Eating behavior and personality: an exploratory analysis

An explonatory study on a university student sample (N = 67) shows that scores on Restraint, Disinhibition and Hunger of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) of Stunkard and Messick (1985) are not associated with EPQ and MMPI personality dimensions. However, Restraint and EPQ Psychoticism load on the same Varimax-rotated factor and low predictability of TFEQ factor scores was found for some MMPI scales. Restraint and Disinhibition appeared significantly intercorrelated in the whole sample and in the sex-based subsamples. It is suggested that TFEQ scores are complementary to personality tests in the evaluation of eating behavior disorders.     

Psychometric Synthesis of the Counselor Burnout Inventory

The authors reviewed 12 studies using the Counselor Burnout Inventory, including the results from their original, large‐sample study of school counselors (N = 1,005). Aggregated internal consistency (coefficient alpha) was .90 (N = 1,708), and subscale alphas ranged from .73 to .86 (N = 2,809). Test–retest reliability was .81 (N = 18; k = 1), with subscale test–retest reliability estimates ranging from .72 to .85. Convergent comparisons were robust across 10 instruments. Structural validity indicated a 5‐factor solution and an adequate to good fit of the model to the current study's data.     

A New Scrupulosity Scale for the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS): Validation With Clinical and Nonclinical Samples

Scrupulous obsessions are a prominent presentation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous conceptualizations of scrupulosity have indicated that it belongs to the unacceptable thoughts dimension, which pertains to sexual, violent, and religious obsessive themes. However, research suggests that scrupulous symptoms may differ from other unacceptable thoughts symptoms, necessitating the need for targeted and thorough assessment. We added a Scrupulous or Religious Thoughts subscale (DOCS-SR) to the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) and tested its factorial structure, psychometric properties, and clinical correlates in a nonclinical and clinical sample. In the first study, nonclinical participants (N = 203) completed the DOCS-SR, which was subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. Analyses revealed that the DOCS-SR reflected a one-factor solution and possessed acceptable internal consistency, as well as strong convergent validity with clinical correlates of OCD. In the second study, we administered the DOCS, as well as the DOCS-SR to a clinical sample (N = 314). An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis both suggested that the four subscales and additional DOCS-SR represented a five-factor solution. Internal consistency and convergent validity were strong. The DOCS Unacceptable Thoughts subscale and the DOCS-SR shared a moderate correlation but evidenced differences in associations with other correlates. This suggested both convergent and divergent validity. Collectively, our results support the utility of examining the individual components of the unacceptable thoughts dimension of OCD for effective assessment and treatment planning.     

Assessing Alexithymia: Psychometric Properties and Factorial Invariance of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Nonclinical and Psychiatric Samples

The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the three components of alexithymia; difficulty identifying feelings in the self (DIF), difficulty describing feelings (DDF), and externally orientated thinking (EOT). We examined the scale’s psychometric properties in Australian nonclinical (N = 428) and psychiatric (N = 156) samples. In terms of factorial validity, confirmatory factor analyses found the traditional 3-factor correlated model (DIF, DDF, EOT) to be the best and most parsimonious solution, but it did not reach adequate levels of goodness-of-fit in either sample. Several EOT items loaded poorly on their intended factor, and a reverse-scored item method factor was present; the factor structure of the scale was invariant across both samples. A higher-order factor model (with a single higher-order factor) was slightly inferior to the correlated models, but still tenable. The total scale score and DIF and DDF subscales displayed sound internal consistency, but the EOT subscale did not. We conclude that the TAS-20 has, for the most part, adequate psychometric properties, though interpretation should focus only on the total scale score and DIF and DDF subscales; we recommend the EOT subscale score not be used. Implications for clinical use and future revision of the scale are discussed.     

Locus of control in three behavioural domains: Factor structure and correlates of the “spheres of control” scale

The “Spheres of Control” (SOC) scale and the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were administered to a large sample (N = 576) of male subjects in the age range 30–65 yr. The factor structure of the SOC was examined by testing the goodness-of-fit of a series of confirmatory factor models using LISREL. The results supported Paulhus' three-dimensional formulation of perceived control in the personal, interpersonal and socio-political behavioural domains, but the personal and interpersonal domains were found to be closely related. There was also evidence that the internally-worded SOC items discriminated the three domains of control more clearly than the externally-worded items; the latter showed high loadings on a general factor. The SOC scales showed only moderate reliabilities.Relations between the SOC and EPQ measures were examined by means of two canonical correlation analyses. These analyses demonstrated: (i) that SOC personal and interpersonal control scales were positively related to extraversion and negatively related to neuroticism, but control in the socio-political domain was not predicted by the Eysenck measures; and (ii) that the general-factor effects apparent in SOC responses were related to neuroticism and, to a lesser extent, to the lie scale. These results are discussed in relation to the rationale underlying the development of the SOC scale and other relevant literature.     

Examining the Factor Structure of the Self-Compassion Scale in Four Distinct Populations: Is the Use of a Total Scale Score Justified?

This study examined the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) using a bifactor model, a higher order model, a 6-factor correlated model, a 2-factor correlated model, and a 1-factor model in 4 distinct populations: college undergraduates (N = 222), community adults (N = 1,394), individuals practicing Buddhist meditation (N = 215), and a clinical sample of individuals with a history of recurrent depression (N = 390). The 6-factor correlated model demonstrated the best fit across samples, whereas the 1- and 2-factor models had poor fit. The higher order model also showed relatively poor fit across samples, suggesting it is not representative of the relationship between subscale factors and a general self-compassion factor. The bifactor model, however, had acceptable fit in the student, community, and meditator samples. Although fit was suboptimal in the clinical sample, results suggested an overall self-compassion factor could still be interpreted with some confidence. Moreover, estimates suggested a general self-compassion factor accounted for at least 90% of the reliable variance in SCS scores across samples, and item factor loadings and intercepts were equivalent across samples. Results suggest that a total SCS score can be used as an overall mesure of self-compassion.     

National differences in personality: India and England

This study reports comparisons between results on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) obtained from 558 male and 636 female Indian Ss; the comparison group of the original standardized English Sample (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1975). Factor analysis of item correlations showed close correspondence between the factors extracted in the two samples, with indices of factor comparisons being well in excess of 0.97. The reliabilities in the Indian sample were only marginally lower than in the original English standardization group. Some items from the original EPQ did not load on the hypothesized factors; they were substituted by the extra items contained in the 101-item version of the EPQ used in India. The Indian data showed no sex differences with respect to extraversion; females were found to score higher on the Neuroticism and also slightly higher on the Lie scale than the males. The Lie scores for both males and females being quite high suggests a consistent trait of conformity in operation. It was concluded that the organization of personality in India is sufficiently similar to that in England to make national comparisons feasible since identical dimensions underlie the personalities of Indian and English Ss.     

Psychopathy and the personality dimensions of psychoticism,extraversion and neuroticism

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was administered to 173 male prison inmates for whom reliable assessments of psychopathy were available. Psychopathy was significantly correlated with the Psychoticism (P) scale (r = 0.16) and the Lie scale (r = 0.14), but not with the Extraversion (E) or Neuroticism (N) scales. Zone (octant) analysis indicated that psychopathy was not associated with any particular combination of P, E and N scores. Additional analyses, based on the discriminant function procedure described in the EPQ manual, indicated that inmates with high assessments of psychopathy were significantly less psychiatrically abnormal, in the EPQ sense, than were those with low assessments of psychopathy. A series of comparisons was also made between the P scale and a 22-item psychopathy checklist. The P scale was significantly correlated with six of the items, and with factors 1 (r = 0.30) and 4 (r = 0.19) that emerged from a principal components analysis of the checklist. Factor 1 is related to an impulsive, unstable lifestyle with no long-term commitments and factor 4 to the early appearance of antisocial behavior. It is argued that the P scale reflects the criminal, antisocial aspects of psychopathy and that the results probably have no direct implications for the suggestion that psychopathy and psychoticism are related in some fundamental way. A canonical analysis indicated that some interesting relations may exist between the EPQ variables and the psychopathy factors.     

Cognitive and affective components of empathy and their relationship with personality dimensions in a Chinese sample

Empathy is an essential component of social interactions and may be related to personality characteristics. However, this issue has not been extensively examined in a Chinese sample. Students at six universities in China (N = 257) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire‐Revised (EPQ‐R), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21). Using multiple regression analyses, and after accounting for demographic variables (sex and age), it was found that the affective empathy component Personal Distress positively predicted EPQ‐R Neuroticism scores (β = .49), negatively predicted Extraversion (β = –.21) and Lie scale scores (β = –.22), and positively predicted DASS‐21 Depression (β = .26), Anxiety (β = .34) and Stress scores (β = .39). Empathic Concern positively predicted Lie Scale scores (β = .21), and negatively predicted Psychoticism scores (β = –.24). Individuals with high scores in Empathic Concern were also found to score more highly on Fantasy, Personal Distress, Neuroticism, Stress and Anxiety. Thus, more empathic individuals are likely to experience elevations in negative affectivity when they perceive the emotional suffering of others.     

Very pre‐term infants' behaviour at 1 and 2 years of age and parental stress following basic developmental care

This study explored the effects of basic developmental care on the behaviour of very pre‐term infants and parental stress at 1 and 2 years of corrected age. A randomized controlled trial was done to compare basic Developmental Care (standardized nests and incubator covers) and controls (standard care). Parents of infants born <32 weeks of gestation completed questionnaires measuring child behaviour and parental stress at 1 year (N = 139) and 2 years (N = 133) of the child's age. Parental stress was measured using the Nijmegen Parenting Stress Index and child behaviour was measured using the Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) and the Child Behaviour Checklist 2–3. At 1 year of age, children in the basic developmental care group had significantly higher behaviour scores on the total competence domain (p = .009) and the competence subscale mastery motivation (p = .002) of the ITSEA questionnaire, meaning that the infants showed more curiosity, persistence, obedience and enjoyment with small accomplishments. No significant effects were found on problem behaviour or parenting stress. We conclude that introducing a basic form of developmental care in the neonatal intensive care unit has a positive influence on the child's competence behaviour at 1 year of age.     

When words and pictures come alive: Relating the modality of intrusive thoughts to modalities of hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations

Hypnagogic and hypnopompic (H&H) hallucinations are those experienced on the borders of sleep and waking. Intrusive thoughts have been proposed to relate to the occurrence of such experiences. In a sample of students (N = 299), the present study investigated the relation between auditory and felt-presence H&H experiences, and specific modalities of intrusive thought (auditory and visual) whilst controlling for age, gender, depression, anxiety and thought suppression. The psychometric properties of the Durham Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations Questionnaire (DHQ) were also examined. Exploratory (N = 299) and, in a second sample, confirmatory (N = 502) factor analyses showed good internal and test-retest reliability for the auditory and felt-presence subscales of the DHQ, but not for the visual subscale. Regression analyses indicated that the sole predictor of auditory H&H hallucinations was intrusive auditory imagery, and the sole predictor of felt-presence H&H experiences was intrusive visual imagery. Explanations for these findings are considered and implications for future research are discussed.     

Personality factors in the Eysenck personality questionnaire

Hierarchical factor analyses were carried out on raw scored EPQ data yielded from two samples of subjects, a Gallup adult quota sample of 1198 subjects and 406 university undergraduates. Each sample was split by sex providing six data sets for analysis. Results at the second order level clearly indicated the recovery of practically all the E, N and L items as three distinct factors, P item recovery differed among males and females. Adult female and student female subject groups did not show clear recovery of a substantial majority of P items. Although P, as a factor, did not appear recognisably in the male student sample, this was interpreted as being due either to the low subject: variable ratio and/or to the low subject number (N=171) and its resultant lack of definition of initial P item variance. The P factor appeared most strongly as a second order in the total Gallup, total student, and male Gallup sample.     

Further Evidence for Reliability and Validity of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure in a Forensic Sample and a Community Sample

Psychopathy is often described as a constellation of personality characteristics encompassing features such as impulsivity and antisociality, and a lack of empathy and guilt. Although the use of self-reports to assess psychopathy is still debated, there are distinct advantages to such measures and recent research suggests that they may not be as problematic as previously thought. This study further examined the reliability and validity of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) in a community sample (N = 496) and forensic psychiatric patient sample (N = 217). Results indicated excellent internal consistencies. Additionally, the TriPM total and subscale scores related as expected to different subscales of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory –Revised (PPI-R) and to the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, reflecting good construct validity. Most importantly, ROC curve analyses showed that the TriPM evidenced better discrimination between the community sample and forensic psychiatric patients than the PPI-R. The current study extends the existent evidence demonstrating that the TriPM can be used as an efficient self-report instrument.     

Correlates of militaristic behaviour

As previous studies of militarism can be criticized on the grounds that their measures were primarily concerned with attitudes rather than behaviour, this study endeavoured to investigate the correlates of reported militaristic behaviour. An Australian postal survey (N = 226; response rate = 45.2%) revealed militarists to be achievement motivated and dominant. They were found not to be high in psychoticism or prejudiced against minorities. This generally ‘favourable’ picture of the militarist confirms earlier research by Ray (1972).     

Short Form of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents among community and institutionalized Portuguese youths

Background/Objective: Social anxiety is a common issue arising in adolescence that can cause significant impairment and have detrimental consequences for development in the absence of treatment. In this study we examined the factor structure and the psychometric properties of a 12-item short form of the Portuguese-Language Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A-SF). Method: A community adolescent sample (N = 835) and a young offender sample (N = 244) completed the SAS-A, the Basic Empathy Scale and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, cross gender and cross sample invariance, convergent and discriminant validity of the SAS-A-SF were analyzed. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor second-order model obtained the best fit.The results provided evidence that the SAS-A-SF is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance across genders and across samples, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of SAS-A-SF is a useful, time-efficient tool for both researchers and practitioners who need to assess social anxiety, a relevant construct in adolescent psychopathology.     

At what sample size do latent variable correlations stabilize?

We conducted a Monte-Carlo simulation within a latent variable framework by varying the following characteristics: population correlation (ρ = 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, 0.90, and 1.00) and composite score reliability (coefficient omega: ω = 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, and 0.90). The sample sizes required to estimate stable measurement-error-free correlations were found to approach N = 490 for typical research scenarios (population correlation ρ = 0.20; composite score reliability ω = 0.70) and as high as N = 1000+ for data associated with lower, but still sometimes observed, reliabilities (ω = 0.40–0.50). We encourage researchers to take into consideration reliability, when evaluating the sample sizes required to produce stable measurement-error-free correlations.     

Sex role egalitarianism and marital violence

This study explores the link between sex role egalitarianism and marital violence using a sample of men enrolled in either substance abuse treatment programs (N=71) or in anger management programs (N=44). It was found that men in both treatment programs had very similar levels of egalitarianism and violence in their relationships. Using the combined sample, it was found that having attitudes approving of marital violence and using “severe” violence accounted for a significant portion of the variance in sex role egalitarianism, whereas use of “minor” violence did not account for significant variance in egalitarianism. These results suggest that sex role egalitarianism may be a meaningful indicator for spouse abuse.     

Further evidence for the validity of the Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking

The Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking (NISS) by Roth and Hammelstein (2012) conceptualizes sensation seeking as a motivational trait, a need for stimulation that can provoke different behaviors. Extending the area of application to the field of sexuality, the results of an online survey with a convenience sample (N = 368) provided evidence that the NISS outperforms traditional measures of sensation seeking. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, the NISS added incremental variance in predicting the number of sexual partners and the frequency of extreme sexual behaviors and fantasies. No relationship between the NISS and pornography use was found. Moreover, the NISS subscale Need for Stimulation performed better than the subscale Avoidance of Rest. Overall, the study supported the assumption that the NISS is a valid and reliable instrument in the area of sexuality.     

The Frequency Accrual Speed Test (FAST): psychometric intelligence and personality correlates

Performance on a putative psychophysical measure of information processing related to intelligence (Vickers' 1995 Frequency Accrual Speed Test, FAST) was assessed in relation to two psychometric measures of intelligence (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices and the Mill Hill vocabulary test). Participants (N = 57) completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire — Revised (EPQ‐R), and performed the FAST task under either low (70 dB) or high (90 dB) levels of white noise. FAST correlated with Raven's (r = 0.56) and Mill Hill (r = 0.28), as expected. FAST total scores were not affected by personality or personality‐by‐noise interactions. However, a measure of consistency of FAST performance (i.e. the standard deviation) was correlated negatively with total FAST scores (r = ?0.37) and positively with (EPQ‐R) extraversion (r = 0.34). The results are discussed in terms of the validity of the FAST to explicate the information processing variables in psychometric intelligence. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Working mothers and the family context: Predicting positive coping

Working mothers (N = 204) were administered questionnaires to assess their degree of role strain, and their perceptions of their work, child care, and family environments. Few differences were found between women who were single (n = 40) versus married (n = 164), or who worked part- (n = 37) or full-time (n = 167). Role strain among working mothers was found to be related to factors in their work and home environments, such as their job satisfaction, and the degree of conflict in their families. The sample was also found to experience a great deal of time pressure and reported a lack of resources to care for their sick children. Implications for the understanding of vocational behavior are presented.