The Association Between Anhedonia,Suicide Ideation,and Suicide Attempts: A Replication in a Persian Student Sample

Research suggests that anhedonia, a common symptom of depression, may be uniquely associated with suicidal behavior. However, little research has examined this association across cultures. To address this limitation, this study attempted to replicate a recent anhedonia and suicide study (conducted in a western culture) in a Persian sample using the Specific Loss of Interest and Pleasure Scale, Persian version. Participants consisted of 404 students who were recruited from a Persian university. Surprisingly, our results indicated that anhedonia levels were more than double those found in similar American student sample. Despite this marked difference in anhedonia symptoms, we found that anhedonia was associated with suicide risk, even when it was statistically accounting for other depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that anhedonia is a robust predictor of suicide risk across these two cultures. Further, anhedonia may be a particularly important treatment target among Persian students.     

Cross‐cultural validation of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) in Iran

Jowkar, B., Friborg, O. & Hjemdal, O. (2010). Cross‐cultural validation of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) in Iran. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 418–425. Resilience, as an ability to withstand and rebound from crisis and adversity, is becoming an increasingly popular concept in research on intervention and prevention of mental health. The present study examined psychometric properties of a Persian version of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), a scale intended to measure protective factors presumed to enhance resilience. The participants were 373 university undergraduate students, as well as 30 pairs of run‐away girls and a matched control group. A confirmatory factor analysis verified the Norwegian five‐factor structure. All subscale scores, personal competence, social competence, family cohesion, social resources and structured style, had good reliability. The convergent validity of the RSA was supported by showing positive associations with another resilience scale, i.e., a Persian version of the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC). Predictive validity of the RSA was supported, as well, by significantly differentiating between girls who had run away from home and a matched control group. The results indicate that the RSA may be a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of resilience protective resources in an Iranian population.     

Psychometric properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire: Chinese version

The aim of the present study was to develop a Chinese version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-C) and to examine its psychometric properties in a sample of Chinese university students. The English version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was translated and back-translated prior to its administration to 791 participants recruited from two universities in Changsha, Hunan (China). Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, inter-scale reliability, and factorial validity were analysed. The CERQ-C exhibited: (1) moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.83); (2) a mean inter-class correlation coefficient of .79; (3) a mean inter-item correlation coefficient of .09; and (4) moderate test–retest reliability (.64). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the original CERQ nine-factor model. Finally, with respect to criterion validity, several CERQ-C subscales were uniquely associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety.     

Psychometric characteristics and dimensionality of a Persian version of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale

The Rosenberg Self-esteem scale was translated into Persian and 12 Iranian bilingual judges confirmed the soundness of translation. The psychometric properties of the Persian version of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were studied in two samples of Iranian college students separately. Sample I consisted of 232 Iranian students in American universities, and Sample II comprised 305 Iranian students in Iranian universities. Criterion measures of loneliness, depression, anxiety, neuroticism, psychoticism, misanthropy, locus of control, tendency to dissimulate, and measures of relationship with parents, peers, and academic achievement were obtained. Item-total score correlations and alpha reliabilities supported the internal consistency of the scale. Test-retest reliabilities indicated the stability of the scores, and correlations between scores of the scale, and criterion measures supported the concurrent validity of the Rosenberg scale. Factor analysis of the Rosenberg scores confirmed the unidimensionality of the scale.     

Evaluating the Persian Translation of the National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale in a Sample of Iranian Earthquake Survivors

In DSM-5, the APA recommended the use of the National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale, a new self-report scale for PTSD that is brief, consistent with the revised DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, and free of copyright restrictions. The present study examines the psychometric properties of the Persian translation of the scale in a sample of Iranian adults who survived an earthquake. A sample of 600 people was selected through multistage sampling and subsequently completed the scale. Results indicated that the good reliability, one-factor structure, and convergent validity of the scale observed for the original English language scale were replicated. The Persian version of the NSESSS appears to be a valid and reliable measure to assess the symptoms of DSM-5 PTSD and may contribute to increasing efforts to identify and treat PTSD in Iran.     

Measuring adult attachment: a construct validation of two self-report instruments

This study reports the Swedish construct validation of two translated attachment style scales. The factor structure of the attachment construct was investigated via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of attachment scores from 515 students of a Swedish university. Results supported the expected two-factor solution, but found a three-factor solution to be a viable alternative. In addition, the attachment scales were compared with the Big Five personality inventory (NEO-PI), using a sample of 87 Swedish students, and found to have expected correlation to this scale.     

Reliability and validity of the Padua Inventory in an Iranian population

In order to study the reliability and validity of the Padua Inventory (PI), its items were translated into Persian and then back-translated into English as suggested by Brislin, Lonner, Thorndike, Cross-cultural research methods, Wiley, New York, 1973. Using the translated version of the PI, two studies were carried out. The first study included 219 healthy participants selected from Shiraz city in Iran to examine the reliability and factorial structure of the PI via test-retest, internal consistency and principal component analysis methods. The results of this study showed good reliability for the PI and confirmed its factorial structure reported by previous studies. The second study included four groups of participants as follows: patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), patients with anxiety disorders, patients with depressive disorder and normal individuals. The PI scores were able to differentiate between OCD patients and normal individuals, but failed to differentiate between neurotic and OCD patients. Two subscales of PI-R version of the PI (precision and washing) differentiated depressive and OCD patients.     

Validity of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI‐G) in an Australian sample

Test anxiety (TA) is a prevalent issue among students that can result in deleterious consequences, such as underachievement. However, a contemporary measure that has been validated for use with Australian students seems to be lacking. This study, therefore, investigated the suitability of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI‐G) for use with Australian university students. While the original TAI‐G contains 30 items and was designed to measure four factors (worry, emotionality, interference, and lack of confidence), differing factorial models have been supported in the literature using either the original or a shortened 17‐item version of the measure. These differing TAI‐G models were tested and compared in the current study via confirmatory factor analysis using 224 Australian university students. As expected, results supported the superior fit of the 17‐item four‐factor model. Additionally, the convergent validity of the measure was supported since measures of self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, and general anxiety were all found to correlate significantly with the TAI‐G in the hypothesised directions. Finally, the finding that all of the TAI‐G subscales had acceptably high reliabilities led to the conclusion that the 17‐item TAI‐G is a valid and reliable measure of TA in an Australian university population.     

The Factor Structure of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Veterans Experienced Chemical Weapon Exposure

This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the spiritual well-being among a sample of the Iranian veterans. In this methodological research, 211 male veterans of Iran–Iraq warfare completed the Paloutzian and Ellison spiritual well-being scale. Maximum likelihood (ML) with oblique rotation was used to assess domain structure of the spiritual well-being. The construct validity of the scale was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha, Theta (θ), and McDonald Omega (Ω) coefficients, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and construct reliability (CR). Results of ML and CFA suggested three factors which were labeled “relationship with God,” “belief in fate and destiny,” and “life optimism.” The ICC, coefficients of the internal consistency, and CR were >.7 for the factors of the scale. Convergent validity and discriminant validity did not fulfill the requirements. The Persian version of spiritual well-being scale demonstrated suitable validity and reliability among the veterans of Iran–Iraq warfare.     

The Multidimensional Assessment of Career Decision Problems: The Career Decision Diagnostic Assessment

The multidimensional assessment of career decision problems as measured by the Career Decision Diagnostic Assessment (CDDA; Bansberg & Sklare, 1986) is described, and the CDDA is evaluated for reliability, validity, and factor structure with a sample of 844 students from three universities. Results supported the reliability and validity of the CDDA as a measure of psychological blocks to career decision making. Preliminary normative scores for university students are presented. Recommendations for improving the CDDA and for using the CDDA in career counseling are discussed.     

Self‐reported emotional intelligence: Construct similarity and functional dissimilarity of higher‐order processing in Iran and the United States

This study employed the Trait Meta‐Mood Scale (TMMS) to assess self‐reported emotional intelligence cross‐culturally as an input (attention to emotions), process (clarity of emotions), and output (repair of emotions) information‐processing system. Iranian (N = 231) and American (N = 220) university students responded to the TMMS along with measures of alexithymia, public and private self‐consciousness, depression, anxiety, self‐esteem, and perceived stress. Negative correlations with alexithymia and expected linkages with all other variables documented the validity of the TMMS in both cultures. Most of the other measures correlated similarly in the two samples. However, private and public self‐consciousness displayed a stronger positive association in Iran. These two scales were also more predictive of adjustment in Iran and of maladjustment in the United States. This difference perhaps reflected a poorer integration of the two dimensions of self‐consciousness within a presumably more individualistic American society. Confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance procedures revealed cross‐cultural similarities in the fit of an a priori higher‐order factor structure to the obtained data, but subsequent structural equation modelling techniques uncovered cross‐cultural dissimilarities in the actual processing of emotional information. Specifically, the higher‐order factors of emotional intelligence were similar, but the interrelationships among those higher‐order factors were not. As expected, Iranians displayed positive relationships among the input, processing, and output activities of the information‐processing model. For the Americans, however, greater input was associated with diminished processing and output. This unanticipated relative contrast seemed congruent with speculation that the historical American emphasis on the self and individualism promotes positive, optimistic thinking. Overall, these data most importantly suggested that subtle cultural differences might exist in the processing of emotional information.     

Reliability and validity of the Oxford Happiness Inventory among university students in Iran

The aim of the present study was to examine the internal reliability, content validity, construct validity, and concurrent validity of the Persian translation/Farsi version of the Oxford Happiness Inventory. The Oxford Happiness Inventory and Fordyce Happiness Inventory were completed by a sample of 727 Iranian university students. Findings confirmed the internal reliability, construct, and concurrent validity of the Oxford Happiness Inventory. Thus, it can be recommended for use as a trait-measure of happiness among Iranian samples.     

A culture-sensitive approach in the development of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in Iceland: Theoretical and operational considerations

The aim of this study was to develop a culturally sensitive version of the Career Adapt-Ability Scale (CAAS) in Iceland. First the translated international version of the 55-item CAAI designed to measure the four dimensions of career adaptability (concern, curiosity, control, and confidence) plus additional dimension called co-operation was administered to a sample of 491 secondary school students. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both the four- and five-dimensional model show an adequate fit in the sample. An emic evaluation of the international model indicated that new facets tentatively called fatalism and contribution might be relevant in Iceland. New contextualized Icelandic items were written resulting in a combined 89-item measure of international and indigenous items administered to a sample of 1249 university students. Exploratory factor analysis supported contribution as a separate dimension and was used to create Icelandic scales measuring six dimensions: co-operation, contribution, and the four original dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the fit of three alternative 4–6-dimensional international and Icelandic models and measures of career adaptability in Iceland. An emic approach is needed to understand the cultural specificity and universal aspects of career adaptability and to develop culturally sensitive measures for use in career counseling. Further research on co-operation and contribution as relational constructs is suggested.     

Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Self-Report Version in a Student Sample

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of an Icelandic translation of the self-report version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS-SR). The Y-BOCS-SR was administered to a sample of 427 Icelandic university students along with another measure of OCD symptoms (OCI-R) and measures of general anxiety and worry (GAD-Q-IV and PSWQ). The internal consistency of the Y-BOCS-SR total severity score and its obsession and compulsion subscales was very good. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original two- factor structure of the severity dimensions but a three-factor model with obsession, compulsion and resistance/control factors fitted the data equally well. Five factors described best the latent structure of the symptom dimensions. Support was found for the convergent and divergent validity of the Y-BOCS-SR. The results indicate that the Y-BOCS-SR is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the severity of obsessions and compulsions in a student population.     

Body weight and weight perception among African and Caribbean university students: Correlation with depression symptoms

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between body weight, weight perception, and depressive symptoms in African and Caribbean university students. In a cross-sectional survey the total sample included 4 964 undergraduate university students (mean age 21.8, SD = 3.4, age range = 18-30 years) from five African and three Caribbean countries. Data on the students’ actual and perceived body weight, as well as depression symptoms, were collected. In logistic regression, perceived rather than measured overweight predicted depressive symptoms in male students with normal weight. For female students, perceived overweight predicted depression symptoms regardless of actual body weight. Male students who overestimated their body weight were at greater risk of depressive symptoms. Body weight self-perceptions appear to influence experience of mood disorder among African and Caribbean country students.     

Comorbidity of anxiety-depression among Australian university students: implications for student counsellors

ABSTRACT

The incidence, factor structure and scale item differences in anxiety-depression comorbidity were investigated in a sample of Australian university students defined according to the presence of anxiety and/or depression. The incidence of anxiety-depression comorbidity was over 32%, about four times that for anxiety or depression alone. Participants with comorbidity had significantly higher Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) total and factor scores than those with anxiety or depression alone. The major differences between the comorbid and unitary disordered subgroups were for self-disintegration and autonomic arousal. Comorbidity of anxiety and depression is a more serious disorder than either anxiety or depression alone, and appears to exist in large proportions among university students. Assessment and treatment plans might benefit from inclusion of this comorbidity.     

Preliminary Validation of a Korean Version of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale‐Fearlessness About Death

The interpersonal‐psychological theory of suicide proposes that the desire for suicide must be accompanied by the capability to do so in order for an individual to engage in suicidal behavior. The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale‐Fearlessness about Death (ACSS ‐FAD ) measures fearlessness about death, a core component of the capability for suicide. This study aimed to validate a Korean version of the ACSS ‐FAD in a college student sample. We administered the ACSS ‐FAD and measures of suicide ideation, fear of suicide, death anxiety, pain anxiety, and depression in a sample of Korean college students (N  = 301) and analyzed its reliability, factor structure, invariance across genders, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The one‐factor model achieved satisfactory model fit. Across genders, partial metric invariance and partial scalar invariance were established. The results also revealed that the ACSS ‐FAD has good internal consistency, convergent validity (positive correlations with fear of suicide, death anxiety, and pain anxiety), and discriminant validity (no relation with depression). The Korean version of the ACSS ‐FAD presents adequate psychometric properties and may be considered to be a promising instrument for measuring fearlessness about death in college students.     

Extraversion,neuroticism, and psychoticism in Iranian students1

A Persian translation of Eysenck's extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism inventory (PEN) was given to 209 university and 101 high school students in Iran. Comparisons of the mean scores on extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism between the two age groups do not show any significant differences, although the high school students appear to score higher than university students on all three personality dimensions. Comparisons of reliability estimates determined separately for the two age groups suggest that the PEN is equally reliable for high school and university students. The results are discussed in their cross-cultural context.     

Psychometric evaluation and normative data of the Swedish version of the 10‐item perceived stress scale

The perceived stress scale (PSS) has been translated to several languages and validated in many cultures. The longer 14‐item version (PSS‐14), has been translated to Swedish and validated for Swedish use. However, the Swedish version of the shorter 10‐item version (PSS‐10) has not been validated before. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 with regard to reliability and validity, and to provide normative data. Data from 3,406 individuals who took part in the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden were used. The respondents constitute a random sample, aged 18 to 79 years, and stratified for age and sex. They responded to the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 as well as to the hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the Shirom Melamed burnout questionnaire for assessment of construct validity. The results show that the PSS‐10 provides approximately normally distributed data, has good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.84), and has good construct validity with anxiety (r = 0.68), depression (r = 0.57), and mental/physical exhaustion (r = 0.71). The favorable psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 suggest use of the instrument for assessing perceived stress in Swedish and similar populations.     

A Swedish adaptation of the Emotional Contagion Scale: factor structure and psychometric properties

The Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS) is a self-report scale used to measure individual differences in susceptibility to converge towards the emotions expressed by others. The original American ECS (Doherty, 1997), translated into Swedish, was completed by 665 undergraduate students in two independent samples (N = 233 and N = 432, respectively). To investigate the factor structure of the ECS, confirmatory factor analyses of alternative models derived from previous research in emotion and emotional contagion were conducted. The results showed that the proposed one-dimensional structure of the ECS was not tenable. Instead a multi-facet model based on a differential emotions model and a hierarchal valence/differential emotions model was supported. Cross-validation on the second independent sample demonstrated and confirmed the multi-faceted property of the ECS and the equality of the factor structure across samples and genders. With regard to homogeneity and test-retest reliability, the Swedish version showed acceptable results and was in concordance with the original version.