of scale, to make use and expand long-time competencies in electric engineering with automotive know-how, and to build up cooperation with experts in the new value chain to facilitate the required transfer of know-how. Alliances and joint ventures can provide manufacturers access to the know-how, technology, and production capacity of battery suppliers. Outsourcing, especially as regards research and development, will occur even more frequently in the near future. An agile supply chain should be adopted to manage a fluctuating market demand. Originality/value: This preliminary study contributes to provide an outlook of some of the most important changes that traditional Italian automotive supply chain would need to promote the introduction of electric vehicles and their critical components with an emphasis on production aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease, likely to condition patients' daily living and quality of life: given the unpredictability of frequency and severity of the attacks, patients experience a high level of uncertainty. While there have been many analyses whose purpose was to monitor multiple sclerosis (MS) patients' quality of life, the role of uncertainty, that is peculiar to the disease, has not been adequately considered so far. The present study is aimed at filling this gap by validating for Italian MS patients the Mishel's Uncertainty Illness Scale (MUIS). The MUIS has been developed in the USA context in order to assess four aspects of uncertainty: ambiguity, complexity, inconsistency and unpredictability. It has been largely applied in the cancer, cardiac and chronic illness population. Data employed in this study have been collected at two neurological centres in Messina (IRCCS Centro Studi Neurolesi 'Bonino Pulejo' and Policlinico di Messina) in the first semester of 2013 and refer to 120 MS patients. The confirmatory factor analysis described in this study validates two of the four dimensions of MUIS, namely ambiguity and inconsistency. The validation, though partial, of the MUIS, allows the use of this instrument in studies investigating quality of life for Italian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a widely used self-report measure to assess emotional distress in clinical populations. As highlighted in recent review studies, the latent structure of the HADS is still an issue. The aim of this study was to analyze the factorial structure of the HADS in a large community sample in Italy, and to test the invariance of the best fitting model across age and gender groups. Methods Data analyses were carried out on a sample of 1.599 participants proportionally stratified according to the Italian census population pyramid. Participants aged 18 to 85 years (females = 51.8%), living in eight different regions of Italy, voluntarily participated in the study. The survey questionnaire contained the HADS, Health Status questions, and sociodemographic variables. Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a bifactor model, with a general psychological distress factor and two orthogonal group factors with anxiety and depression, was the best fitting one compared to six alternative factor structures reported in the literature, with overall good fit indices [Non-normed Fit Index (NNFI) = .97; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = .98; Root Mean-Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = .04]. Multi-group analyses supported total invariance of the HADS measurement model for males and females, and for younger (i.e., 18-44 years old) and older (i.e., 45-85 years old) participants. Our descriptive analyses showed that females reported significant higher anxiety and general distress mean scores than males. Moreover, older participants reported significant higher HADS, anxiety and depression scores than younger participants. Conclusions The results of the present study confirmed that the HADS has good psychometric properties in an Italian community sample, and that the HADS scores, especially the general psychological distress one, can be reliably used for assessing age and gender differences. In keeping with the most recent factorial studies, our analysis supported the superior fit of a bifactor model. However, the high factor loadings on the general factor also recommend caution in the use of the two subscales as independent measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Religious Fundamentalism Scale was applied to an Italian group, composed of 250 participants, to assess if it could be considered a reliable measure of fundamentalism. All participants professed to be believers of the Catholic religion. The overall group was split randomly into two smaller groups. The data of the first group were analyzed with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to test the factor structure of the Italian version of the scale. The data of the second sample were analyzed with a confirmatory factor analysis, to test the factor structure that emerged from EFA. Results indicated a two-dimensional structure, composed of two correlated factors apparently representing believing and skeptical attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: compulsive shopping consists of repetitive impulsive and excessive buying, leading to personal and family distress (Billieux et al., 2008). In the present research, the factor structure of the Compulsive Buying Scale (Valence et al., 1988) in an Italian sample was assessed in order to out- line an Italian measurement scale for compulsive shopping. Methods: 551 subjects (M = 146, F = 405) took part in the study by online sampling. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were performed; ANOVA analyses were conducted in order to analyse the socio-demographics differences on CBS data. Results: The results of CFA show a second-order-factor solution of the Italian version of the Valence CBS. Conclusions: the present study confirms the internal validity of the Italian CBS. The socio-demographics differences on CBS were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antonovsky introduced the concept of Sense of Coherence (SOC), and, to measure it, developed a 29- item questionnaire as well as a shorter, 13-item, version. Despite wide application of SOC scales in research and clinical practice, their factor structure is still not completely clear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the dimensionality of both versions of Antonovsky's SOC scales (SOCS-29 and SOCS-13) in order to ascertain which model better represents the factor structure of the instruments among onefactor, three-correlated factor, and higher-order factor models. In Study 1, data were collected on a sample of 658 Italian university students who completed the SOCS-29. In Study 2, the SOCS-13 was administered to 372 Italian university students. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using the Mean-Adjusted Maximum Likelihood (MLM) estimator was employed to obtain adjusted measure of fit for non-normal sample data. CFA showed that the three-correlated factor model better represents the structure of the 29- item scale, whereas the one-factor model better represents the short 13-item version. In line with the theoretical definition of the construct, and the methodological claim that short forms and full-length measures do not necessarily have the same psychometric properties, findings suggested that the SOCS-29 helps to spell out the three SOC components — comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness — whereas the SOCS-13 provides a global measure of SOC as general orientation to life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to adapt to the Italian context and validate two instruments used to investigate learning environment perceptions and approaches to study: the Student Course Experience Questionnaire (SCEQ), and the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a cross-validation for both instruments were conducted over a sample of 622 students belonging to different faculties of an Italian university. In the original version (30 items), the SCEQ did not provide satisfactory results. The CFA of the 23 items of the SCEQ version and the 12 items of the ASI showed that they are reliable measures of the respective constructs. CFA of the SCEQ and of the ASI showed acceptable fit indices. Although in need of further improvement, these instruments can be useful in the Italian academic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the cross-cultural generalisability of the First Year Inventory (FYI) on an Italian sample, testing its construct validity, consistency, and structural validity. Six hundred ninety-eight parents of children aged 11–13 months completed the questionnaire. Similarities between analyses of Italian and American/Israeli samples were found, as were demonstrations of the instrument's construct validity and internal consistency with both groups. The original factorial structure was not demonstrated; thus, a new factorial structure was tested, and a short version of the FYI was demonstrated via confirmatory factor analysis. The findings supported the generalisability of the Italian version of the FYI and its validity. The FYI may aid in medical decision-making on further steps for referral of the child to an early diagnostic assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]