Community Sample IV: Service Supply and Facility Utilization: Research on the Level of Public Services in Migrant Worker Settlements

Abstract. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a popular screening instrument for the detection of social-emotional and behavioral problems in children in community and clinical settings. To sensibly compare SDQ scores across these settings, the SDQ should measure psychosocial difficulties and strengths in the same way across community and clinical populations, that is, the SDQ should be measurement invariant across both populations. We examined whether measurement invariance of the parent version of the SDQ holds using data from a community sample (N = 707) and a clinical sample (N = 931). The results of our analysis suggest that measurement invariance of the SDQ parent version across community and clinical populations is tenable, implying that one can compare the SDQ scores of children across these populations. This is a favorable result since it is common clinical practice to interpret the scores of a clinical individual relative to norm scores that are based on community samples. The findings of this study support the continued use of the parent version of the SDQ in community and clinical settings.

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Factorial Structure of the SCAS and Its Relationship With the SDQ

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000117 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 28-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Daniela Di Riso ◽

Daphne Chessa ◽

Andrea Bobbio ◽

Adriana Lis

Keyword(s):

Age Differences ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Factor Model ◽

Community Sample ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Factorial Structure ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Culturally Based ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Italian Children

The factorial structure of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1997 ) was examined in a community sample of 1,397 Italian children from 8 to 10 years old. Sex and age differences as regards anxiety symptoms were also analyzed. The convergent validity of the SCAS was explored through correlations with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997 ). The use of confirmatory factor analysis supported the six correlated factor model of the SCAS with only minor differences compared to the original work by Spence (1997 ), and it was therefore named SCAS-it. Modifications to the original SCAS were supported by methodologically, theoretically, and culturally based arguments. The internal consistency of the SCAS-it was acceptable. Females displayed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms than males, while age differences were nonsignificant. Positive correlations were found between the SCAS-it and selected subscales of the SDQ. The results support the SCAS model, with few exceptions that do not threaten the utility of Spence’s tool.

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Sex Differences in Childhood Associations between DNA Markers and General Cognitive Ability

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001.28.3.161 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 161-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rosalind Arden ◽

Nicole Harlaar ◽

Robert Plomin

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Dna Markers ◽

Community Sample ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

General Cognitive Ability ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

The Difference

Abstract. An association between intelligence at age 7 and a set of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been identified and replicated. We used this composite SNP set to investigate whether the associations differ between boys and girls for general cognitive ability at ages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10 years. In a longitudinal community sample of British twins aged 2-10 (n > 4,000 individuals), we found that the SNP set is more strongly associated with intelligence in males than in females at ages 7, 9, and 10 and the difference is significant at 10. If this finding replicates in other studies, these results will constitute the first evidence of the same autosomal genes acting differently on intelligence in the two sexes.

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