A Psychometric Evaluation of the Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire (AAAQ) in Alcohol Dependent Outpatients

The Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire (AAAQ; McEvoy et al. in Addiction 99:482–497, 2004) was administered to a clinical sample of 138 alcohol dependent men and women. An exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the AAAQ factor structure and a confirmatory analysis run on a second administration of the AAAQ. Convergent validity was examined by conducting an alcohol cue reactivity test and by administering the Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB), a retrospective calendar method for assessing alcohol consumption, and several measures of alcohol-related problems. The factor analysis supported a two-factor solution representing approach and avoidance dimensions. Regressions predicting measures of alcohol cue reactivity, alcohol consumption, and other alcohol-related constructs with the AAAQ provide support for its convergent validity. The results suggest that alcohol craving may be viewed as a multi-dimensional construct that includes both approach and avoidance inclinations which may vary depending on the population under examination.

中国人人格量表（QZPS）的编制过程与初步结果

旨在编制能够反映中国人人格结构特点的中国人人格量表（QZPS）。文中首先分析了直接采用或修订西方人格量表的问题和潜在危险,以及目前国内使用的各种人格量表存在的局限;按照人格研究的“词汇学假设”,根据杨国枢和王登峰（1999）以及后来的研究所确定的中国人人格结构的七因素模型,提出了QZPS的编制原则和操作程序。按照人格特质形容词的含义编写测量项目,并根据小因素和大因素的含义对项目进行修改,初步确定了1600多个项目。经2280名被试的评定,初步筛选出409个项目。再经1099名被试评定,确定了215个项目构成QZPS,测量中国人人格的7个维度和18个小因素。文中还报告了对QZPS的项目分析的结果     

Cross-Validation of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2 Youth Version: An Exploration of Strength-Based Latent Traits

High-quality measurement is a necessary requirement to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of programs that use strength-based principles and strategies. Using independent cross-validation samples, we report two studies that explored the construct validity of the BERS-2 Youth Report, a popular measure designed to assess youth strengths, whose conceptual structure has not yet been examined. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis found a four-factor solution with conceptual support, which included both internal assets associated with (a) the management of emotions and positive social interaction skills and (b) engagement in the important social contexts of family and school. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses found reasonable model fit for the BERS-2 five-factor structure and superior model fit for the more parsimonious four-factor solution found in Study 1. In future studies, parallel reporting of the four-factor model may provide additional insight to the nature and structure of the BERS-2 Youth Version’s clinical validity and utility when compared with the five-factor model, thus potentially contributing to a broader objective to develop a better understanding of important strength-based latent traits.     

Comparison of cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychodynamic therapy in the treatment of anxiety among university students: an effectiveness study

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural (CBT) and psychodynamic (PDT) therapies in the treatment of anxiety among university students. To this aim, the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) was completed by 30 students assigned to CBT and by 24 students assigned to PDT, both at the beginning and at the end of treatment. The main problem presented by all patients was anxiety. Except for one sub-scale, we observed significant differences in the scores of all sub-scales and scales of SQ, with lower scores at the end of the therapy, indicating lower distress, regardless of the type of treatment. The present findings suggest that both therapies are effective in the treatment of anxiety among university students.     

Procedimientos analítico-racionales en la adaptación de tests. Adaptación al español de la batería de pruebas de razonamiento

Adapting a test between cultures or languages requires taking into account legal, linguistic, metric, and use-related considerations. Significantly more attention has been paid to the methodological aspects involved in the study of metric equivalence than to judgmental-analytical procedures prior to the empirical confirmation stage. However, considering the latter is crucial in the adaptation process. Along these lines, this paper seeks to describe and focus on the relevance of the previous stages, thereby offering a systematization process that comprises ten sections. This approach contributes to ensuring the construction of a test adapted and equivalent in as much as possible to the original. This process is exemplified by means of a Spanish language adaptation of a cognitive test originally designed in Portuguese for the Portuguese population, the Reasoning Test Battery.     

Relationship of fundamental movement skills and physical activity in children and adolescents: A systematic review

ObjectivesThis systematic review provides an overview of research elucidating the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents.DesignSystematic review.MethodProspective studies were identified from searches in Cochrane Library, BioMed Central, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PubMed, Scirus and SciVerse Science Direct from 2000 through 2013. We screened the titles and abstracts for eligibility, rated the methodological quality of the studies, and extracted data.ResultsWe identified 23 studies meeting our relevancy criteria. The quality score of the studies ranged from 44% to 89%. Overall relationships between FMS and PA or relationships specific for gender and skill were identified in several studies. The variety of methods for assessing PA and FMS make the comparison of study results difficult. We found strong evidence from cross-sectional studies for a positive relationship between FMS and organized physical activities. Motor skill competency was only of low predictive value for the physical activity level in adults.ConclusionsThe results of this review suggest that a cause–effect relationship between FMS and PA is suspected but has not been demonstrated yet. The identification of a causal relationship appears very important to ensure feasibility of practical implementation. This could provide aids for decision making for teachers and coaches, but also for therapists' decision guidance to create training, lessons and therapy adequate to the target group.     

Self-regulatory and narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability: Common and discriminant relations

In three studies we examined the unique relations of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability with the self-regulatory factors of promotion, prevention, assessment, and locomotion. We found that grandiosity has unique positive relations with promotion, assessment, and locomotion but is unrelated to prevention (Study 1). We also found that vulnerability has a unique positive relation with assessment, a unique negative one with promotion, and is unrelated to locomotion and prevention (Study 2). Study 3 replicated these findings and demonstrated that they do not derive from the self-regulatory factors’ or grandiosity and vulnerability’s associations with self-esteem. The results indicate that grandiosity and vulnerability have self-regulatory underpinnings and provide evidence of their specific discriminant nature. Further, they indicate that the critical evaluations associated with strong assessment concerns are a significant vulnerability for both narcissism presentations.     

Assessing postpartum depression: Evidences for the need of multiple methods

IntroductionDifferent methods and instruments are frequently used to measure postpartum depression (PPD) in research, e.g. PPD-specific scales, DSM-based diagnostic interviews and rating scales assessing general depression. However, it is unsure whether these measures would lead to the same results, e.g. in the identification of “depressed” women or in their relations to third variables.Objective(s)We compared different measures of PPD and their relations with a third variable, namely the mothers’ marital satisfaction.MethodWe recruited 65 mothers to take part in a study about the impact of PPD on the development of early family relations. Maternal PPD was assessed with multiple methods (i) a PPD-specific scale, (ii) a DSM-based diagnostic interviews and (iii) a rating scale designed to assess the severity of depressive symptoms. We assessed mothers’ marital satisfaction with the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT).ResultsResults showed weak overlap between PPD-specific scale and DSM-based diagnosis of PPD, and modest correlations between the PPD-specific scale and the general depression rating scale. Only the score on the PPD-specific scale could predict marital satisfaction.ConclusionAs we found discrepancies between different measures of PPD, we suggest being cautious in the choice of measures and using multiple methods to measure PPD in a comprehensive way.     

L’évaluation structurée du risque de récidive des personnes placées sous main de justice : méthodes et enjeux

Although the prevention of recidivism in France is currently undergoing numerous transformations, the evaluation of the risk of recidivism of individuals under the justice system is a major issue. The absence of structure and standardization in current evaluation procedures raises doubts regarding their validity and underlines the necessity to determine evaluation methods that are clinically and scientifically validated. The professionals and their administration would benefit largely from a range of strategies that would aid in executing the most just, transparent and coherent evaluation possible. This article will trace the evolution of the evaluation of the risk of recidivism, the principal strategies and methods, the most common risk factor families used, as well as illustrations of two typical strategies of evolution of the risk of recidivism; integrated evaluation with the LS/CMI and evaluation based on structured professional judgment guided by the HCR-20.     

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.