A new brief scale for social pro-environmental behaviors in adolescents by applying item response theory: The S-PEBS-A

IF 6.1 1区心理学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Journal of Environmental Psychology Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102562

Maria Anna Donati , Sofia Santisi , Luciano Romano , Angelo Panno , Caterina Primi

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Abstract

Little attention has been given to psychometrics in research into social-political pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in adolescents. We therefore developed a new, brief and unidimensional instrument (the Social Pro-Environmental Behaviors Scale for Adolescents, S-PEBS-A) to assess social PEBs in youth. In Study 1 (n = 887, 56% male, M_age = 16.43, SD = 1.23) the scale was developed, based on Item Response Theory. The 5-item final version turned out to be unidimensional, to vary in location, to have high discrimination ability, and to be informative for a broad range of the trait. In Study 2 (n = 943, 60% male, M_age = 16.33, SD = 1.26), through Differential Item Functioning across sex and age, the scale was found to be invariant across those variables. Moreover, the expected a posteriori score was positively and significantly related to climate change worry. In conclusion, the S-PEBS-A is suitable for research efforts and educational interventions with youth.

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来源期刊

Journal of Environmental Psychology Multiple-

CiteScore

10.60

自引率

8.70%

发文量

140

审稿时长

62 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Environmental Psychology is the premier journal in the field, serving individuals in a wide range of disciplines who have an interest in the scientific study of the transactions and interrelationships between people and their surroundings (including built, social, natural and virtual environments, the use and abuse of nature and natural resources, and sustainability-related behavior). The journal publishes internationally contributed empirical studies and reviews of research on these topics that advance new insights. As an important forum for the field, the journal publishes some of the most influential papers in the discipline that reflect the scientific development of environmental psychology. Contributions on theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of all human-environment interactions are welcome, along with innovative or interdisciplinary approaches that have a psychological emphasis. Research areas include: •Psychological and behavioral aspects of people and nature •Cognitive mapping, spatial cognition and wayfinding •Ecological consequences of human actions •Theories of place, place attachment, and place identity •Environmental risks and hazards: perception, behavior, and management •Perception and evaluation of buildings and natural landscapes •Effects of physical and natural settings on human cognition and health •Theories of proenvironmental behavior, norms, attitudes, and personality •Psychology of sustainability and climate change •Psychological aspects of resource management and crises •Social use of space: crowding, privacy, territoriality, personal space •Design of, and experiences related to, the physical aspects of workplaces, schools, residences, public buildings and public space