Differential Item Functioning of the Symptoms of Major Depression by Race and Ethnicity: An Item Response Theory Analysis

This study examines the psychometric properties, and particularly differential item functioning (DIF) due to racial and ethnic group, of the criteria for a major depressive episode using a large sample (N?=?1,063) of outpatients seeking treatment for mood and anxiety disorders. DIF was evaluated using multiple group confirmatory factor analysis. Item thresholds fell along a continuum with the core features of depressed mood and anhedonia, along with fatigue, being endorsed at lower levels of depression, and change in appetite and suicidal ideation endorsed at more severe levels of depression. Item discriminations, reflecting an item’s ability to discriminate between lower and higher levels of depression, were highest for depressed mood and anhedonia, and lowest for change in appetite and suicidal ideation. When examining model fit among the racial groups we did not find differences in symptom functioning, providing support for the use of these symptoms across diverse groups. This is of particular importance given the paucity of studies examining this question using a semi-structured clinician administered instrument to a clinical sample.     

阅读困难可否补救? 两种理论驱动干预方案的比较(英文)

本研究是一个进行中的纵向实验的一部分,该实验旨在比较一个认知干预方案(PREP:PASS阅读促进方案)和一个主要关注语音、命名速度和意义成分的神经心理方案(DEST-RT:DEST补救工具)在阅读困难补救中的效能。从320位儿童构成的初始样本中,选择4组儿童,并一年级接受四周干预后,对他们在许多认知、语言、阅读和正字法测量上的表现进行比较:两个实验组共28名伴有阅读困难的儿童(每组n=14),平均年龄6岁6个月,分配到PREP和DEST-RT补救方案中,两组儿童基于年龄、性别、父母教育水平、非言语和言语能力进行匹配,同时也考虑他们的认知和语言表现剖面;一个阅读水平匹配组(RA-C,n=19),也存在阅读困难,不接受任何处理;一个实足年龄匹配组(CA-C,n=30)。结果表明,所有四组儿童在所有认知、语言、阅读和正字法测量上均随时间而改善;与CA-C和DEST-RT相比,PREP组在继时性加工上进步显著;在正字法选择,这一在单词加工中利用视觉-字形信息的正字法加工任务上,PREP组的表现也优于DEST-RT组;最后,在语音敏感性、字母数字的RAN、单词阅读(真词和假词)及段落理解等方面,PREP和DEST-RT的表现均显著优于CA-C和RA-C。讨论部分,则着重讨论设计理论驱动的低成本且能有效改善阅读表现的补救方案的必要性。     

Reliability of the 5-min psychomotor vigilance task in a primary school classroom setting

This study evaluated the reliability of the 5-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) in a single-sex Australian primary school. Seventy-five male students (mean age 5 11.82 years, SD = 1.12) completed two 5-min PVTs using a Palm personal digital assistant (PDA) in (1) an isolated setting and (2) a classroom setting. Of this group of students, a subsample of 37 students completed a test-retest reliability trial within the classroom setting. Using a mixed-model analysis, there was no significant difference in the mean response time (RT) or number of lapses (RTs ≥ 500 msec) between the isolated and the classroom setting. There was, however, an order effect for the number of lapses in the isolated setting, with the number of lapses being greater if the isolated test was conducted second. Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) in the classroom setting indicated moderate to high reliability (mean RT = .84, lapses = .59). Bland-Altman analysis showed no systematic difference between the two settings. Findings suggest that the 5-min PDA PVT is a reliable measure of sustained attention in the classroom setting in this sample of primary-aged schoolchildren. The results provide further evidence for the versatility of this measuring device for larger interventions outside the laboratory.