Prevalence of and risk factors for suicide attempts versus suicide gestures: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey.

Definitions and classification schemes for suicide attempts vary widely among studies, introducing conceptual, methodological, and clinical problems. We tested the importance of the intent to die criterion by comparing self-injurers with intent to die, suicide attempters, and those who self-injured not to die but to communicate with others, suicide gesturers, using data from the National Comorbidity Survey (n = 5,877). Suicide attempters (prevalence = 2.7%) differed from suicide gesturers (prevalence = 1.9%) and were characterized by male gender, fewer years of education, residence in the southern and western United States; psychiatric diagnoses including depressive, impulsive, and aggressive symptoms; comorbidity; and history of multiple physical and sexual assaults. It is possible and useful to distinguish between self-injurers on the basis of intent to die. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview: Development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample.

The authors developed the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI) and evaluated its psychometric properties. The SITBI is a structured interview that assesses the presence, frequency, and characteristics of a wide range of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide gestures, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This initial study, based on the administration of the SITBI to 94 adolescents and young adults, suggested that the SITBI has strong interrater reliability (average κ = .99, r = 1.0) and test-retest reliability (average κ = .70, intraclass correlation coefficient = .44) over a 6-month period. Moreover, concurrent validity was demonstrated via strong correspondence between the SITBI and other measures of suicidal ideation (average κ = .54), suicide attempt (κ = .65), and NSSI (average κ = .87). The authors concluded that the SITBI uniformly and comprehensively assesses a wide range of self-injury-related constructs and provides a new instrument that can be administered with relative ease in both research and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Child Attachment Interview: A psychometric study of reliability and discriminant validity.

While well-established attachment measures have been developed for infancy, early childhood, and adulthood, a "measurement gap" has been identified in middle childhood, where behavioral or representational measures are not yet sufficiently robust. This article documents the development of a new measure--the Child Attachment Interview (CAI)--which seeks to bridge this gap. The CAI is a semistructured interview, in which children are invited to describe their relationships with their primary caregivers. The coding system is informed by the Adult Attachment Interview and the Strange Situation Procedure, and produces 4 attachment categories along with a continuous measure of attachment security based on ratings of attachment-related dimensions. The main psychometric properties are presented, including interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and discriminant validities, both for normally developing children and for those referred for mental health treatment. The CAI correlates as expected with other attachment measures and predicts independently collected ratings of social functioning. The findings suggest that the CAI is a reliable, valid, and promising measure of child-parent attachment in middle childhood. Directions for improvements to the coding system are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationship Quality Interview: Evidence of reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and incremental utility.

Relationship satisfaction and adjustment have been the target outcome variables for almost all couple research and therapies. In contrast, far less attention has been paid to the assessment of relationship quality. The present study introduces the Relationship Quality Interview (RQI), a semistructured, behaviorally anchored individual interview. The RQI was designed to provide a more objective assessment of relationship quality as a dynamic, dyadic construct across 5 dimensions: (a) quality of emotional intimacy in the relationship, (b) quality of the couple's sexual relationship, (c) quality of support transactions in the relationship, (d) quality of the couple's ability to share power in the relationship, and (e) quality of conflict/problem-solving interactions in the relationship. Psychometric properties of RQI ratings were examined through scores obtained from self-report questionnaires and behavioral observation data collected cross-sectionally from a sample of 91 dating participants and longitudinally from a sample of 101 married couples. RQI ratings demonstrated strong reliability (internal consistency, interrater agreement, interpartner agreement, and correlations among scales), convergent validity (correlations between RQI scale ratings and questionnaire scores assessing similar domains of relationship quality), and divergent validity (correlations between RQI scale ratings and (a) behavioral observation codes assessing related constructs, (b) global relationship satisfaction scores, and (c) scores on individual difference measures of related constructs). Clinical implications of the RQI for improving couple assessment and interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing a measure of sluggish cognitive tempo for children: Content validity, factor structure, and reliability.

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a construct that some researchers believe may be extremely useful in understanding the inattentive subtype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and may even help define a completely new disorder. However, the construct of SCT is as yet inadequately operationally or theoretically defined. The authors took the first steps toward developing an empirically supported measure of SCT in children. In Study 1, potential items to measure SCT were identified from a literature review, content validity of the items was evaluated by a group of experts, and a preliminary set of SCT items were selected. In Study 2, ratings completed by parents and teachers of 335 children (ages 4–13) were used to further develop and evaluate the SCT items by computing factor analyses, item-level analyses, reliability analyses, and preliminary validity analyses. The final SCT scale (14 items) produced a total scale score and 3 subscale scores: Slow, Sleepy, and Daydreamer. These scales were constructed with good content validity and were found to have strong reliability. Future directions include replication, extension into a clinical population, and further examination of validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS): Construction, reliability, and validity.

Racial microaggressions are subtle statements and behaviors that unconsciously communicate denigrating messages to people of color. In recent years, a theoretical taxonomy and subsequent qualitative studies have introduced the types of microaggressions that people of color experience. In the present study, college- and Internet-based samples of African Americans, Latina/os, Asian Americans, and multiracial participants (N = 661) were used to develop and validate the Racial and Ethnic Microaggression Scale (REMS). In Study 1, an exploratory principal-components analyses (n = 443) yielded a 6-factor model: (a) Assumptions of Inferiority, (b) Second-Class Citizen and Assumptions of Criminality, (c) Microinvalidations, (d) Exoticization/Assumptions of Similarity, (e) Environmental Microaggressions, and (f) Workplace and School Microaggressions, with a Cronbach's alpha of .912 for the overall model and subscales ranging from .783 to .873. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (n = 218) supported the 6-factor model with a Cronbach's alpha of .892. Further analyses indicate that the REMS is a valid measure of racial microaggressions, as evidenced by high correlations with existing measures of racism and participants' feedback. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of a Coping with Discrimination Scale: Factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Coping With Discrimination Scale (CDS). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (N = 328) identified 5 factors: Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, Resistance, and Detachment, with internal consistency reliability estimates ranging from .72 to .90. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 328) provided cross-validation of the 5-factor model as well as evidence for validity of the scale. The validity evidence was similar across racial groups and for males and females. In Study 3, the estimated 2-week test–retest reliabilities (N = 53) were between .48 and .85 for the 5 factors. Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Detachment were positively associated with active coping, self-blame, substance use, and behavioral disengagement, respectively, providing further support for validity of the CDS. Finally, incremental validity evidence was obtained in Study 4 (N = 220), where it was shown that the CDS explained variance in outcome variables (i.e., depression, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and ethnic identity) that could not be explained by general coping strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development, reliability, and validity of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MOSIEC).

Four studies were conducted on the development and validation of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC). Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded a 22-item measure with 4 distinct factors assessing commitment, exploration, sexual orientation identity uncertainty, and synthesis/integration. Exploratory factor analysis findings support the argument that sexual identity is a broad, multidimensional construct and that the MoSIEC assesses the construct of sexual identity in a manner consistent with J. E. Marcia's (1966) model of identity development. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the stability of the MoSIEC factor structure, providing evidence of construct validity. Test-retest stability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the use and continued development of the MoSIEC. Significant differences in levels of exploration and sexual orientation identity uncertainty were found among different sexual orientation identity groups, establishing the criterion-related validity of the MoSIEC. Implications for further development and use of the MoSIEC are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of a scale to assess the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in young adults.

In this study, the authors describe the development and subsequent validation of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scale for young adults. The authors constructed 2 parallel forms of the scale to assess items that relate directly to DSM–IV criteria. Each form comprised Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assess the dimensionality of the scale, and the hypothesized structure was confirmed. In addition, the measures obtained show that the scale possesses satisfactory reliability with regard to the level of internal consistency, and there was equivalence between the 2 parallel forms. Furthermore, the relevance of the scale’s content and its relationship to other variables was adequate. In sum, sufficient evidence is provided regarding the validity of the measures obtained with the ADHD scale, thus illustrating that the scale could be a useful tool to assess the symptoms of ADHD in a sample of young adults from the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy: Development, validation, and reliability.

The authors present 3 studies on the initial validity and reliability of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE), a self-report instrument that measures empathy toward people of racial and ethnic backgrounds different from one's own. Specifically, the exploratory factor analysis yielded 4 factors: Empathic Feeling and Expression, Empathic Perspective Taking, Acceptance of Cultural Differences, and Empathic Awareness. A confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the stability and generalizability of this 4-factor solution. The SEE was correlated in the predicted directions with general empathy and attitudes toward people's similarities and differences. High internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates were also found across the three studies. A discussion of how this scale can add to the research and practice regarding empathy and multicultural issues is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: Development and validation of a short version.

This article reports on the development of a revised version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI; E. B. Foa, M. J. Kozak, P. Salkovskis, M. E. Coles, & N. Amir, 1998), a psychometrically sound, theoretically driven, self-report measure. The revised OCI (OCI-R) improves on the parent version in 3 ways: It eliminates the redundant frequency scale, simplifies the scoring of the subscales, and reduces overlap across subscales. The reliability and validity of the OCI-R were examined in 215 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 243 patients with other anxiety disorders, and 677 nonanxious individuals. The OCI-R, which contains 18 items and 6 subscales, has retained excellent psychometric properties. The OCI-R and its subscales differentiated well between individuals with and without OCD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses demonstrated the usefulness of the OCI-R as a diagnostic tool for screening patients with OCD, utilizing empirically derived cutscores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a shortened center for epidemiological studies depression scale for assessment of depression in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: The purpose was to develop a short-form version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for the identification of persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) within a population with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study Design: Data were analyzed from 337 persons with RA. Forty-six participants met the diagnostic criteria for MDD; 291 participants were classified in the non-MDD category (including 21 participants with dysthymia and 18 participants with minor depressive disorder). A short-form version of the CES-D was developed, and multiple cutoff scores were examined. Results: A cutoff score of ≥5 from a 9-item, short-form CES-D was found to be generally as efficient as the more commonly used full-scale cutoff score of ≥16 for classifying participants with MDD within an RA population. Although the shortened CES-D scale (cutoff score ≥5) was slightly more sensitive, it also exhibited slightly less specificity than the full-scale cutoff score of ≥16. Conclusion: The results suggest that a short-form CES-D can be used to screen for MDD within an RA sample with a degree of efficiency that is generally comparable to that of the full-scale instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressor experience in primary school-aged children: Development of a scale to assess profiles of exposure and effects on psychological well-being.

This study reports the development of a scale—the Children's Stress Questionnaire (CSQ). It goes on to report the utility of the CSQ to assess the nature and level of stressor experience in a large sample of young and normal, primary school-age children, to document profiles of stressor experience in that age group, and to establish relationships between childhood stress and both current and future psychological dysfunction. Stressors grouped statistically into five related subscales, the largest of which reflected daily hassles beyond normal control. Repeat administrations of the CSQ 12 months apart confirmed the stability of the factor structure. Subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability, both internally and over time. In addition, subscale scores consistently related to negative (though not positive) mood at intake. More important, most subscale scores at intake statistically predicted depression three to four months and then 12 months later and anxiety at 24 months. The CSQ meets the stated need for an instrument capable of assessing stressor experience in unselected (nondysfunctional) young children and has demonstrated utility for further research on stress and health in this age group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring perceptions of stigmatization by others for seeking psychological help: Reliability and validity of a new stigma scale with college students.

Fear of being stigmatized is the most cited reason why individuals avoid psychotherapy. Conceptually, this fear should be strongest when individuals consider the reactions of those they interact with. Across 5 samples, the authors developed the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) scale. In Sample 1 (N = 985), the 5 items of the PSOSH were selected (α = .91). In Sample 2 (N = 842), the unidimensional factor structure of the scale was examined across a diverse sample. In Sample 3 (N = 506), concurrent validity was supported through moderate associations with 3 different stigma measures (i.e., public stigma toward counseling, r = .31; public stigma toward mental illness, r = .20; and self-stigma, r = .37). In Sample 4 (N = 144), test–retest reliability across a 3-week period was calculated (.82). Finally, in Sample 5 (N = 130), reliability (α = .78) and validity were explored with a sample experiencing symptoms of psychological distress. Relationships between variables (i.e., public stigma toward counseling, r = .31, and self-stigma, r = .40) were similar to those in previous samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring faking in the employment interview: Development and validation of an interview faking behavior scale.

An Interview Faking Behavior (IFB) scale is developed and validated in 6 studies (N = 1,346). In Study 1, a taxonomy of faking behavior is delineated. The factor structure of a measure is evaluated and refined (Studies 2 and 3). The convergent and discriminant validity of the measure is examined (Study 4). The IFB scale consists of 4 factors (Slight Image Creation, Extensive Image Creation, Image Protection, and Ingratiation) and 11 subfactors (Embellishing, Tailoring, Fit Enhancing, Constructing, Inventing, Borrowing, Masking, Distancing, Omitting, Conforming, and Interviewer Enhancing). A study of actual interviews shows that scores on the IFB scale are related to getting a 2nd interview or a job offer (Study 5). In Study 6, an experiment is conducted to test the usefulness of the new measure for studying methods of reducing faking using structured interviews. It is found that past behavior questions are more resistant to faking than situational questions, and follow-up questioning increases faking. Finally, over 90% of undergraduate job candidates fake during employment interviews; however, fewer candidates engage in faking that is semantically closer to lying, ranging from 28% to 75%. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An anxiety scale for the Strong Vocational Interest Inventory: Development, cross-validation, and subsequent tests of validity.

A level of adjustment dimension utilizing a combination of Taylor MAS and Winne Scale of Neuroticism scales has been developed for the Strong VIB. 400 graduate psychology students served as Ss while a second validation used 200 male freshmen. For the 33 items split-half reliability on the first cross-validation was .73. Criterion cross-validations yielded corrected correlations of .44 and .51. 27 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the adequacy of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT): A reply to Snart, Dennis, and Brailsford.

Replies to comments by Snart, Dennis, and Brailsford (see record 1984-02928-001) voicing concerns about the validity of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). They have concluded that the WRAT overestimates the performance of Canadian children. They have also noted that the WRAT measures only word recognition and that word recognition is overemphasized as a measure of "reading." The present author addresses what are seen to be "fundamental" problems with their arguments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reliability and validity of the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ) among an adult burn survivor sample.

In this study, 361 adult burn survivors completed the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ), the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ), and other measures. Both the PSQ and SCQ had good internal consistency indices. Factor analysis of the PSQ yielded 3 factors (absence of friendly behavior, confused/staring behavior, and hostile behavior). The SCQ had 1 factor. Conjoint factor analysis with measures of related constructs (body esteem, body-esteem importance, depression, social support) suggested that PSQ and SCQ measure distinct constructs. Correlations with the related psychosocial constructs and burn characteristics suggested the PSQ and SCQ have good convergent and discriminant validity. Limitations of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New subscales for an anchored version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale: Construction, reliability, and validity in acute psychiatric admissions.

Attending psychiatrists completed an anchored version of the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-A) based on admission and evaluation information on a total of 2,921 adult patients treated at 1 public sector acute psychiatric teaching hospital. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to a 6-month sample to construct 4 nonoverlapping subscales: Resistance, Positive Symptoms, Negative Symptoms, and Psychological Discomfort. Confirmatory factor analysis compared these new subscales to 3 other published subscale models using a second 6-month sample. Internal consistency, rater influence, and interrater agreement were estimated in separate studies. Discriminant validity was explored by comparison of diagnosis-based samples. Application of the BPRS-A as a debriefing instrument in the study of symptomatic change and the multiple challenges inherent in psychometric study of such a rating scale in realistic hospital practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)