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The literature differentiates between two domains of machismo: traditional machismo and caballerismo. Research has largely focused on measuring machismo among English speakers. We evaluated whether Estrada's (2011) 2-factor model of machismo was invariant across language (English vs. a direct Spanish translation). A series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were conducted between respondents who completed the survey in English (n = 428) and Spanish (n = 102). Analyses suggested the hypothesized 2-factor model did not fit across language groups. While the traditional 2-factor structure emerged in the English language data, exploratory factor analysis indicated a 3-factor structure of machismo among Spanish-speaking respondents. One of the new factors (inherent machismo), among Spanish-speaking respondents, was associated with internalized heterosexism, suggesting that the new factor structure may capture the belief that masculine men are superior. These findings suggest there is a need for the development of culturally appropriate Spanish language assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index has been translated into several European languages. In the East Asian area, a traditional Chinese language translation is available. Due to differences in written characters and language use in various Chinese regions, a translation using simplified Chinese would reach a wider audience in mainland China and other regions. Our study, therefore, aimed to validate the simplified Chinese version of the Gold-MSI (Gold-MSI-SC) to replicate psychometric properties and factor structures of the Gold-MSI and to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and factors of the Gold-MSI-SC in a mainland Chinese sample (N = 64,555). Following the translation guidelines for intercultural research, the Gold-MSI-SC self-report questionnaire, two music listening tests, and the Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence subscale (M-RI) were included in the main study together with the demographic and SES-related questions. All subscales of the Gold-MSI-SC showed high internal consistency (Cronbachs' ɑ = [.80–.91]) and good test-retest reliability (r tt = [.842–.935]). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the original bi-factor structure was replicated with satisfactory fit (root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) =.053 and comparative fit index (CFI) =.888). Correlations between the Gold-MSI-SC and the music tests, as well as the M-RI, demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity; structural equation models revealed negative relationships between age and the Gold-MSI factors, while SES positively correlated with all of the subscales. The Gold-MSI-SC has thus been shown to be a reliable tool in assessing multidimensional musical behaviors in simplified Chinese and in supporting the measurability of musical sophistication in different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving health equity in depression care and suicide screening requires that measures like the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) function similarly for diverse racial and ethnic groups. We evaluated PHQ-9 differential item functioning (DIF) between racial/ethnic groups in a retrospective cohort study of secondary electronic health record (EHR) data from eight healthcare systems. The population (n = 755,156) included patients aged 18–64 with mental health and/or substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses who had a PHQ-9 with no missing item data in the EHR for primary care or mental health visits between 1/1/2009–9/30/2017. We drew two random samples of 1000 from the following racial/ethnic groups originally recorded in EHRs (n = 14,000): Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White, Black, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, multiracial. We assessed DIF using iterative hybrid ordinal logistic regression and item response theory with p < 0.01 and 1000 Monte Carlo simulations, where change in model R2 > 0.01 represented non-negligible (e.g., clinically meaningful) DIF. All PHQ-9 items displayed statistically significant, but negligible (e.g., clinically unmeaningful) DIF between compared groups. The negligible DIF varied between random samples, although six items showed negligible DIF between the same comparison groups in both random samples. Our findings may not generalize to disaggregated racial/ethnic groups or persons without mental health and/or SUD diagnoses. We found the PHQ-9 had clinically unmeaningful cross-cultural DIF for adult patients with mental health and/or SUD diagnoses. Future research could disaggregate race/ethnicity to discern if within-group identification impacts PHQ-9 DIF. • We studied the cross-cultural differential item functioning (DIF) of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) for adults with mental health and/or substance use disorders (SUD) seen in primary care or behavioral health at eight healthcare systems. • We found that all items in the PHQ-9 displayed statistically significant, but negligible (e.g., clinically unmeaningful) DIF based on broad racial and ethnic groups. • Six items displayed consistent negligible DIF for some racial and ethnic groups between two random samples. • While DIF levels were negligible, they may suggest within-group variations masked by grouping diverse racial and ethnic groups together into monolithic categories. • Future research should examine whether our findings generalize to disaggregated racial and ethnic groups of adults with mental health and/or SUD diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Head Start directors' perceptions of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and critically examined those perceptions to provide insight into the cultural appropriateness of the CLASS in the AI/AN Head Start context. Based on qualitative data from 76 AI/AN Head Start administrators, our findings provide evidence that there are advantages and limitations in using the CLASS in AI/AN Head Start programs. While two of the three broad constructs measured by the CLASS fit well with the experiences of AI/AN early childhood education programs, our data provide evidence of cultural misalignment in the CLASS trainings, some of the CLASS behavioral markers, and the Instructional Support domain. Based upon our findings, we suggest further work be conducted to understand how to modify the instrument or create a new instrument to be better aligned with AI/AN Head Start classroom experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional value-centered approaches to the analysis of cultural variations have failed to capture group similarities across and beyond national boundaries, partly due to their reliance on variable-centered approaches that examine each cultural value in isolation, thereby ignoring the synergistic effects of cultural values. To fill this gap, we introduce a person-centered approach that allows us to identify subgroups of individuals who share a common configuration, or profile, of cultural values. We apply this approach to a multi-country sample and identify multiple distinct cultural groups within and across countries. We find that while some profiles are unique to a particular country, others cut across countries, representing hitherto unacknowledged patterns of cultural commonalities and differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of youth has implications across all sectors of societies, and thus, holistic approaches to promoting positive youth development that take an across-sectors perspective may be more effective and cost-efficient ways of investing in youth. The current interest in collective impact to improve outcomes for young people intersects with growing interest in a diverse array of social-emotional, non-cognitive, or 'soft' attitudes and skills that are increasingly recognized as being foundational for multiple educational, workforce, and livelihoods outcomes. But these 'intangible' factors are difficult to measure well, particularly when compared to observable behaviors or testable knowledge and skills. This challenge is exacerbated in lower and middle-income countries where there is limited research, and there are even fewer consistent, validated measures that examine personal strengths-particularly ones that are consistently contextualized and tested across cultural and language differences. For the past decade, Search Institute and several partners have utilized a broad measure of positive youth development, the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP), in a series of studies in a wide range of international agencies, countries, languages, and program contexts. This paper draws on 50 datasets from 31 countries, involving more than 25,000 young people, ages 9-31, to more comprehensively describe the strengths and issues involved in using the DAP for measurement of child well-being across cultures and language groups. In the process, it reports on the link between crosscutting elements of well-being and critical international development priorities across sectors. The longevity and breadth of this ongoing effort offers insights and lessons for more recent efforts to develop, operationalize, and validate practice-focused measures across multiple contexts and languages. It serves as a case study in the challenges and opportunities of developing and utilizing shared measures across multiple countries, cultures, and language groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we describe how using a visual, child-friendly measure of resilience in a randomised control trial (RCT), the Kgolo Mmogo (KM) project, resulted in representative insights on resilience in a mother-child relationship where the mother is HIV-positive. We used the existing psychological method Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) to measure resilience of young children in the qualitative phase of the concurrent mixed method RCT as the children represent cultural groups for whom standardized measures have not been developed. We use the case example of baseline KM assessment data of 6 year olds (n = 11; 3 female, 8 male). The results of the study demonstrate that the visual and qualitative data from children (KFD) added to quantitative information obtained from mothers (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, VABS). Additional information from the KFD had interpretation value for VABS scores and provided a child's perspective regarding resilience. Contrasting information from the KFD problematized mothers' perspectives as indicated in the VABS. The absence of significant information in KFD results regarding VABS sub-domains indicates differences in the cultural/contextual conceptualization of resilience. This exploratory study indicates initial support for the cross-cultural utility of the KFD to measure resilience in young children faced with adversity.

Empathy is considered a key construct in the empirical study of high-risk adolescent and young adult delinquency, crime, and violence. This study examined the psychometric properties and criterion-related validity of a Spanish adaptation of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), which is an important measure designed to capture both affective and cognitive empathy that has been validated in multiple languages but not in Spanish. The study’s sample consisted of 208 high-risk and gang-involved adolescents and young adults in the Greater San Salvador Metropolitan Area. The original BES was reduced from its 20-item design to a more culturally appropriate 7-item design. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis and criterion-related validity analysis indicate that the adapted BES is a valid and reliable multidimensional measure of empathy for high-risk Salvadoran adolescents and young adults. Consistent with previous findings, females reported lower levels of empathy than males and delinquent/violent respondents reported lower levels of empathy than their nonoffender counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article we describe how using a visual, child-friendly measure of resilience in a randomised control trial (RCT), the Kgolo Mmogo (KM) project, resulted in representative insights on resilience in a mother-child relationship where the mother is HIV-positive. We used the existing psychological method Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) to measure resilience of young children in the qualitative phase of the concurrent mixed method RCT as the children represent cultural groups for whom standardized measures have not been developed. We use the case example of baseline KM assessment data of 6 year olds (n = 11; 3 female, 8 male). The results of the study demonstrate that the visual and qualitative data from children (KFD) added to quantitative information obtained from mothers (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, VABS). Additional information from the KFD had interpretation value for VABS scores and provided a child's perspective regarding resilience. Contrasting information from the KFD problematized mothers' perspectives as indicated in the VABS. The absence of significant information in KFD results regarding VABS sub-domains indicates differences in the cultural/contextual conceptualization of resilience. This exploratory study indicates initial support for the cross-cultural utility of the KFD to measure resilience in young children faced with adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a conceptual analysis, a two-dimensional self-report questionnaire for assessing workaholism (work addiction) is proposed, including (1) working excessively hard and (2) working compulsively. Using independent explorative and confirmative samples that include employees from The Netherlands (N = 7,594) and Japan (N = 3,311), a questionnaire is developed and psychometrically evaluated. Results show that both scales (five items each) are internally consistent and that the hypothesized two-factor structure fits to the data of both countries. Furthermore, convergent validity was shown with measures of excess working time and discriminant validity was shown with measures of burnout and work engagement. Workaholics who work excessively hard and compulsively have a high relative risk on burnout and a low relative risk on work engagement. It is concluded that the two-dimensional measure-dubbed the Dutch Workaholism Scale (DUWAS)--is useful tool in future (cross-cultural) research on workaholism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intention, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, and subjective norms are key constructs of health behavior theories; their predictive validity for cancer screening has not been ascertained in multiethnic populations. Participants were 1,463 African American, Chinese, Filipina, Latina, and White women aged 40 to 74 interviewed by telephone in their preferred languages. The relationship between baseline constructs and mammography 2 years later was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Intention predicted mammography overall and among Whites (odds ratio [OR] = 5.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.4, 10), with racial/ethnic differences in association (p = .020). Self-efficacy predicted mammography overall and among Whites (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.1, 11), with no racial/ethnic interaction. Perceived benefits and subjective norms were associated with screening overall and in some racial/ethnic groups. These results generally support cross-cultural applicability of four of the five constructs to screening with mixed predictive value of measures across racial/ethnic groups. Additional in-depth inquiry is required to refine assessment of constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the measurement equivalence of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) across the diverse cultures of Korea, Mexico, and the United States. Korean- and Spanish-language versions of the MWEP were developed and evaluated relative to the original English version of the measure. Confirmatory factor analytic results indicated measurement invariance across samples drawn from each country. Further analyses indicated potential substantive differences for some of the seven subscales of the MWEP across samples. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores the reliability and validity of a cross-cultural survey approach to network measurement using data from two ethnic groups in rural West Africa. Over a 2-week test-retest period, no significant differences in network size were detected. Network composition was less stable over the same period, particularly among peripheral versus core network members. Comparisons with support networks identified through lifecycle interviews and 24h recall support the construct validity of the survey approach in both ethnic groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The International Wellbeing Index (IWI) has been developed as a complementary measure to already well-known economic measures, and as a tool for cross-cultural comparisons. It comprises two subscales: the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and the National Wellbeing Index (NWI). The aims of this paper are two-fold. Firstly, to test the psychometric characteristics of the IWI. Secondly, to study how people of Algeria, a third world country that is yet suffering from a harsch economical and social situation, respond to questions dealing with their own lives and life in their country in general, compared to samples from more developed countries where wellbeing was previously measured. The IWI items were presented to individuals either in a questionnaire form to be self-rated or in interview sessions. The total of 1417 answers were analysed. As was expected, a very low satisfaction on both scales was found, compared to the results that were reported in countries, such as Australia or Hong Kong. Comparisons on the demographic characteristics basis show that women are significantly more satisfied than men with their personal lives, though no differences were found with regard to NWI. Eldest and youngest age groups rated the PWI significantly higher than other age groups. Education groups comparisons showed higher ratings on both subscales in favour of groups with no education and those with university levels. Marginal statistically significant differences were found with regard to the PWI in favour of the higher earning group, but no differences in the NWI. No statistically significant results were found as far as marital status, number of children, and income are concerned. The results add to the evidence of the usefulness of the scale to predict satisfaction of people with their own lives and life in their country. Its psychometric performance was proved to be very high in terms of validity, reliability and sensitivity. The results were interpreted on the light of the Homeostasis Theory and the particular situation of the Algerian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is being developed for the cross-cultural measurement of subjective wellbeing (SWB). This paper reports the findings of its utility with the Hong Kong Chinese and Australian populations. An item on affect, ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was also investigated to determine whether it should be added to the index. Three-hundred and sixty participants (180 per country), with equal representation from groups aged 18–35, 35–64 and 65 years and above, were recruited from each country. The PWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms of its reliability, validity and sensitivity, which are comparable in both countries. The item ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was found to contribute significantly to the scale’s psychometric performance in Australia but not in Hong Kong. Cultural differences in the perception of the concepts ‘satisfaction’ and ‘happiness’ were suggested as an explanation for this finding. The PWI data are also consistent with homeostasis theory, which proposes that each person’s SWB level is maintained within a limited positive range. For the Australian population, their mean SWB level fell within the established Western range of 70–80, on a scale from 0 to 100. The Hong Kong population, however, fell below this range. Cultural response bias was identified as a plausible explanation for the differences between the Hong Kong and Australian samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]