The Inventory of Drug Use Consequences (InDUC): Test-retest stability and sensitivity to detect change.

The Inventory of Drug Use Consequences (InDUC) is a self-administered measure of consequences of drug use. Psychometric characteristics have been published for its alcohol-focused parent instrument (Drinker Inventory of Consequences; W. Miller, J. Tonigan, & R. Longabough, 1995). Two studies provided information about the test-retest reliability (lifetime) of InDUC scales (Study 1, N?=?34) and the replicability of findings to the 5 InDUC scales (recent; Study 2, N?=?208). Four scales had good to excellent test-retest reliability. Findings also indicate that reductions in drug use and problems after treatment are large and that the magnitude of change differs between drug use and consequences. Consequences of drug use should be measured directly rather than be inferred from measures of use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric Properties of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI): A Replication With Motor Vehicle Accident Survivors.

This study examined the factor structure, internal consistency, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and discriminative validity of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI; E. B. Foa, A. Ehlers, D. M. Clark, D. F. Tolin, & S. M. Orsillo, 1999) in a sample of 112 individuals who had experienced a serious motor vehicle accident. Results generally supported the 3-factor structure of the PTCI: (a) Negative Cognitions About Self, (b) Negative Cognitions About the World, and (c) Self-Blame. Subscales reflecting negative thoughts of the self and world showed adequate internal consistency, as well as good concurrent, discriminant, and discriminative validity. However, difficulties with the subscale representing self-blame emerged, specifically poor concurrent and discriminant validity. Potential reasons for this finding are discussed. The PTCI seems to be a promising measure of negative and dysfunctional posttrauma cognitions, which deserves continuing attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Disability Application Appraisal Inventory.

This article describes the development and psychometric properties of an inventory to assess cognitive appraisal of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability application process, the Disability Application Appraisal Inventory (DAAI). Participants were 439 veterans seeking disability status for posttraumatic stress disorder through the VA and subgroups from that sample. The 3 DAAI scales assess (a) understanding of the disability application process (Knowledge scale) (b) expectations specific to the process (Negative Expectations scale) and (c) investment in obtaining disability status (Importance scale). The scales are internally consistent and largely uncorrelated. Test-retest correlations are adequate for the Negative Expectations and Importance scales. Evidence of factorial and construct validity is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of the French and English versions of the Social Phobia Inventory.

The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN; Connor et al., 2000) is a self-report measure assessing fear, avoidance, and physiological symptoms associated with social anxiety. To date, the psychometric properties of this English-language measure have been examined primarily in individuals with social phobia. This study examined the psychometric properties of the English SPIN and a newly developed French version of the SPIN in nonclinical groups of undergraduate students. The SPIN, along with several other questionnaires, was completed by 202 English-speaking and 222 French-speaking participants in their respective languages from three different universities. A subset of participants completed the questionnaire a second time approximately one month later to assess test-retest reliability. The SPIN total score exhibited excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability, as well as strong convergent and divergent validity in both English and French. A revised confirmatory factor analysis suggested the three-factor model of the SPIN was a good fit in French and English; however, the psychometric properties of the fear, avoidance, and physiology subscales were not as strong as those of the total score of the SPIN. The excellent psychometric properties of the English and French SPIN total score support the use of this measure not only in clinical populations, but now also in a nonclinical student sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Beck Depression Inventory-II in a Medical Sample.

The authors examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996) in a sample of individuals undergoing hemodialysis. They performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a previously reported 2 factor solution for the English BDI-II derived from a medical sample. Results indicate that the established model for the English-speaking medical sample provided adequate fit in the present sample. Spanish BDI-II scores were not significantly associated with age or gender in their sample, but they were significantly associated with disease severity. Bilingual participants completed the inventory in both Spanish and English, and their data revealed that BDI-II total scores were similar across language administration. The preliminary data suggest that the Spanish BDIII can be reliably used in medical samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Depressive Symptom Scale for the California Psychological Inventory: Construct Validation of the CPI-D.

To facilitate life span research on depressive symptomatology, a depressive symptom scale for the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) is needed. The authors constructed such a scale (the CPI-D) and compared its psychometric properties with 2 widely used self-report depression scales: the Beck Depression Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Construct validity of the CPI-D was examined in 3 studies. Study 1 established content validity, classifying CPI-D items into Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition depressive symptoms. Study 2 used 3 large samples to gather evidence for reliability and validity: Correlational analyses demonstrated alpha reliability and convergent and discriminant validity; factor analysis provided evidence for discriminant validity with anxiety; and regression analyses demonstrated comparative validity with existing standard PI scales. Study 3 used clinician ratings of depression and anxiety as criteria for external validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric adequacy and comparability of the short and full forms of the Personality Assessment Inventory.

The 160-item short form of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was developed for situations in which respondents complete only the 1st half of the test. The present study evaluates the adequacy and comparability of the full and short forms of the PAI in terms of a wide range of psychometric characteristics. In all, 421 participants completed the full form as part of a neuropsychological evaluation. Results indicated slightly lower internal consistency reliability of the short compared with the full form. Group-level agreement of short and full form scales ranged from adequate to excellent. However, within-subject agreement was somewhat more variable. Low levels of within-subject agreement were strongly associated with elevated validity scale scores. The factor structures of the full and short forms showed high congruence for a 3-factor solution. These findings suggest that many scales of the short form have adequate comparability with their respective full form scales. However, low levels of reliability across less impaired ranges of the latent trait, diminished content coverage, and altered validity detection may limit the utility of some of the short form scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor Structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory: Validity and Implications for Clinical Assessment.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by impulsive antisocial deviance in the context of emotional and interpersonal detachment. A factor analysis of the subscales of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) yielded evidence for 2 factors. One factor showed relations with external criteria mirroring those of the emotional-interpersonal facet of psychopathy, including high dominance, low anxiety, and venruresomeness. The other factor showed relations paralleling those of the social deviance facet of psychopathy, including positive correlations with antisocial behavior and substance abuse, negative correlations with socioeconomic status and verbal ability, and personality characteristics including high negative emotionally and low behavioral constraint. Findings support using the PPI to assess these facets of psychopathy in community samples and to explore their behavioral correlates and genetic-neurobiological underpinnings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Parent Situation Inventory: A Role-Play Measure of Coping in Parents of Substance-Using Adolescents.

This article reports on the generalizability, reliability, and construct validity of the Parent Situation Inventory (PSI), a role-play measure of coping skills in parents experiencing problems from an adolescent's drug and alcohol use. Generalizability was robust (.80) and alternate form and test-retest reliability were satisfactory. PSI skillfulness was negatively related to the parent's own substance use and to the adolescent's alcohol use. The PSI shows promise as a reliable and potentially valid measure of coping in this population and has direct implications for developing and evaluating skill-based parent training programs. (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)     

Use of a Brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire for Adults (SCQ-A) in African American Smokers.

Purposes of the present study were to (a) examine psychometric properties of a brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult (SCQ-A) among an African American sample and (b) explore differences in smoking expectancies across levels of smoking-nicotine dependence. Four hundred eighty-four smokers attending an urban health clinic completed the brief SCQ-A. Maximum likelihood factor extraction with a varimax rotation specifying 9 factors replicated 9 factors of the original SCQ-A. Evidence for the brief SCQ-A's reliability and validity was found. Heavier and/or more dependent smokers had significantly higher scores than lighter and/or less dependent smokers on positive expectancies SCQ-A subscales. Results suggest the brief SCQ-A may be a useful alternative to the full scale SCQ-A. Results also provide evidence for the SCQ-A's validity with African American smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing students' metacognitive awareness of reading strategies.

This article describes the development and validation of a new self-report instrument, the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, which is designed to assess adolescent and adult readers' metacognitive awareness and perceived use of reading strategies while reading academic or school-related materials. There were 3 strategy subscales or factors: Global Reading Strategies, Problem-Solving Strategies, and Support Reading Strategies. The reliability and factorial validity of the scale were demonstrated. After a brief review of the literature, the development and validation of the instrument are described, and its psychometric properties are discussed. In addition, directions for administering and scoring the instrument are provided, and suggestions for interpreting the results obtained are offered. Finally, the scales' implications for reading research and instruction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing Positive and Negative Changes in the Aftermath of Adversity: Psychometric Evaluation of the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire.

The Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ; S. Joseph, R. Williams, & W. Yule, 1993) is a 26-item self-report measure that was designed to assess positive and negative changes in the aftermath of adversity. This article had 3 aims: 1st, to investigate the factor structure of the CiOQ; 2nd, to test for internal consistency reliability and convergent and discriminant validity; and, 3rd, to investigate the association between positive and negative changes in outlook, posttraumatic stress, and psychological distress. Three studies are reported. Study 1 provides evidence that positive and negative changes are statistically separable and that the 2-factor model is a better fit than the 1-factor model. Studies 2 and 3 provide evidence for internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the CiOQ, and its associations with posttraumatic stress and psychological distress. In conclusion, the CiOQ has much promise for research on responses to stressful and traumatic events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergent validy of the Agnew Relationship Measure and the Working Alliance Inventory.

The convergent validity of the Agnew Relationship Measure (ARM) and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) was assessed in samples drawn from 2 comparative clinical trials of time-limited psychotherapies for depression. In 1 sample, clients (n=18) and therapists (n=4) completed self-report versions of both measures after every session (n=198). In the other sample, clients (n=39) and therapists (n=6) completed the ARM, and observers subsequently rated selected audiotaped sessions (n=78) using the WAI. In both samples, the ARM's core alliance scales (Bond, Partnership, and Confidence) were correlated with the WAI's scales (Bond, Tasks, and Goals) strongly when assessed within client and therapist perspectives and, with some qualifications, moderately when assessed between client, therapist, and observer perspectives, supporting the assumption that the ARM and the WAI measure some of the same core constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey in Canadian university women.

The Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey (MEBS) is a 30-item questionnaire for longitudinal assessment of disordered eating symptoms among community children and adults. This cross-validation study evaluated the MEBS's psychometric properties among 423 Canadian university women. Generally, we observed satisfactory internal consistency reliability and convergent and discriminant validity, although performance of the Compensatory Behavior subscale was relatively weak. Further, we observed acceptable congruence with the original factor structure in this sample, but confirmatory factor analysis indicated the original factor structure fit these data poorly. An alternative model is presented. We interpret these mixed results as largely supporting the MEBS's reliability and validity as a brief measure of disordered eating symptoms among female undergraduates. Further evaluation of its factor structure is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) in a German sample of individuals with a history of trauma.

In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the 33-item Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (Foa, Ehlers, Clark, Tolin, & Orsillo, 1999) in 213 individuals with accident-related trauma and 190 individuals with interpersonal trauma. Confirmatory factor analyses generally supported the scale's original three-factor structure—Negative Cognitions About Self (SELF), Negative Cognitions About World (WORLD), and Self-Blame (BLAME)—after four redundant items were excluded. However, in line with previous findings, results for BLAME remained inconclusive because the scale performed poorly with the individuals with accident-related trauma, whereas its fit with those with interpersonal trauma was acceptable. BLAME might possibly relate to trauma type. Our results indicate that the proposed 29-item version shows acceptable psychometric properties and that the role of BLAME should be further investigated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation": Errata.

Reports an error in "The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation" by Elizabeth A. Skowron and Myrna L. Friedlander (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1998[Jul], Vol 45[3], 235-246). In the January 1998 edition of the Journal of Counseling Psychology (Volume 45, Number 3, p. 246), the key to the Appendix was printed incorrectly. Please see the attached errata for further information. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1998-04269-001.) Despite the importance of Bowen theory (M. Bowen, 1976,1978; M. E. Kerr & Bowen, 1988) in the field of family therapy, there have been relatively few studies to date examining its constructs or propositions. To fill this gap, a self-report instrument, the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) has been developed. The DSI is a multidimensional measure of differentiation that focuses specifically on adults (age 25+), their significant relationships, and current relations with family of origin. Six-hundred and nine adults participated in a series of 3 studies, in which DSI scores—reflecting less emotional reactivity, cutoff, and fusion with others, and a greater ability to take an "I position"—predicted lower chronic anxiety, better psychological adjustment, and greater marital satisfaction. Other results consistent with Bowen theory are discussed, along with the potential contribution of the DSI for testing Bowen theory, as a clinical assessment tool, and as an indicator of psychotherapeutic outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory.

The construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) was examined in 3 samples. An archival clinic sample (n=318) of women completed the EDI, a structured interview, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory--II (MCMI-II). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) indicated that neither null nor 1-factor models of the EDI fit item-level or item-parcel data. The proposed 8-factor model did not fit at the item level but did fit item-parcel data. Reliability estimates of the 8 scales ranged from .82 to .93, and low-to-moderate interscale correlations among the eating and weight-related scales provided partial support for convergent validity. EDI personality scales showed moderate interscale correlations and were associated with MCMI-II scales. A final CFA of the EDI scales supported a 2-factor model (Eating and Weight, Personality) of the 8 EDI scales. Strong associations between depression and several EDI scale scores were found in a treatment study sample (n=50). The archival clinic sample scored significantly higher on the 8 EDI scales than the nonpatient college comparison sample (n=487). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnostic validity of the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (ESI): A self-report screen for ultrahigh risk and acute psychosis.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 23(1) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2011-04411-006). Presents changes that are very small and do not in any way affect the findings of the research. These changes are explained in the correction.] Providers of mental health services need tools to screen for acute psychosis and ultrahigh risk (UHR) for transition to psychosis in help-seeking individuals. In this study, the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (ESI) was examined as a screening tool and for its ability to correctly predict diagnostic group membership (e.g., help seeking, mild psychiatric complaints, highly symptomatic mood or anxiety disorder, UHR, acute psychosis). Diagnostic evaluation with established instruments was used for diagnosis in 3 research samples. UHR status was assessed with the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms/Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (Miller et al., 1999) and the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms Prediction list (Gross, Huber, Klosterk?tter, & Linz, 1987; Klosterk?tter, Hellmich, Steinmeyer, & Schulze-Lutter, 2001). This study showed that members of different diagnostic groups rate themselves significantly differently on the ESI and its subscales. A new subscale was constructed, the UHR–Psychosis scale, that showed good utility in detecting individuals with interview-diagnosed UHR status and acute psychosis. The scale is also sensitive to the threshold between UHR and acute psychosis. Practical applications of the ESI include use as a diagnostic tool within various settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)