Alternative Factor Models and Factorial Invariance of the GHQ-12: A Large Sample Analysis Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

This study tested alternative factor models of the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), based on previous research findings, with a large sample using confirmatory factor analysis. An alternative models framework was used to test 6 factor analytic models. A 3-factor model was the best explanation of the sample data. The 3 factors were labeled Anxiety-Depression, Social Dysfunction, and Loss of Confidence. The model was found to be factorially invariant between men and women. The utility of the 3 subscales, as opposed to the total GHQ-12 score, is questioned as they appear to provide little information beyond that of a general factor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Empirical Evaluation of Alternative Methods of Estimation for Confirmatory Factor Analysis With Ordinal Data.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is widely used for examining hypothesized relations among ordinal variables (e.g., Likert-type items). A theoretically appropriate method fits the CFA model to polychoric correlations using either weighted least squares (WLS) or robust WLS. Importantly, this approach assumes that a continuous, normal latent process determines each observed variable. The extent to which violations of this assumption undermine CFA estimation is not well-known. In this article, the authors empirically study this issue using a computer simulation study. The results suggest that estimation of polychoric correlations is robust to modest violations of underlying normality. Further, WLS performed adequately only at the largest sample size but led to substantial estimation difficulties with smaller samples. Finally, robust WLS performed well across all conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

ADHD and College Students: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Structures With Student and Parent Data.

Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to investigate the structure of the Student Report Inventory (SRI) and Parent Report Inventory (PRI) of the College Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Response Evaluation. The sample was composed of 1,080 college students and their parents and was stratified by ethnicity, gender, ability level, age, grade, region of residence, and psychoeducational classification status. Results varied according to the information source (self-report vs. parent). EFA uncovered and CFA confirmed 3 distinct and reliable dimensions for student reports: Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity. By contrast, EFA and CFA uncovered a reliable 2-dimension structure for the parent-report data. Factor structures replicated across genders (3 factors for the SRI, and 2 factors for the PRI). Results are discussed in terms of the divergence of structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Confirmatory Analysis of the Factor Structure and Cross-Age Invariance of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition.

In the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III; D. Wechsler, 1997), the manual reports several confirmatory factor analyses in support of the instrument's latent factor structure. In practice, examiners frequently compare an examinee's score from a current administration of the WAIS-III with the results from a previous test administration. Implicit in test-retest score comparisons is evidence that scores retain similar interpretive meaning across time. Establishing an instrument's factorial invariance provides the foundation for this practice. This study investigated the factorial invariance of the WAIS-III across the instrument's 13 age groups. The overall results from this study generally support both configural and factorial invariance of the WAIS-III when the 11 primary tests are administered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Protecting Children from Domestic Violence: Strategies for Community Intervention.

Reviews the book Protecting children from domestic violence: Strategies for community intervention, edited by Peter J. Jaffe, Linda L. Baker, and Alison J. Cunningham (see record 2005-04430-000). The book emerged from the International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence that was held in London, Ontario in 2001. It begins with an excellent chapter by Jeffrey Edleson synthesizing the literature on the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children. Edleson's chapter is followed by two papers examining emerging assessments and treatment programs. The second section of the book addresses current thinking about individual and group intervention approaches. The third section of the book examines broader system level responses, including public awareness and school-based campaigns, as well as responses by the courts and police. This is a well-organized collection of papers that provides a good overview of the state of knowledge and innovative practice in an emerging field of practice. Protecting Children from Domestic Violence provides practitioners, policy makers, and researchers with an excellent overview of current knowledge and practices in working with children exposed to domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version in Offenders With Axis I Disorders.

One hundred forty-nine inpatients within a maximum security psychiatric facility were assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; S. D. Hart, D. N. Cox, & R. D. Hare, 1995). Within the total sample, 68% had a psychotic disorder and 30% met criteria for psychopathy. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the authors tested the 2-factor PCL:SV model of psychopathy and recent 3- and 4-factor models. Results indicated good fit for each model, with the 4-factor model showing best overall fit. Structural equation modeling was used to determine which psychopathy factors predicted 6-month follow-up of inpatient aggression. The 2-, 3-, and 4-factor models, respectively, accounted for 16%.27%. and 3l% of the variance in aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale.

The authors examined the factor structure of the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale (MNWS) using confirmatory factor analysis in 3 clinical research samples of smokers trying to quit (N = 723). Three confirmatory factor analytic models, based on previous research, were tested with each of the 3 study samples at multiple points in time. A unidimensional model including all 8 MNWS items was found to be the best explanation of the data. This model produced fair to good internal consistency estimates. Additionally, these data revealed that craving should be included in the total score of the MNWS. Factor scores derived from this single-factor, 8-item model showed that increases in withdrawal were associated with poor smoking outcome for 2 of the clinical studies. Confirmatory factor analyses of change scores showed that the MNWS symptoms cohere as a syndrome over time. Future investigators should report a total score using all of the items from the MNWS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test in Patients With Epilepsy: Relationship to Clinical and Neuropathological Markers of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Latent constructs involved in California Verbal Learning Test (D. C. Delis, J. H. Kramer, E. Kaplan, & B. A. Ober, 1987) performance were examined using confirmatory factor analysis in 388 epilepsy surgery candidates. Eight factor models were compared. A single-factor model was examined, along with 7 models accommodating constructs of auditory attention, inaccurate recall, and delayed recall in different combinations. The retained model consisted of 3 correlated factors: Auditory Attention. Verbal Learning, and Inaccurate Recall. Validity of this factor structure was examined in a subsample of patients with left and right temporal lobe epilepsy. All 3 factors were related to seizure focus and magnetic resonance imaging hippocampal volume. Only Verbal Learning was related to hippocampal neuropathology, supporting the distinction between learning and attention in the factor structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community violence exposure and children's academic functioning.

This study reports a cross-sectional investigation of the link between community violence exposure and academic difficulties for 237 urban elementary school children (mean age of 9.5 years). Children completed a self-report inventory assessing exposure to community violence. Their achievement test scores and GPAs were obtained from school records, and other aspects of psychosocial adjustment were assessed with a multi-informant approach. Analyses indicated that community violence exposure was associated with poor academic performance. These relations appeared to be mediated by symptoms of depression and disruptive behavior and remained significant even after the prediction associated with bullying by peers was controlled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Critical levels of perceived social support associated with student adjustment.

Investigated the relationships among perceived social support and academic, behavioral, and social indicators for 1,711 students in Grades 3 through 12. Data were collected with the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, the Social Skills Rating System, the Student Self-Concept Scale, and the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Results show significant, positive relationships among perceived social support and a variety of positive indicators (e.g., social skills, self-concept, and adaptive skills). In addition, significant, negative relationships among perceived social support and a variety of problematic behavioral indicators (e.g., internalizing and externalizing behaviors) were found. Students with low perceived support obtained significantly higher scores on problematic behavior indicators and significantly lower scores on positive behavior indicators than students with average or high perceived support. Only student-rated social skills and self-concept were significantly higher for the high vs the average level of perceived support. These results are followed by a discussion of the importance of varying levels (low, average, high) of perceived social support in students' lives. Implications of the findings of this study for school psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the PTSD Checklist and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale in disaster workers exposed to the World Trade Center Ground Zero.

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) factor analytic research has yielded little support for the DSM-IV 3-factor model of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms, no clear consensus regarding alternative models has emerged. One possible explanation is differential instrumentation across studies. In the present study, the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to compare a self-report measure, the PTSD Checklist (PCL), and a structured clinical interview, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), in 2,960 utility workers exposed to the World Trade Center Ground Zero site. Although two 4-factor models fit adequately for each measure, the latent structure of the PCL was slightly better represented by correlated reexperiencing, avoidance, dysphoria, and hyperarousal factors, whereas that of the CAPS was slightly better represented by correlated reexperiencing, avoidance, emotional numbing, and hyperarousal factors. After accounting for method variance, the model specifying dysphoria as a distinct factor achieved slightly better fit. Patterns of correlations with external variables provided additional support for the dysphoria model. Implications regarding the underlying structure of PTSD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor Validation of the Addiction Severity Index Scale Structure in Persons With Concurrent Disorders.

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the scale structure of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) in a sample of 1,802 substance abusers (43% alcohol dependent) with a concurrent psychiatric disorder (46% with mood disorders). The fit of the original composite score model based on the work of P. L. McGahan, J. A. Griffith, R. Parente, & A. T. McLellan (1990) was compared with the evaluation indices (EIs) developed by A. I. Alterman et al. (1998). The 5-dimensional model based on the EIs was an overall better fit to the data. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the EIs ranged from .66 (family domain) to .75 (legal domain). The 5 EIs were moderately correlated (rs = .42-.72) with the interviewer severity ratings from the ASI. Evaluation studies involving concurrent disordered substance abusers should use the EIs as summary measures of change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the WMS-III in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Five competing models specifying the factor structure underlying the Wechsler Memory Scale--Third Edition (D. Wechsler, 1997b) primary subtest scores were evaluated in a sample of patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (N=254). Models specifying separate immediate and delayed constructs resulted in inadmissible parameter estimates and model specification error. There were negligible goodness-of-fit differences between a 3-factor model of working memory, auditory memory, and visual memory and a nested--more parsimonious--2-factor model of working memory and general memory. The results suggest that specifying a separate visual memory factor provides little advantage for this sample--an unexpected finding in a population with lateralized dysfunction, for which one might have predicted separate auditory and visual memory dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor structure of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children--Second Edition: Consistency with Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory.

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (KABC-II) is a departure from the original KABC in that it allows for interpretation via two theoretical models of intelligence. This study had two purposes: to determine whether the KABC-II measures the same constructs across ages and to investigate whether those constructs are consistent with Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory. Multiple-sample analyses were used to test for equality of the variance-covariance matrices across the 3- to 18-year-old sample. Higher-order confirmatory factor analyses were used to compare the KABC-II model with rival CHC models for children ages 6 to 18. Results show that the KABC-II measures the same constructs across all ages. The KABC-II factor structure for school-age children is aligned closely with five broad abilities from CHC theory, although some inconsistencies were found. Models without time bonuses fit better than those with time bonuses. The results provide support for the construct validity of the KABC-II. Additional research is needed to more completely understand the measurement of fluid reasoning and the role of time bonuses on some tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition in an Australian clinical sample.

A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; D. Wechsler, 1991) with a sample of 579 Australian children referred for assessment because of academic difficulties in the classroom. The children were administered the WISC-III as part of the initial eligibility determination process for funding of special education services. The children were aged between 6 years and 16 years 7 months. One-, two-, three-, and four-factor models were tested. The four-factor model proposed in the WISC-III manual fit the data significantly better than all other models tested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Development of Comprehension of Main Ideas in Narratives: Evidence From the Selection of Titles.

The authors investigated readers' ability to identify main ideas in narrative texts and the development of this ability. In particular, the authors explored students' sensitivity to the goal structure of narratives. Third-, 6th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade students read narratives in which goal statements were systematically varied on 2 structural dimensions: position in the text's hierarchical structure and number of connections to other statements. As a measure of main idea comprehension, students selected titles for the narratives from among the goals or associated outcomes. Hierarchical position, but not number of connections, influenced title choices. Even the youngest students were able to identify the main ideas, but they did so less consistently than did older students. These findings have implications for theories of text comprehension development and for educational practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Factor Analysis of the APA Structure.

After reading Dorothy Adkins' heroic attempt (American Psychologist, 1954, 9, 175-180) to analyze the structure of the APA by factor analysis, the present author attempted a cluster analysis of her correlation matrix. The aim was to see whether or not results equally as satisfactory as those achieved by factor analysis could be obtained by the shorter method. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the M5-50: An implementation of the International Personality Item Pool item set.

Goldberg’s International Personality Item Pool (IPIP; Goldberg, 1999) provides researchers with public-domain, free-access personality measurement scales that are proxies of well-established published scales. One of the more commonly used IPIP sets employs 50 items to measure the 5 broad domains of the 5-factor model, with 10 items per factor. The M5-50 (McCord, 2002) is a specific ordering and presentation of this 50-item set. Using data from a sample of 760 faculty, staff, and students at a midsized university, the authors assessed the reliability and construct validity of the M5-50. Cronbach’s alphas on the 5 scales ranged from acceptable to excellent. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated reasonably good model fit. Researchers who wish to measure personality would be well advised to consider using the M5-50. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure and interpretation of the K10.

The Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a brief 10-item questionnaire designed to measure the level of distress and severity associated with psychological symptoms in population surveys. It is being used widely, including in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey, and as a clinical outcome measure, although little information is available about the structure of the measure. The factorial composition of the K10 was examined in a prospective community survey and cross-validated in a separate large community survey. The K10 was found to consist of 4 factors and a 2-factor second-order factor structure. This was stable across the 2 waves of the prospective study and the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. The 4 factors, labeled Nervous, Negative Affect, Fatigue, and Agitation, were consistent with the original scales from which the items were taken. The 2 second-order factors represent Depression and Anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)