Structural Analysis of the Trauma Symptom Inventory–2

The Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI; Briere, 1995), a measure of the psychological effects of trauma and other adverse events, was recently expanded and updated (TSI–2; Briere, 2011). This study evaluated 4 competing models of TSI–2 dimensionality and determined the predictive validity of the best fitting solution. Data were collected from 679 adults in the general population. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a 4-factor solution best fit the data. All 4 factors of the final model were significant predictors of exposure to trauma or some other very upsetting event, especially posttraumatic stress. Additional research is indicated to further probe the characteristics of the TSI–2, including its dimensionality in other groups.     

Yearning and Its Measurement in Complicated Grief

Persistent intense yearning for the deceased is a core clinical feature of complicated grief (CG) that distinguishes it from other mental disorders that develop following loss. The Yearning in Situations of Loss Scale (YSL) is a recently developed assessment of yearning. To assess the psychometric properties of the YSL in those with CG, we administered the YSL, Inventory of Complicated Grief, and Quick Inventory of Depression Symptomatology to 303 treatment-seeking bereaved adults with CG. Our results suggest the YSL is a reliable assessment with acceptable convergent and discriminant validity as a measure of yearning in those with CG.     

A four‐disc version of the Tower of London for clinical use

Three studies are reported on the development of a four‐disc version of the Tower of London test of planning ability. The first (n = 138) involved the selection of items based on rational and empirical criteria to provide a short test of graded difficulty suitable for use with children and clinical populations. The second study (n = 480) checked the properties of the 10‐item test on a new sample and in addition examined the internal consistency and factor structure of the test. The third study (n = 61) examined the test – retest reliability of the test over a period of 1 month. The difficulty level of the test remained relatively stable from sample to sample and was sensitive to linear trend in performance from age 5 years up to 30 years. Total score did not reflect the action of a single underlying construct but rather appeared to index a number of factors. Scores were reasonably stable over the 1‐month period studied, at least for the children's sample employed. The four‐disc version is a promising method of assessing planning in children and adolescents in clinical situations.     

Pathways of Risk and Resilience: Impact of a Family Resilience Program on Active‐Duty Military Parents

Over the past decade, studies into the impact of wartime deployment and related adversities on service members and their families have offered empirical support for systemic models of family functioning and a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms by which stress and trauma reverberate across family and partner relationships. They have also advanced our understanding of the ways in which families may contribute to the resilience of children and parents contending with the stressors of serial deployments and parental physical and psychological injuries. This study is the latest in a series designed to further clarify the systemic functioning of military families and to explicate the role of resilient family processes in reducing symptoms of distress and poor adaptation among family members. Drawing upon the implementation of the Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS) Family Resilience Program at 14 active‐duty military installations across the United States, structural equation modeling was conducted with data from 434 marine and navy active‐duty families who participated in the FOCUS program. The goal was to better understand the ways in which parental distress reverberates across military family systems and, through longitudinal path analytic modeling, determine the pathways of program impact on parental distress. The findings indicated significant cross‐influence of distress between the military and civilian parents within families, families with more distressed military parents were more likely to sustain participation in the program, and reductions in distress among both military and civilian parents were significantly mediated by improvements in resilient family processes. These results are consistent with family systemic and resilient models that support preventive interventions designed to enhance family resilient processes as an important part of comprehensive services for distressed military families.     

Relational Resilience in Māori,Pacific, and European Sole Parent Families: From Theory and Research to Social Policy

This study reports findings and policy recommendations from a research project that applied a relational resilience framework to a study of 60 sole parent families in New Zealand, with approximately equal numbers of Māori, Pacific, and European (White) participants. The sole parent families involved were already known to be resilient and the study focused on identifying the relationships and strategies underlying the achievement and maintenance of their resilience. The study was carried out to provide an evidence base for the development and implementation of policies and interventions to both support sole parent families who have achieved resilience and assist those who struggle to do so. The three populations shared many similarities in their pathways to becoming sole parents and the challenges they faced as sole parents. The coping strategies underlying their demonstrated resilience were also broadly similar, but the ways in which they were carried out did vary in a manner that particularly reflected cultural practices in terms of their reliance upon extended family‐based support or support from outside the family. The commonalities support the appropriateness of the common conceptual framework used, whereas the differences underline the importance of developing nuanced policy responses that take into account cultural differences between the various populations to which policy initiatives are directed.     

Comparison of four short forms of the French adaptation of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)

IntroductionThe Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults - 4^th Edition (WAIS-IV) is widely used in France and French-speaking countries for clinical assessment and research. This scale has excellent metric qualities; there is ample evidence of the validity and reliability of its scores. However, it takes 60 to 90 min to complete the full test. That can be problematic in research where time is limited and when examining very disturbed patients. In such cases, a short form of the WAIS-IV may be useful. Unfortunately, no short form of the French version of WAIS-IV has yet been validated using the standardization sample.ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to identify an abbreviated form of WAIS-IV with sufficient validity and reliability to replace, in some cases, the full test.MethodFour short forms were developed taking into account the fidelity and the correlation with the FIQ of the subtests included in each of form. The metric qualities the four short forms were compared using the standardization data of the French WAIS-IV. The standardization was done using the results of a sample of 876 individuals representative of the French population from 16 to 79 years 11 months.ResultsThe analyzes showed that a short form including Information, Matrices, Arithmetic and Code provides a fairly good estimate of the FIQ. The fidelity of the estimated IQ was 0.94 and its correlation with the FIQ was 0.91. However, the average of the absolute differences between the IQ calculated with this short form and the IQ calculated with the full form was 4.24 points, with a standard deviation of 3.15 points. These differences could lead to misidentification of some individuals tested with the short form.ConclusionThe proposed short form provides a sufficient approximation of the FIQ to be used in research where the collective results are more important than those of individuals. This short form, however, does not provide an IQ measure as robust as the full form. It should therefore be used with caution only when using the full form is not possible.     

Le capital psychologique : un construit d’intérêt majeur pour les psychologues du travail

This literature review focuses on the concept of Psychological Capital (PsyCap), a construct that comprises dimensions of self-efficacy, hope, resilience and optimism. France has not a particular interest at the moment in PsyCap. The objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive review on both the relevance and use of PsyCap in work psychology. Once we have reviewed the conceptual foundations of PsyCap, its measurement and its consequences on various areas such as health and occupational attitudes will be dealt with. We will also identify the antecedents of this construct. Finally, research prospects will be developed.     

智能平衡评估系统的概述和启示

智能平衡评估系统是美国目前使用最为广泛的教育评估系统之一。该系统的三大部分——总结性评估系统、中期评估系统和数字图书馆构成一个畅通的教学、反馈、助教与助学的教育循环系统。我国可借鉴智能平衡评估系统的思想和所采用的技术,将相对独立的教育督导、教育研究、考试命题、学校等事业机构在功能上联合起来形成完整的教育链,建构日常教学评估系统,从而提高国内教育的效益,减轻教与学的负担。     

Resilience matters: Explaining the association between personality and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background/ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to elucidate the underlying mechanism through which basic personality dimensions predict indicators of psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, including subjective well-being and perceived stress. As a personality characteristic highly contextualized in stressful circumstances, resilience was expected to have a mediating role in this relationship. Method: A sample of 2,722 Slovene adults, aged from 18 to 82 years filled in the Big Five Inventory, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum. A path analysis with the Bootstrap estimation procedure was performed to evaluate the mediating effect of resilience in the relationship between personality and psychological functioning. Results: Resilience fully or partially mediated the relationships between all the Big Five but extraversion with subjective well-being and stress experienced at the beginning of the COVID-19 outburst. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of less adaptive psychological functioning both directly and through diminished resilience. Conclusions: Resilience may be a major protective factor required for an adaptive response of an individual in stressful situations such as pandemic and the associated lockdown.     

Inhibition difficulties in preterm children: Developmental delay or persistent deficit?

Among executive functions (EFs), research has highlighted specific inhibition difficulties in preterm children. The present paper reviews and classifies the studies that assessed response inhibition and interference control abilities in preterm children and adolescents aged 3 to 16 years. Most behavioral studies agree on a developmental delay at early school age in inhibition abilities and a catch-up before adolescence, with lesser response inhibition difficulties at pre-adolescence. However, persisting interference control difficulties have been reported into early adulthood. These results are discussed, along with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings. Finally, this paper outlines methodological issues that need to be overcome in order to define the developmental trajectory of inhibition abilities in the preterm population.