Mayo's Older Americans Normative Studies (MOANS): Factor structure of a core battery.

Confirmatory factor analyses were completed separately with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) and the Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised (WMS—R). Confirmatory factor analyses were also performed on a "core battery" composed of the WAIS—R, WMS—R, and the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) when administered together. Participants were from the MOANS, which include 526 healthy, community-dwelling people ages 55–97 yrs. LISREL analysis of the WAIS—R found a 3-factor model to be acceptable, supporting extension of the Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO), and Freedom from Distractibility model of the WAIS—R to "normal" people ages 55–97 yrs. A 2-factor model of the WMS—R involving attention and general memory was supported. A 5-factor model of the core battery was supported and included VC, PO, Attention, Learning, and Retention. The Retention factor included Logical Memory, Visual Reproduction, and AVLT percent retention scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the SOCRATES in a clinical sample of adolescents.

This study investigated the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES: W. R. Miller & J. S. Tonigan, 1996) in adolescents presenting for treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The participants were 80 males and 43 females (mean age=16.8 years) who presented for AUD treatment (95.1% outpatient, 4.9% inpatient). Participants completed assessments at baseline and 1 year and provided information on alcohol use and related variables monthly between these 2 assessments. Principal-components and confirmatory factor analyses of the baseline SOCRATES identified 2 factors, Taking Steps and Recognition, which showed good internal consistency and concurrent and predictive evidence of validity. The results were interpreted as supporting the use of the SOCRATES with clinical samples of adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI): Findings from a large incarcerated sample.

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; S. O. Lilienfeld, 1990; S. O. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996) with a community sample has suggested that the PPI subscales may comprise 2 higher order factors (S. D. Benning, C. J. Patrick, B. M. Hicks, D. M. Blonigen, & R. F. Krueger, 2003). However, substantive and structural evidence raises concerns about the viability of this 2-factor model, particularly in offender populations. The authors attempted to replicate the S. D. Benning et al. 2-factor solution using a large (N = 1,224) incarcerated male sample. Confirmatory factor analysis of this model resulted in poor model fit. Similarly, using the same EFA procedures as did S. D. Benning et al., the authors found little evidence for a 2-factor model. When they followed the recommendations of J.-W. van Prooijen and W. A. van der Kloot (2001) for recovering EFA solutions, model fit results provided some evidence that a 3-factor EFA solution could be recovered via confirmatory factor analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the WISC-R for a psychiatric sample.

The WISC-R was factor analyzed for a group of 240 psychiatric patients aged 6–16 yrs. Three factors emerged that were similar to those identified by A. S. Kaufman (see record 1975-21128-001) in the standardization sample—Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom From Distractibility. Findings indicate that the structure of intelligence for normal and emotionally disturbed children is not qualitatively different. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of a Korean-language version of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) in a clinical sample of clients with alcohol dependence.

The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) is an instrument used to measure the level of motivation in regards to changing drinking and other addictive behaviors. While some initial factor analysis studies on the SOCRATES described a three-factor orthogonal structure of the scale, some other studies found a two-factor correlated structure. Therefore, the primary objective of the present study was to test the validity of the Korean language version of the instrument using a Korean population. The study examined the factor structure of the Korean version of the SOCRATES with clinical samples consisting of 219 inpatients and 271 outpatients with alcohol dependency. An exploratory factor analysis with an alpha factoring method revealed a three-factor correlated structure (i.e., Taking Steps, Recognition, and Ambivalence). The factorial structure of the SOCRATES Korean version corresponded almost exactly to that of its original French version as well as the German version. Moreover, confirmatory factor analyses showed that a three-factor correlated structure provided the best fit for the data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised in a traumatic brain injury sample.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) protocols administered to 102 traumatically brain injured (TBI) patients (aged 14–74 yrs) an average of 9.74 mo postinjury were factor analyzed using principal axes factoring with varimax rotation. Although high levels of congruence with psychiatric and standardization samples were achieved, Wechsler's Verbal/Performance dichotomy, strictly defined, did not hold in this sample. In addition, the 3rd factor, consisting of Digit Span, Arithmetic, Digit Symbol, and Picture Arrangement, replicated a factor analytic study using psychiatric patients. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised within a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.

Performed 2 principal factor analyses to examine the construct validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised (WMS—R) and to determine whether abstraction and memory factors can be extracted from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNB) results. Results from 237 patients support the validity of the verbal memory, delayed recall, and attention and concentration indices of the WMS—R but not the visual memory indices. No separate abstraction factor was found, and none of the HRNB measures loaded substantially on the memory factors defined by WMS—R subtests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the acute stress disorder scale in a sample of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a poorly understood and controversial diagnosis (A. G. Harvey & R. A. Bryant, 2002). The present study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the factor structure of the most widely used self-report measure of ASD, the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (R. A. Bryant, M. L. Moulds, & R. M. Guthrie, 2000), in a sample of Hurricane Katrina evacuees relocated to a Red Cross emergency shelter in Austin, Texas. Results indicated that the proposed 4-factor structure did not fit the data well. However, an alternate 2-factor model did fit the data well. This model included a second-order Distress factor (onto which the Reexperiencing, Arousal, and Avoidance factors loaded strongly) that was positively correlated with the Dissociation factor. Implications for the ASD construct and its measurement are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mayo cognitive factors scales: Derivation of a short battery and norms for factor scores.

G. E. Smith et al (see PA, Vol 80:4129 and 24183) confirmed that 5 factors underlie the covariance structure of a core battery of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R), Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised (WMS—R), and Auditory Verbal Learning Test administered to the Mayo's Older Americans Normative Studies sample and to an independent clinical sample. In the present study, full factor scores generated by this 5-factor model were used as criterion variables in the development of a short battery. It was determined that 16 of the 24 subtests were sufficient to explain substantial variance in the 5 factor scores. However, 1 additional immediate memory subtest must be administered as a prelude to a delayed recall test. Thus, a collection of 17 subtests are offered as a short battery for older persons. Norms for the calculation of Mayo Cognitive Factor Scales scores are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Canadian Problem Gambling Index: Factor structure and associations with psychopathology in a nationally representative sample.

This study examined the factor structure of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI), a measure used to assess severity of gambling behaviour in the general population. It subsequently looked at its associations with past-year psychopathology using a subsample (n = 742) of moderate-to-high-risk problem gamblers within the large, nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 1.2 sample. An exploratory analysis found support for a unifactorial model of the CPGI. Positive associations between problem gambling and various past-year disorders and mental health behaviours were found, with the strongest association being for suicide attempts. These findings help to define the range of maladaptive behaviours associated with problem gambling and their mental health correlates in the Canadian population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of negative emotions in a clinical sample of children and adolescents.

The authors sought to define the latent factors associated with childhood anxiety and depression, using a structural equations/confirmatory factor-analytic approach involving multiple informants (i.e., parent and child report) of symptoms. A sample of 216 children and adolescents with diagnoses of an anxiety disorder or comorbid anxiety and mood disorders and their parents were administered measures of childhood fear, anxiety, and depression. Results of comparative modeling best supported 3-factor solutions (fear, anxiety, and depression) that were consistent with recent conceptual models of anxiety and depression (e.g., tripartite model). Results also suggested that 3 widely used measures of childhood negative emotion are conceptually heterogeneous (containing item sets that loaded on different latent factors) . Implications for the assessment of childhood negative emotions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the MMPI-2 restructured clinical (RC) and clinical scales in a substance abuse treatment sample.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) restructured clinical (RC) scales were designed to assess the underlying distinctive core components of the MMPI-2 clinical scales in order to enhance discriminant and convergent validity. Analyses utilizing inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment samples (Tellegen et al., 2003) have demonstrated improvements in the psychometric functioning of the RC scales in comparison with the original clinical scales. The current study extends these analyses by comparing the RC and original clinical scales in a sample of 1,284 men assessed at intake to a substance abuse treatment program in a VA setting. Results indicate that the RC scales demonstrate a general improvement in psychometric properties, with some increases in convergent and discriminant validity compared to their clinical scale counterparts. These results replicate Tellegen et al.'s (2003) findings in a different type of treatment setting and with different criteria, and complement their report by examining the validity of scales RC3 and RC9, for which Tellegen et al. (2003) did not have appropriate criteria. Implications for deliverers of psychological services in public sector settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of the Children's Depression Inventory in a community sample.

The factor structure of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; M. Kovacs, 1992) was evaluated in a large community sample of 1,777 children and 924 adolescents. There were 5 first-order factors (Externalizing, Dysphoria, Self-Deprecation, School Problems, and Social Problems) for the child group; the adolescent group yielded the same 5 factors plus a 6th factor (Biological Dysregulation). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the stability and replicability of the obtained factor structures. Both samples yielded 2 higher order factors—Internalizing and Externalizing. The factors were compared with previous CDI factors identified for clinical (B. Weiss et al., 1991) and community (M. Kovacs, 1992) samples. Other notable findings included more boys reporting high scores (17 and above) on the CDI among the child sample, whereas, among adolescents more girls reported high scores (17 and above) on the total CDI as well as higher scores on the biological dysregulation factor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the CES-D and measurement invariance across gender for low-income Puerto Ricans in a probability sample.

Objective: The authors of this study aimed to evaluate 2-factor structures for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) reported in the literature to determine which one proves to be a better fit with the data on low-income Puerto Ricans living on the island. Method: The sample consisted of 3,504 civilian noninstitutionalized Puerto Ricans, ranging in age from 18 to 64 who were living in low-income areas of Puerto Rico. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was implemented, and model fit was assessed with the Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI), the comparative fit index (CFI), and the root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA). Results: The CFA results obtained for the Radloff (1977) and Guarnaccia, Angel, and Worobey (1989) models show that neither model obtained adequate fit indexes. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the 2-factor structure not only obtained better fit indexes (TLI = .948, CFI = .955, RMSEA = .048) but also reflected a better conceptual organization of the factors (basically divided into 2 components: Negative Affect and Positive Affect). When we assessed the model fit by gender, the model consistently fit the data for the female subsample but not for the male one. Conclusions: Results confirm the need to address the issues related to measurement equivalence for specific cultural and language gaps in assessment of depressive symptoms. Lack of factor invariance across gender also raises the question of the appropriateness of this measure for the male subsample and the need for further research in the manifestation of depression in this group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rasch-modeling the Portuguese SOCRATES in a clinical sample.

The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) assesses motivation for treatment in the drug-dependent population. The development of adequate measures of motivation is needed in order to properly understand the role of this construct in rehabilitation. This study probed the psychometric properties of the SOCRATES in the Portuguese population by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model, which allows the conjoint measurement of items and persons. The participants were 166 substance abusers under treatment for their addiction. Results show that the functioning of the five response categories is not optimal; our re-analysis indicates that a three-category system is the most appropriate one. By using this response category system, both model fit and estimation accuracy are improved. The discussion takes into account other factors such as item format and content in order to make suggestions for the development of better motivation-for-treatment scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 in a sample of girls adopted from China.

Confirmatory factor analysis with robust weighted least squares estimation of the 103 dichotomously scored items of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) in a sample of 516 girls adopted from China (ages 6.0-15.7 years; M = 8.2, SD = 1.9) indicated that the fit of the 8-factor model was good (root-mean-square error of approximation = .047) and was slightly better than what T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla (2001) reported for the same model (.06). Support for the 2nd-order factor structure of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems also was provided. Comparisons of the mean scores for the syndromes and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems revealed mostly small differences between the sample of adopted Chinese girls and T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla's normative samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in incarcerated adolescents.

Two studies are reported on the underlying dimensions of the psychopathy construct in adolescents as measured by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL: YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003). In Study 1, the PCL: YV item ratings for 505 male adolescents incarcerated in 5 different settings in North America were used to test the fit of 3 models that have been hypothesized to represent the structure of psychopathy in adults. A 4th model based on parceling PCL: YV items was also tested. In Study 2, these models were tested with a sample of 233 male adolescents incarcerated in 2 facilities in the United Kingdom. Model fit results indicated that the 18-item 4-factor model developed by Hare (2003) and a modified version of a 13-item 3-factor model developed by Cooke and Michie (2001) were associated with generally good fit. Because the 4-factor model is a less saturated model than the 3-factor model (better parameter to data point ratio), it survived a riskier test of disconfirmation. Implications for the nature of psychopathy in youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites.

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess whether Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) scores represent the same underlying construct in randomly selected non-Hispanic White (n?=?1,149), U.S.-born Mexican-American (n?=?538), and Mexico-born Mexican-American (n?=?706) community residents. The factor structure identified in previous studies (e.g., V. A. Clark et al, 1981) fit the data well. Although the factor structure was not statistically identical across ethnic and immigration groups, factor loadings were substantively similar in the 3 groups. The exception was sleep disturbance, which loaded primarily on a Somatic factor for U.S.-born Mexican Americans, primarily on a Negative Affect factor for the Mexico-born, and about equally on these factors for non-Hispanic Whites. The results indicate high (but imperfect) conceptual equivalence of the CES-D in these cultural groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dimensionality and validity of the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale

The psychometric properties of the OARS ADL scale, comprised of seven physical activities of daily living (PADL) and seven instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items, were examined using a Rasch measurement approach. Two of the PADL items failed to demonstrate acceptable goodness-of-fit with the measurement model but the remaining 12 items could be combined into a single measure of ADL ability. Although the OARS ADL scale was designed to identify those community-dwelling elderly who need supports and services to continue to live in the community, the scale items were found to be poorly targeted to community-dwelling elderly since almost half of our sample received maximal scores. Rasch analysis identified how we might improve the sensitivity of the OARS ADL scale but its utility in outcome and longitudinal studies remains questionable.     

Cultural factors in the clinical assessment of Asian Americans.

In view of the growing interest in the influence of cultural factors in psychological assessment, this article critically evaluates assessment issues with Asian American populations. Examined are issues in (a) the extent and symptoms of psychopathology, (b) personality assessment, and (c) face-to-face clinical assessment. It is argued that, without understanding cultural factors, researchers and practitioners may draw inappropriate and invalid conclusions. Cultural factors are important not only in providing a context for interpreting assessment outcomes but also in suggesting appropriate conceptual and methodological strategies. Suggestions are made for improving assessment strategies and for testing the limitations and generality of constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)