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Endurance athletes are a population where self-control in the form of following training plans, race plans, and pacing schedules is key to performing successfully. A valid and stable measure of self-control has theoretical and applied value through the ability to identify athletes who might be susceptible to poor self-control. The present study reports the test-retest stability of the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS). 132 endurance athletes (18-65 years) completed the 13-item BSCS on two occasions, separated by two weeks. Stability was measured by calculating the test-retest differences for each questionnaire item, with a stable item showing 90% of respondents' test-retest differences within a reference value of [+ or -]1. Analyses revealed seven items to be stable with the question, Q10 = 'I am able to work effectively toward long-term goals', demonstrating greatest stability (96.4%). In contrast, six items showed relatively poor stability with test-retest difference scores ranging from 84.1-89.9%. Chi-square tests of independence revealed no associations with categorical levels of age, gender, sport, and training habits. In the context of the current findings, we argue that the six unstable items do not represent dispositional self-control behavior among endurance athletes. Future researchers are encouraged to assess the stability of individual items rather than favoring a summary statistic, particularly when developing trait measures., Working from an individual-differences perspective, self-control has been shown to predict behavioral outcomes in contexts such as health (Imhoff, Schmidt, & Gerstenberg, 2014; Schroder, Ollis, & Davies, 2013), education (Tangney, [...]

This paper assesses the acceptability, clinical utility and psychometric properties of the recovery section in the Alcohol and Drug Outcome Measure (ADOM). The ADOM is a three part outcome measure developed for routine use in alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services in New Zealand. Sections 1 and 2 of the measure have previously been tested. This study evaluated the two recovery items in section 3 with 14 consumer addiction leaders, 11 practitioners, and 1,260 clients in addiction treatment services, including 192 matched pairs between treatment admission and 6-week review. Analyses of the acceptability, clinical utility, convergent validity, and sensitivity to change indicate section 3 exhibits acceptable characteristics and meets minimum standards for consumer-based outcome measures. The recovery section 3 has been recommended for routine outcome measurement in adult community-based (outpatient) addiction services as part of the full ADOM measure. Keywords: recovery, outcome measure, addiction services, alcohol and other drug, psychometric testing., Commencing with the Blueprint for Mental Health Services in New Zealand (Mental Health Commission, 1998), there has been a strong commitment towards implementing a recovery approach within New Zealand's mental [...]

The research investigated the psychometric properties and the discriminant validity of the English version of the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Aggressive Driving Behavior (AVIS). Study 1 assessed the psychometric properties of the instrument. Internal consistency ranged from 0.77 to 0.92. Exploratory factor analysis did not support the original five factor structure, Instrumental Aggression and Acting Out being unified in a single factor. Following the confirmatory factor analysis a version with 26 items and 3 factors was obtained. Inter-scale correlations showed that the dimensions of the AVIS are inter-correlated. Study 2 verified the discriminant validity of the English version of the AVIS by testing the relationships between the AVIS dimensions and the DAX (Driving Anger Expression Inventory) dimensions. The results showed good discriminant validity, the dimensions of the two instruments being uncorrelated. In conclusion, the findings contribute to the development of the driving aggression construct by adding new dimensions to it., Author(s): Mihaela Chraif[sup.1] , Daniela Dumitru[sup.2] , Mihai Anitei[sup.1] , Vlad Burtaverde[sup.1] , Teodor Mihaila[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest, Bd. Panduri, no.90, [...]

This study validates an Italian version of Singelis's Independent and Interdependent Self-Construal Scale (SCS; Singelis in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 580-591, 1994 (See CR27); Singelis et al. in Cross-Cultural Research, 29, 240-275, 1995 (See CR30)), a scale intended to measure individuals' feelings of connectedness to and separateness from social situations. Results of the Italian validation, carried out through three studies involved a total of 803 Italian university students, has led to a short 10-item version, with two 5-item orthogonal factors respectively reflecting independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal. The new short version of Singelis's scale, as examined through exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses, shows a more stable factor structure than the original version, maintaining the same internal consistency and obtaining improved indexes of concurrent validity for the Interdependent Self-Construal Scale, as explored by investigating the relationships with self-esteem., Author(s): Antonella D'Amico[sup.1] , Fabrizio Scrima[sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Dipartimento di Scienze Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e della Formazione - Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Parco d'Orleans, Edificio 15, [...]

The objective of this study was to create a psychometrically sound measure of family-centered care, the Family-Centered Care Assessment (FCCA), developed through a process led by families in collaboration with maternal and child health leaders. The items for the FCCA scale were initially developed by families of children and youth with special needs in partnership with pediatric providers and researchers. Using an Institutional Review Board-approved research protocol, the questions were revised based on input from focus groups of diverse parents in three states. Parental responses (N = 790) to the revised 59-item survey were collected online from families in 49 states. Item distributions uniformly showed excellent spread. A principal axes factor analysis confirmed the existence of a single factor. Rasch modeling item analyses identified a reduced subset of 24 items that demonstrated excellent psychometric properties. All items met the criteria for a linear Rasch scale. Empirical evidence in support of the construct validity of the 24-item measure was derived: all items had a positive and substantial item-total correlation; person alpha scale reliability was >0.80 and the item reliability was >0.90; both separation indices were >2.0; infit and outfit statistics were within 0.5-1.5; and item difficulties ranged between -2 and +2 logits. Strong rank-ordered associations and large effect sizes were observed for six indicators of quality of care. This study's family-led process produced a tool, the FCCA, to measure families' experience of care with excellent psychometric properties., Author(s): Nora Wells[sup.1] , Suzanne Bronheim[sup.2] , Stephen Zyzanski[sup.3] , Clarissa Hoover[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Family Voices, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, USA (2) Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA (3) Case Western [...]

Grace is an interesting and potentially significant domain within positive psychology, but remains largely neglected. The present study examined the relationships among three known grace scales to evaluate the potential [...]

This paper assesses the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) in an Arab Christian sample by analyzing its internal structure. A convenience sample of [...]

Abstract AIM This study uses self-efficacy as a theoretical framework for clinical skills instruction. BACKGROUND Questions remain regarding the mechanism through which instruction on clinical skills in simulated laboratory settings [...]

The present study was conducted to develop and validate a God-centered self-esteem scale that assesses an individual's evaluations of the self in the context of God's love, availability, and ability [...]

Purpose: There is a pressing need for psychometrically sound naming materials for Spanish/English bilingual adults. To address this need, in this study the authors examined the psychometric properties of An Object and Action Naming Battery (An O&A Battery; Druks & Masterson, 2000) in bilingual speakers. Method: Ninety-one Spanish/English bilinguals named O&A Battery items in English and Spanish. Responses underwent a Rasch analysis. Using correlation and regression analyses, the authors evaluated the effect of psycholinguistic (e.g., imageability) and participant (e.g., proficiency ratings) variables on accuracy. Results: Rasch analysis determined unidimensionality across English and Spanish nouns and verbs and robust item-level psychometric properties, evidence for content validity. Few items did not fit the model, there were no ceiling or floor effects after uninformative and misfit items were removed, and items reflected a range of difficulty. Reliability coefficients were high, and the number of statistically different ability levels provided indices of sensitivity. Regression analyses revealed significant correlations between psycholinguistic variables and accuracy, providing preliminary construct validity. The participant variables that contributed most to accuracy were proficiency ratings and time of language use. Conclusions: Results suggest adequate content and construct validity of O&A items retained in the analysis for Spanish/English bilingual adults and support future efforts to evaluate naming in older bilinguals and persons with bilingual aphasia. Key Words: bilingual, Rasch, naming, validity, verbs, The United States has the fifth largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, with 28 million residents who report speaking Spanish as their primary language. Of these, 50% report speaking English [...]

By introducing a response-time measure in the field of comparative optimism, this study was designed to explore how people estimate risk to self and others depending on the evaluation order (self/other or other/self). Our results show the interdependency between self and other answers. Indeed, while response time for risk assessment for the self does not vary depending on the evaluation order, assessment for an average other takes longer in the other/self than in the self/other order. Thus, prior self-estimate appears to facilitate the construction of subsequent risk estimates for others. Our data indicate that the two evaluation orders do not correspond to strictly equivalent procedures; the other/self order requires extra cognitive effort and leads to greater comparative optimism levels. These findings should alert researchers that the measurement procedures, classically considered as interchangeable in the area of comparative optimism, actually generate different ways to construct the answers. Our results are discussed in terms of anchoring and asymmetry effects. Key words: response time, comparative optimism, self-reference, order effect, anchoring effect, Numerous studies have shown that individuals typically consider their own chances of experiencing undesirable events to be lower and their chances of experiencing desirable events to be higher than those [...]

This article reports on the development and the exploration of the underlying psychometric properties of the School Counselor Self-Advocacy Questionnaire, a measure of skills school counselors can use to advocate [...]

This psychometric study validated the 'easy-to-use' Life Perspectives Inventory (LPI) for deployment with Korean high school-age students (N = 1223, ages 15-19). Using the conceptual research underpinnings derived from the [...]

Purpose: This study was designed to improve the measurement of financial exploitation (FE) by testing psychometric properties of the older adult financial exploitation measure (OAFEM), a client self-report instrument. Design and Methods: Rasch item response theory and traditional validation approaches were used. Questionnaires were administered by 22 adult protective services investigators from 7 agencies in Illinois to 227 substantiated abuse clients. Analyses included tests for dimensionality, model fit, and additional construct validation. Results from the OAFEM were also compared with the substantiation decision of abuse and with investigators' assessments of FE using a staff report version. Hypotheses were generated to test hypothesized relationships. Results: The OAFEM, including the original 79-, 54-, and 30-item measures, met stringent Rasch analysis fit and unidimensionality criteria and had high internal consistency and item reliability. The validation results were supportive, while leading to reconsideration of aspects of the hypothesized theoretical hierarchy. Thresholds were suggested to demonstrate levels of severity. Implications: The measure is now available to aid in the assessment of FE of older adults by both clinicians and researchers. Theoretical refinements developed using the empirically generated item hierarchy may help to improve assessment and intervention. Key Words: Financial abuse, Mistreatment, Rasch measurement, Exploitation theory, Theoretical hierarchy doi: 10.1093/geront/gnq054

The purpose of this research was to describe psychometric issues relevant to use of the Profile of Mood States (POMS), to provide indices of POMS reliability and validity, and to contrast the reliability characteristics of the POMS and various short-forms of the POMS. A brief description of the short forms of the POMS is presented and it seems that these short forms have merit. Evaluation of the factor structure of the full-scale POMS relative to the EDITS 30-item version of the POMS (EPOMS) using principal components exploratory factor analysis and maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analyses suggests that the EPOMS is, psychometrically, the superior instrument. Support was found for five of six POMS subscales (Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, Fatigue, but not Confusion). Confirmatory factor analysis of the POMS did not result in confirmation of the theoretical six-factor model. Principal components factor analyses as well as confirmatory factor analyses of the six-factor model provide strong support for the factorial integrity of the EPOMS., The use of the Profile of Mood States (POMS: McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971) originally developed as a measure of mood states and mood changes in psychiatric populations, has been [...]

Byline: Elizabeth A. Garcia-Rea (1), James P. LePage (1) Keywords: Homeless veterans; Psychometrics; Quality of life; Reliability and validity Abstract: With the high number of homeless, there is a critical need for rapid and accurate assessment of quality of life to assess program outcomes. The World Health Organization's WHOQOL-100 has demonstrated promise in accurately assessing quality-of-life in this population. However, its length may make large scale use impractical for working with a homeless population. The World Health Organization Quality of Life--Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), though providing a shorter instrument and being, theoretically, more manageable has not been evaluated for use with homeless individuals. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF in 389 homeless veterans. Adequate internal consistency for all domains was found and validity for each domain was supported using the Personality Assessment Inventory. The WHOQOL-BREF provides a reliable, valid, and brief assessment of quality-of-life. Due to the length of the instrument and the domains covered, it could have great utility in the assessment of homeless populations with multiple problem domains. Author Affiliation: (1) VA North Texas Health Care System, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA Article History: Registration Date: 28/01/2010 Accepted Date: 24/01/2010 Online Date: 07/02/2010

To analyze the psychometric properties of the Coping Response Inventory--Youth Form (CRI-Y) and its applicability, 426 Brazilian adolescents (43.3% boys, 56.7% girls), ages 12 to 18 years (M = 16.5, SD = 1.6), completed the authorized Brazilian/Portuguese version of the 1993 original. Analysis showed higher use of Approach coping and Emotional Discharge by the girls. The inventory showed internal consistency reliability was similar to that of the original scale. A two-factor structure reflecting Approach and Avoidance coping was found; however, the distribution of loadings of specific coping scales on this two-factor structure did not fit the original Moos model. The criterion validity analyzed by the use of the Youth Self-Report showed significant positive relation between the Avoidance dimension and Psychopathological symptoms for boys and girls. Data were discussed with respect to coping theory, assessment, and cultural influences. DOI 10.2466/08.17.20.PR0.107.5.617-628

This research describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale (ABES). Items were developed on the basis of prior literature, revised on the basis of expert feedback, and submitted to psychometric evaluation. Exploratory factor analysis of data from 350 bisexual participants yielded 3 factors of reported experiences of prejudicial treatment reflecting (a) Sexual Orientation Instability, (b) Sexual Irresponsibility, and (c) Interpersonal Hostility. This structure emerged with bisexual persons' reported experiences of prejudice from heterosexual people as well as from lesbian and gay people. Confirmatory factor analysis of data from a separate sample of 349 bisexual individuals supported the stability of this 3-factor structure. The data offered evidence of acceptable reliability (i.e., Cronbach's alphas of .81 to .94), convergent validity (i.e., with stigma consciousness, r = .37 to .54; with awareness of public devaluation, r = .28 to .41), and discriminant validity (i.e., for impression management, r = -.00 to .09). Relative levels of the various types of perceived experiences of anti-bisexual prejudice and the role of such experiences within the minority stress framework were also explored. With a separate sample of 176 bisexual individuals, data on the final 17-item version of the ABES yielded 2-week test-retest reliability coefficients of .77 to .89 and Cronbach's alphas of .86 to .96 across subscales. Keywords: bisexuality, anti-bisexual prejudice and discrimination, minority stress, sexual orientation, biphobia DOI: 10.1037/a0021116

The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of a version in Portuguese of the Reminiscence Functions Scale. Total sample was composed of 628 participants aged between 18 and 92 years, divided into three groups according to their age (18-24 years, n = 249; 26-54 years, n = 174; 55 and older, n = 205). Results indicated a five-factor solution for the Portuguese version of the Reminiscence Functions Scale, which accounted for 54% of the variance with good internal consistency (mean [alpha] = 0.86). Age and gender differences emerged regarding reminiscence functions. These results demonstrate that, while significant cultural differences exist, the psychometric properties of the Reminiscence Functions Scale are adequate for the Portuguese population. doi: 10.2190/AG.71.2.d

Two studies were designed to develop and obtain information about the psychometric properties of a shortened 54-item, Spanish version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being adapted to older people. In Study 1, 267 older people completed the scales, and data were submitted to a principal components analysis. Then, 22 items were selected and grouped into four components (Self-confidence, Orientation to present, Stress, and Social tension) to form the Simplified Ryff's Well-being Scales. In Study 2, the new scales were administered to 107 older people. While internal consistency estimates were similar to those generally obtained for the 54-item scale, results extracted from a confirmatory factor analysis did not support any factorial model. Although the simplified scales can distinguish between conceptually different approaches to well-being, further studies are needed to obtain estimates of reliability and validity. DOI 10.2466/02.07.08.10.21.PR0.107.4.265-280

The aim of this study was to assess the homogeneity of items, reliability as a metric indicator of global quality (internal consistency and temporal stability), and the exploratory factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) in a sample of 2,010 Spanish adolescents. Mean age was 15.9 yr. (range 14-19, SD=2.1). The test was administered twice with 20 days between responses. Answers were scored on a Likert-type scale. The internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities obtained were .93 and .94. In exploratory factor analysis, four factors explained 52.7% of the variance. These results indicated that the GHQ-28 is a psychometrically sound mental health measure in Spanish adolescents. DOI 10.2466/06.08.13.PR0.107.4.120-126

Despite the fairly widespread adoption of the 10-item Purdue Pharmacist Directive Guidance Scale (PPDG) over the last decade, only one study has assessed its psychometric properties. The present study examined the validity and reliability of the scale in a sample of 99 diabetic patients in the Southwestern United States. Principal axis factor analysis with Varimax rotation yielded two factors, 'Instruction' and 'Feedback and Goal Setting,' similar to those found when the scale was originally developed. Cronbach's alphas for the total scale and the two factors were 0.95, 0.95, and 0.92, respectively. The scale and the two factors correlated significantly and positively with number of visits by patients to the pharmacist in the past 3 mo. These results provide further evidence for the internal consistency, and construct and criterion-related validities of the scale. DOI 10.2466/03.13.PR0.107.4.61-67

The study analyzed psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness in a Spanish sample of 400 men and 453 women who had had a partner for the last 6 mo. or longer at the time of the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a two-factor solution with the factors Initiation and No shyness/Refusal. Internal consistency values for total scores were .87 and .83 for the factors, respectively. Convergent validity tests were also satisfactory. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the Spanish version of the scale has appropriate psychometric properties. DOI 10.2466/02.03.07.17.21.PR0.107.4.39-57

Developing normed treatment outcome measures is important to research addressing treatment effectiveness and to improved clinical care. The Preschool Outcome Questionnaire (POQ) is a new measure designed for use with preschool children aged two to six. Designed in collaboration with parents and clinicians, the POQ is brief, easy to administer, score and interpret. This study reports on the instrument's psychometric evaluation, contains preliminary normative data, and provides a clinical cut-off and a reliable change index to facilitate clinical use of the instrument. Results show that the POQ has acceptable test-retest and internal reliability, concurrent validity and criterion validity. Importantly, results also show that the instrument is sensitive to clinically relevant change. Clinical implications are discussed as well as suggestions for further research. Keywords Pre-school children * Treatment outcome * Assessment * Standardization DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9322-6

We investigated the psychometric properties of a new instrument, the Children's Worry Management Scale (CWMS). The CWMS has three subscales that specify methods of regulating worry: inhibition (the suppression of worry), dysregulation (exaggerated displays of worry), and coping (constructive ways of managing worry). Using a Caucasian, middle-class sample of 214 children (M = 9 years, 1 month), Study 1 provides reliability and validity data through patterns of correlations to parent- and child-completed measures of emotion management and behavioral problems. Internal consistencies range from .69 to .74. Study 2 establishes discriminant validity by demonstrating that the CWMS Dysregulation and Coping subscales differentiated, in the expected directions, between a group of children (n = 27) with DSM-IV anxiety diagnoses and a control group of children with no psychological disorders. Keywords Worry * Emotion regulation * Coping * Inhibition * Dysregulation DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9308-4

Objective: To support ongoing monitoring of child response during treatment, we sought to develop a brief, easily administered, clinically relevant, and psychometrically sound measure. Method: We first developed child and caregiver forms of a 12-item Brief Problem Checklist (BPC) interview by applying item response theory and factor analysis to Youth Self-Report (YSR; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL;Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) data for a sample of 2,332 youths. These interviews were then administered weekly via telephone to an ethnically diverse clinical sample of 184 boys and girls 7-13 years of age and their caregivers participating in outpatient treatment, to examine psychometric properties and feasibility. Results: Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were excellent, and factor analysis yielded l internalizing and 1 externalizing factor. Validity tests showed large and significant correlations with corresponding scales on paper-and-pencil administrations of the CBCL and YSR as well as with diagnoses obtained from a structured diagnostic interview. Discriminant validity of the BPC interviews was supported by low correlations with divergent criteria. Longitudinal data for the initial 6 months of treatment demonstrated that the BPC significantly predicted change on related measures of child symptoms. Estimates obtained from random coefficient growth models showed generally higher slope reliabilities for the BPC given weekly relative to the CBCL and YSR given every 3 months. Conclusions: Given their combination of brevity and psychometric strength, the child and caregiver BPC interviews appear to be a promising strategy for efficient, ongoing assessment of clinical progress during the course of treatment. Keywords: assessment, brief, item response theory, outcomes, measurement DOI: 10.1037/a0019602

The authors conducted 3 studies to develop and investigate the psychometric properties of the American Jewish Identity Scales (AJIS), a brief self-report measure that assesses cultural identification and religious identification. Study 1 assessed the content validity of the item pool using an expert panel. In Study 2, 1,884 Jewish adults completed the initial AJIS and various measures of ethnic identity, collective self-esteem, and religiosity. Using confirmatory factor analyses, the authors selected and cross-validated 33 items that loaded highly and differentially on the 2 theorized latent factors. Study 3 assessed the AJIS's short-term stability and its relation to social desirability. Tests of reliability and construct validity provided initial psychometric support for the measure and confirmed the theorized primary salience of cultural identification. Participants reported significantly more private than public collective self-esteem, and the most Jewish-identified participants reported greater private self-esteem, acculturative stress, and perceived discrimination than did their more assimilated counterparts. Keywords: ethnic identity, Jewish identity, acculturative stress Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0019577.supp DOI: 10.1037/a0019577

Skills training is a crucial mode of treatment in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993b), yet a psychometrically sound measure of DBT skills use does not exist. We adapted the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCCL; Vitaliano, Russo, Carr, Maiuro, & Becker, 1985) to create the DBT Ways of Coping Checklist (DBT-WCCL). Using factor analysis procedures, two subscales emerged: one assessing coping via DBT skills, the DBT Skills Subscale (DSS), and one assessing coping via dysfunctional means, the Dysfunctional Coping Subscale (DCS). Principal component, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and content validity analyses suggested that the scale has good to excellent psychometric properties. In addition, the DSS successfully discriminated patients who received skills training during 4 months of treatment from patients who did not. Moderators of skills use are also discussed. The DBT-WCCL appears to be a promising new measure of DBT skills use. [c] 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:563-582, 2010. Keywords: dialectical behavior therapy; borderline personality disorder; skills training; measurement; psychometrics DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20685

Data from 1,376 respondents on a 1994 scale to measure depressive and manic experiences devised by Thalbourne, Delin, and Bassett (1994) were analyzed. Internal consistency reliability estimates for the Total scale (.66), the Depressive subscale (.63), and the Manic subscale (.45) were poor to marginal, and a confirmatory factor analysis did not support the two-subscale structure of the scale. These results, considered in conjunction with those of previous psychometric analyses of the Manic-Depressive Scale, cast doubt on its usefulness for research and clinical use. DOI 10.2466/PR0.106.3.901-904

The series of Working Alliance Inventories remains the most extensively researched and utilized instruments to measure the working alliance. However, these instruments have not been normed and validated among individuals on probation or parole. Therefore, this study provides psychometric properties for a modified, offender version of the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR) with a sample of individuals on probation and parole. Results reveal that a single factor model should be used with an offender population. Results also indicate the WAI-SR has strong reliability and validity with this particular population. KEYWORDS offender risk and alliance, working alliance, Working Alliance Inventory-Short-Revised, working relationship DOI: 10.1080/10509671003666560

The assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths has been identified as an important part of the assessment process for children referred for specialized services. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2 (BERS-2; Epstein, Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale: a strength-based approach to assessment. PRO-Ed, Austin, TX, 2004) was developed as a standardized, norm-referenced instrument to measure strengths of children and youth, and has been found to be a psychometrically sound instrument. We determined the psychometric characteristics of the BERS-2 with a Finnish sample. The BERS-2 was translated in Finnish and 608 Finnish 9th graders filled in the self-evaluation. Results showed that the five subscales of BERS-2 have good reliability and formed a strong strength index. In general, females scored higher than males and special education students scored lower than non-special education students. This study suggests that the translated version of BERS-2 is a valid and reliable instrument in Finland. Keywords Assessment * Strengths * Emotional and behavior disorder (EBD) * Special education DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9287-5

Differential Item Functioning (DIF) is a widely used term in test development literature. It is very important to analyze test's data for DIF because It is a serious threat to [...]

Assessment of elder mistreatment is hindered by a myriad of factors, including inconsistent definitions, divergent and untested theories of causation, and limited research attention to the problem. In addition to these difficulties, professionals encounter complex situations requiring considerable clinical assessment skills and decision-making capacity. Adult Protective Services (APS) workers, as well as mandated reporters such as healthcare providers and social workers, need an assessment tool that can reliably and accurately assess for elder mistreatment. Based on a structured review of screening and assessment instruments, this article discusses the psychometric properties of 15 instruments and the relevance to APS. Implications of the findings for future research, practice, and policy are discussed. KEYWORDS Elder mistreatment, elder abuse, APS, assessment, screening tools Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52:815-836, 2009 Copyright [C] Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0163-4372 print/1540-4048 online DOI: 10.1080/01634370902918597

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2; Jackson and Eklund in Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychology, 24:133-150, 2002). One thousand five hundred and seventy-eight secondary school students (One thousand and seventy four males, four hundred and eleven females, ninety-three missing) from six schools in Singapore completed the questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the factorial structure of the DFS-2. A nine-first-order factor model was compared to a higher order model with a global flow factor. Support was found for the higher order factor. Multigroup analysis demonstrated invariance of the factor forms, factor loadings, factor variances, and factor covariances across age and sex. The DFS-2 subscales were found to have acceptable reliability estimates, and convergent validity. We conclude that DFS-2 is a valid instrument for assessing global flow experience in Internet gaming. Keywords Dispositionai flow. DFS-2 * Measurement model * Invariance factorial structure * Confirmatory factor analysis * Multigroup analysis

The aim of the present study was to translate and investigate the psychometric properties of the New General Self-Efficacy Scale with a group of 551 Greek children (269 girls, 282 boys; ages 9 to 12 years, Grades 4, 5, and 6). A confirmatory factor analysis was performed which verified the one-factor model. The reliability, validity, and item analysis appeared to be adequate.