Assessment最新文献

The use of parent-report screeners for early detection of autism is time- and cost-efficient in clinical settings but their utility may vary by respondent characteristics. This study aimed to examine the degree to which infants' age and sex impacted parental reports of early behavioral signs of autism captured by the First Years Inventory Version 3.1 (FYIv3.1). The current sample included 6,454 caregivers of infants aged 6 to 16 months recruited through the North Carolina vital records. Using moderated nonlinear factor analysis for each of the seven FYIv3.1, we identified differential item functioning in small to medium effect sizes across 18 out of 69 items, with the majority of biases associated with infants' age (e.g., object mouthing, walking, pretend, and imitation), while sex-related biases were minimal. This indicates that differential scoring algorithms by infants' age and more closely spaced monitoring may be needed for these constructs for more accurate identification of autism in infancy.

Existing scales mainly focus on danger-based threats of death and bodily harm to assess exposure to traumatic events in war zone. However, major provocations and transgression of deeply held values and moral beliefs, as well as witnessing the suffering of others can be as traumatic as fear-inducing danger-based events. This raises the need for scales that assess both danger- and nondanger-based events among soldiers operating in modern war zones. Norwegian military personnel deployed to Afghanistan between late 2001 and end of 2020 were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey with a final sample size of 6,205 (males: n = 5,693; 91.7%; mean age = 41.93 years). We applied data reduction techniques (e.g., exploratory factor analysis, EFA, and exploratory graph analysis, EGA, through a community detection algorithm) to develop a 12-item, three-factor model (personal threat, traumatic witnessing, and moral injury) of the Warzone Stressor Exposure Index (WarZEI). Confirmatory factor analysis showed support for the factor model, with evidence of concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity. These results indicate the WarZEI is a reliable and valid measure for assessing exposure to warzone stressors that allows for heterogeneity and the multidimensional nature of exposure to warzone stressors.

The Maladaptive Schema Scale (MSS) was developed to assess dysfunctional cognitive frameworks linked to psychopathology, including personality disorders, trauma, and relational issues, using contemporary theoretical frameworks, addressing limitations in existing schema measures. This study aimed to validate the MSS, evaluate newly proposed schemas, and establish its psychometric properties using Rasch methodology. The scale was assessed in clinical and nonclinical respondents (n = 2,182) for overall and item fit, dimensionality, reliability, and measurement invariance. All 27 MSS schemas had an acceptable overall fit to the Rasch model, no item misfit, no local dependence, evidence of strict unidimensionality, measurement invariance by sex, age, time taken and clinical group, and convergent validity with the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). The MSS is a valid, reliable, and comprehensive tool for assessing maladaptive schemas in clinical and research settings, offering advantages in both brevity and breadth over traditional schema measures.

This study addresses the need for screening tests that can discriminate between dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and normal age-related memory functioning in understudied populations. One hundred sixty-four Romanian patients with dementia, MCI, and community members were assessed with the Memory of Objects and Digits and Examination of Memory Malingering (MODEMM), the MMSE-2 standard version (MMSE-2-SV), and quick mild cognitive impairment (QMCI) screen to determine each instrument's ability to distinguish between diagnostic groups and controls. The integral version of the MODEMM (MODEMM-I) classified diagnostic groups with outstanding accuracies (area under the curve [AUC] = .91-.99, p < .001), similar to QMCI (AUCs = .92-.98, p < .001) and the MMSE-2-SV (AUCs = .89-.99, p < .001). Cutoffs were adjusted for each diagnostic condition according to levels of education. Despite high-accuracy values, the MODEMM subscales were less sensitive to MCI than the integral version. Results support the MODEMM-I as an accurate screening tool for cognitive impairment in the understudied Romanian population.

This study examined whether the 20-item Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5), eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), and seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) exhibited factorial invariance across sexual orientation identity (heterosexual vs. sexual minority) and gender identity (cisgender men vs. cisgender women vs. transgender/gender diverse) in veterans. Data from a cohort study of veterans (N = 1,062; 20.9% transgender and gender diverse; 66.3%-66.7% sexual minority) were used to conduct multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Findings indicated that levels of factorial invariance were met for all measures, but partial residual invariance was required for the PHQ-8 and GAD-7. Thus, these instruments are appropriate for routine clinical assessment among veterans and in research with questions that can be answered with scale-level information, but item-level research questions involving the PHQ-8 and GAD-7 (e.g., daily diary studies) require caution when the studies involve sexually and gender diverse veterans.

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) has gained significant traction in clinical psychological science. However, HiTOP has not been extensively validated across diverse populations. This study tested measurement invariance-the degree to which latent constructs are measured with equivalence across groups-in HiTOP across racial and ethnic groups using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. These models were followed with rigorous tests of construct validation (i.e., convergent, discriminant, and concurrent) on the latent factors using a Multitrait-Multimethod (MTMM) framework. Comparing across non-Hispanic White (n = 7,166), Hispanic (n = 2,411), and non-Hispanic Black (n = 1,862) youths, the five-factor model comprising Externalizing, Neurodevelopmental, Internalizing, Somatoform, and Detachment factors demonstrated configural, metric, scalar, and strict measurement invariance. While each of the five factors demonstrated good evidence of concurrent and convergent validity, evidence for their discriminant validity was not as robust. Establishing measurement invariance and construct validity of the HiTOP model has critical scientific and clinical implications, particularly if dimensions are to be used in addressing mental health disparities in minoritized populations.

Executive functions play a crucial role in daily life. Among them, planning is key to setting and achieving goals efficiently. Therefore, having appropriate and relevant tools for its assessment is essential. This study aimed to analyze the reliability and validity of the Virtual Supermarket Test (VST), a virtual reality (VR)-based tool designed to ecologically assess planning. An instrumental study was conducted with 210 adults from Buenos Aires (55.9% women), aged 18-65 years (M = 32; SD = 14.7). Results indicate that the VST has a unidimensional internal structure, with all items collectively explaining 64.68% of the total variance. Evidence of internal consistency (KR-20 = .80), content validity, and concurrent validity (rho = .425, p < .001) was found. Both neuropsychology experts and participants reported positive feedback, highlighting the clarity of instructions and the task's relevance. These findings support the potential of VR technologies in the development of ecologically valid neuropsychological assessment tools.

Parental emotion regulation is crucial for parent-child interactions and child psychological outcomes. However, limited research has examined whether the Regulation of Emotions in Parenting Scale (REPS) functions equivalently across ethnoracial groups, raising concerns about measurement bias. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the REPS, including measurement invariance, reliability, and differential validity, across an ethnically diverse sample of n = 1,408 parents. Using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, we tested configural, metric, and scalar invariance. While configural and metric invariance were supported, full scalar invariance was not. A partial scalar invariance model, allowing three item intercepts to vary, showed acceptable fit. McDonald's omega coefficients indicated strong internal reliability across all subscales and racial groups. Multiple regression analyses tested differential validity and found no significant interaction effects, supporting consistent predictive validity. These findings confirm the REPS as a reliable tool for diverse populations. Future research should explore REPS applicability across sociocultural contexts.

The PROMIS Parent Proxy Measures for anxiety and depression are brief, validated, and freely available tools for assessing childhood anxiety and depressive symptoms. To improve their interpretability, we recruited a nationally representative sample of U.S. parents of children aged 5-17 (N = 1,213) to report on their child's anxiety and depressive symptoms using the PROMIS v3.0 measures. Our findings largely validate the PROMIS v3.0 scoring system, with means and medians close to 50. However, we observed narrower standard deviations than the published measure, meaning that some youth not flagged by the existing cutoffs could be experiencing meaningful dysfunction (relative to their peers). We also observed strong floor effects, suggesting that these measures do not differentiate among a large group of youth who are not showing anxiety and depression symptoms. In addition, we present norms by age group and gender, noting that differences emerge in adolescence. We recommend the use of the normative values we present in this study, allowing researchers and clinicians to better understand where a given youth falls within the full distribution of American youth.

This study explores cool and hot executive functions in brain networks using the Cool/Hot Simon Task, which distinguishes between neutral (cool) and emotional/motivational (hot) conditions by varying stimuli while maintaining a consistent task procedure. One hundred thirty-eight participants completed the Cool/Hot Simon Task and brain imaging. Behavioral results showed that reaction time was faster in the cool condition than in the hot condition, indicating that emotional stimuli influence performance. Within the hot condition, we further distinguished between preference (approach) and aversion (avoidance) stimuli, with faster reaction time and a stronger Simon effect for preference stimuli. Brain network analyses found only significant correlation between the hot Simon effect in the preference condition, which correlated positively with clustering coefficient, global efficiency, and local efficiency, and negatively with characteristic path length, suggesting higher neural integration efficiency when processing positive and preferred stimuli. Region-based analyses showed that the cool Simon effect was associated with nodal efficiency in the left superior parietal lobule. In contrast, hot Simon effect was associated with nodal efficiency in the left inferior frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus, emphasizing the role of emotion and motivative processing. The Cool/Hot Simon Task provides new insights and theoretical foundations for the assessment of the hot executive function.