Factor invariance of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory

Several factor analyses of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) have resulted in very similar solutions. Interpretation of this consistency is hampered by the fact that the 20 scales of the inventory share items. Overlapping items cause the scales to be linearly dependent and may create structure in the interscale correlation matrix which is separate from the subject response patterns. A factor analysis was performed on the matrix of item-overlap coefficients which describes the underlying artifactual structure of the instrument. Data from two new subject samples were factor analyzed and compared to previously published studies. Similarity coefficients among factors across studies were calculated.     

Factor structure of the Treatment Evaluation Inventory: Implications for measurement of treatment acceptability

The Treatment Evaluation Inventory (TEI), a frequently used measure of treatment acceptability, was used by 164 undergraduates to rate the acceptability of each of the following treatments: differential reinforcement of other behavior, exclusionary time-out, overcorrection, medical restraint, contingent electric shock, and physical restraint. TEI ratings of each treatment type were grouped separately, variance-covariance matrices were formed and compared, and data were subjected to factor analysis. The results indicated that the factor structure of the TEI varied with the treatment it was used to evaluate. Item analysis of the TEI indicated a high degree of internal consistency, although item-total correlations varied between rated treatments. The findings suggest that although the TEI is a reliable instrument, sensitive assessment of the treatment acceptability construct probably requires multidimensional measurement.     

The social phobia and anxiety inventory: Construct validity

The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is a new instrument composed of social phobia and agoraphobia subscales. The latter scale is used to detect social anxiety that may result from agoraphobia. The SPAI's construct validity was assessed through several procedures. First, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the existence of the two subscales. Second, exploratory factor analyses examined the underlying structure of the social phobia subscale. Third, a Q factor procedure determined if different anxiety diagnostic groups could be differentiated by their SPAI response pattern. The results confirmed the utility of the two SPAI subscales and identified a number of dimensions contained within the social phobia subscale which differed depending upon the specific subject sample. In addition, the complaints of social phobies appeared more homogeneous than those of an agoraphobic comparison group. The results are discussed in terms of construct validity and the sensitivity of the SPAI to various dimensions of social phobia fears.This study was supported in part by NIMH Grants 41852, 30915, 18269, and 16884.     

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) computer-generated diagnoses: How do they compare to clinician judgment?

During the past several decades, computers have achieved increasing prominence in psychological assessment procedures. This is particularly true for computer-based test interpretation and diagnosis. This study reports on a study designed to compare the accuracy of computer-based diagnoses with clinician-generated diagnoses. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was administered to 151 consecutively admitted inpatients at a large private psychiatric hospital. The computer-generated diagnoses were compared with those generated by admitting psychiatrists. The results indicated that the MCMI diagnostic impressions underestimated the severity of depressive disorders when compared with clinician diagnoses on Axis I. Specifically, clinicians diagnosed major depression much more frequently than did the MCMI. In addition, clinicians diagnosed anxiety disorders much less frequently than did the MCMI.     

Personality traits,coping strategies and quality of life in patients of hepatitis C

IntroductionIn recent decades, hepatitis has become a community health issue. A severe, asymptomatic and unobserved acute disease could be resulted by HCV and it could be treated completely in few cases or could result in chronic hepatitis.ObjectiveThe current research investigated the relationship among personality traits, coping strategies and quality of life in patients of hepatitis C in Pakistan.MethodTotal 102 patients of HCV were selected from government, semi-government and private hospitals. Mental Health Screening Questionnaire (Mirza & Kausar, 2008) was used to screen the patients. The Urdu versions of Big Five Inventory (John & Srivastava, 1999), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (Kausar & Munir, 2004) and Quality of Life-BREF (1997) were used to measure the study variables.ResultsThe results showed that extraversion had positive relationship with the subscales of quality of life except physical health. Conscientiousness had positive relationship with physical and psychological health. Neuroticism had negative relationship with all the domains of quality of life. Openness to experience had positive relationship with psychological health and environment. religious coping and conscientiousness positively predicted physical health, whereas, agreeableness was the negative predictor of physical health. Psychological health and social relationships were positively predicted by active focused coping, whereas, neuroticism negatively predicted psychological health.ConclusionThe results of present research indicated significant contribution of personality traits and coping strategies in maintaining quality of life of HCV patients. The clinical implications to improve quality of life of HCV patients are discussed in light of results.     

French validation of the Twenty-Item Value Inventory

IntroductionPersonal values are important for understanding psychological phenomena by serving as predictors of individuals’ attitudes and behavior. The Twenty-Item Value Inventory (TwIVI, Sandy et al., 2017) was developed to assess values with items from the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ, Schwartz et al., 2001).ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the French version of the TwIVI.MethodTwo French-Canadian samples of adults (N1 = 825; N2 = 429) were recruited in order to test the reliability and validity of the TwIVI.ResultsResults revealed that the French version of the TwIVI showed satisfying temporal stability, convergence validity with the PVQ, and concurrent validity with personality traits. Some issues were observed for internal consistency and structural validity, assessed with both multidimensional scaling and exploratory structural equation modeling.ConclusionOverall, these findings partially support the psychometric qualities of the French version of the TwIVI. Implications for theory and research on values are discussed.     

The detection of malingering in neuropsychological assessment

Although malingering, or the manipulation of data by the patient, is a problem commonly faced by neuropsychologists, there has been little systematic investigation of this problem. This paper reviews the literature on the detection of malingering in assessment instruments commonly used by clinical neuropsychologists. Criticism of previous research is discussed, and suggestions are made both for future research and for clinical practice.     

Factor structure of the mobility inventory for agoraphobia: A validational study with australian samples of agoraphobic patients

This study examines the factor structure of the Mobility Inventory for Agoraphobia and attempts to validate the inventory, using an Australian sample of agoraphobic patients, by comparison with other scales. One hundred twentyfour panic disorder with agoraphobia patients were studied. Factor analysis showed that a two-factor solution was the most suitable both when subjects were accompanied (accompanied condition) and when alone (alone condition). Factor I represented public, crowded, or social situations including department stores, supermarkets, restaurants, theaters, and panics and social gatherings. Factor II reflected enclosed or riding situations such as elevators, parking garages, enclosed spaces, and riding in subways or airplanes. These two factors accounted for 46.6% and 44.3% of the variance on the accompanied condition and the alone condition, respectively. The Mobility Inventory was significantly correlated with the Agoraphobia factor of the Fear Questionnaire and the Social Avoidance and Distress scale. These results indicated that the Mobility Inventory is a valid instrument to measure agoraphobic behavior.     

缺陷儿童人格诊断量表的修订

缺陷儿童人格诊断量表是日本特殊教育领域的一种专门用于测量缺陷儿童人格的著名量表。作者用三年时间对其进行了修订,建立了包括弱智、聋哑、盲等缺陷儿童的中国常模。该量表具有较高的信度与效度,是一个较好的心理测量工具。