scholarly journals The Penn State Worry Questionnaire Is Invariant Across Age Groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 372-372
Author(s):  
Robert Intrieri ◽  
Paige Goodwin

Abstract Prevalence of GAD is between 3 to 5% with onset in the early to mid-twenties (Kessler et al. 2009). The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a 16-item self-report instrument assessing generalized anxiety symptoms (Meyers, et al., 1990; Molina & Borkovec, 1994). Brown (2003) and Olatunji et al. (2007) conducted Confirmatory Factor Analyses identifying a two factor model of Worry Engagement and Absence of Worry. No published studies have examined the factor structure of the PSWQ across age groups. The current study presents data from 612 people across three groups: 221 young adults (Mage = 19.31, SD = 1.21), 283 middle-age adults (Mage = 48.27, SD = 5.13), and 108 older adults (Mage = 72.95, SD = 7.19). An ordinal confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using robust weighted least squares (WLSMV) tested for invariance across groups. Results showed CFI/TLI values of .983/.981, 984/.983, and .981/.984 for Configural (CI), Metric (MI), and Scalar (SI) models. The RMSEA for CI, MI, and SI models was .064, .061, and .059. Based upon Cheung and Rensvold (2002), Sass (2011), and Chen (2007), a cutoff of ΔCFI ≥ 0.01 was established as evidence of invariance. The ΔCFI between CI and MI models was < .01 so analysis continued with the SI test. The ΔCFI between MI and SI models was < 0.01 and did not justify rejection of the null hypothesis. These analyses suggest PSWQ scores are valid across age groups and provide additional support for the multidimensional nature of the PSWQ.

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg-Tobias Kuhn ◽  
Heinz Holling

The present study explores the factorial structure and the degree of measurement invariance of 12 divergent thinking tests. In a large sample of German students (N = 1328), a three-factor model representing verbal, figural, and numerical divergent thinking was supported. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses revealed that partial strong measurement invariance was tenable across gender and age groups as well as school forms. Latent mean comparisons resulted in significantly higher divergent thinking skills for females and students in schools with higher mean IQ. Older students exhibited higher latent means on the verbal and figural factor, but not on the numerical factor. These results suggest that a domain-specific model of divergent thinking may be assumed, although further research is needed to elucidate the sources that negatively affect measurement invariance.


Author(s):  
Cathrine Pettersen ◽  
Kevin L. Nunes ◽  
Franca Cortoni

The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) is a self-report measure of aggressiveness commonly employed in nonforensic and forensic settings and is included in violent offender pre- and posttreatment assessment batteries. The aim of the current study was to assess the fit of the four-factor model of the AQ with violent offenders ( N = 271), a population for which the factor structure of the English version of the AQ has not previously been examined. Confirmatory factor analyses did not yield support for the four-factor model of the original 29-item AQ. Acceptable fit was obtained with the 12-item short form, but careful examination of the relationships between the latent factors revealed that the four subscales of the AQ may not represent distinct aspects of aggressiveness. Our findings call into question whether the AQ optimally measures trait aggressiveness among violent offenders.


2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M Fresco ◽  
Richard G Heimberg ◽  
Douglas S Mennin ◽  
Cynthia L Turk

2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reitske Meganck ◽  
Samuel Markey ◽  
Stijn Vanheule

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS–20) in an adolescent sample ( N = 406, ages 12 to 17). This is rarely done even though the TAS–20 is used in adolescent research. Five published factor models were tested. For good fitting models, a second-order model with alexithymia as a higher-order factor and metric invariance across sex and age groups was tested. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the original three-factor model and a four-factor model provided acceptable fit. Both models were invariant across sex, but not across age. Second-order models did not provide good fit. Reliability was good for the “Difficulty identifying feelings” subscale and acceptable for the “Difficulty describing feelings” subscale, but not for the “Externally oriented thinking” subscale. Measuring alexithymia with the TAS–20 in adolescents thus seems problematic, especially in younger age groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco José Ruiz ◽  
Andrea Monroy-Cifuentes ◽  
Juan Carlos Suárez-Falcón

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is the gold standard measure of the unspecific worry that characterizes generalized anxiety disorder. This study aims to explore the validity of the PSWQ in Colombia and its measurement invariance across gender and clinical and nonclinical participants. An abbreviated, 11-item version of the PSWQ by Sandín, Chorot, Valiente, and Lostao (2009) was used because the negatively worded items have shown to be problematic for Spanish speakers. Additionally, research has suggested that the negatively worded items of the PSWQ lack of practical utility. The PSWQ-11 was administered to a total of 1045 participants, including a sample of nonclinical participants (N = 710) and a sample of clinical participants (N = 335). The internal consistency of the PSWQ-11 across samples was excellent. The one-factor model showed an acceptable fit to the data. Metric and scalar invariance were observed across gender and clinical and nonclinical samples. In conclusion, the PSWQ-11 seems to be a valid measure of GAD-related worry in Colombia, whereas data on factorial equivalence data warrant the comparison of scores across gender and clinical and nonclinical samples.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaopeng Gong ◽  
Sharon E. Paulson

The current study examined the factor structure of the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence (SSREI) scale with an American college sample ( n = 404, 322 females, 88.9% Whites). Data were collected through an online survey, and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test several proposed factor models from previous studies. The results showed that the Ng et al. two-level factor model fit the current data best. Implications of the study and the usefulness of SSREI scale among American students were discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Forte ◽  
Francesca Favieri ◽  
Domenico Tedeschi ◽  
Maria Casagrande

The approach to the vision of TV series has deeply changed in the last years, and watching multiple episodes of TV content in a single session becomes a popular viewing pattern referred as binge-watching. Early studies defined binge-watching as a potentially addictive behavior showing characteristics similar to other behavioral addictions, such as loss of control and pleasure anticipation. This study aims to validate a short self-report questionnaire focused on assessing binge-watching behavior and determining whether it shows characteristics similar to addictive behavior, the Binge-Watching Addiction Questionnaire (BWAQ). An online survey was adopted to administer the questionnaire in the general population (N = 1277). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses assessed both the validity and the structure of the scale in two independent samples. The statistical analyses confirmed a four-factor model (i.e., “Craving”, “Dependency”, “Anticipation”, “Avoidance”) of the BWAQ with good psychometric properties. The BWAQ can differentiate between people who adopt maladaptive watching activities from those who use TV-series as leisure and entertainment activities. Therefore, this questionnaire may enable researchers to improve this emerging field of research significantly.


2021 ◽  
pp. 073428292110083
Author(s):  
Hansika Kapoor ◽  
Roni Reiter-Palmon ◽  
James C. Kaufman

The Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale (K-DOCS; Kaufman, J. C. (2012). Counting the muses: Development of the Kaufman domains of creativity scale (K-DOCS). Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 6(4), 298-308. doi:10.1037/a0029751) is a self-report assessment of five creative domains: Everyday, Scholarly, Performance, Scientific, and Artistic. This investigation was designed to reassess the factor structure of the K-DOCS, examine its measurement invariance across men and women, and develop norms across the five domains. Data on 22,013 American participants who had completed the assessment as part of past or ongoing studies between 2012 and 2020 were collated across multiple samples. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that both five- and nine-factor solutions had superior fit compared to a one-factor solution. The models were also gender invariant, indicating that creative domains were assessed similarly across male and female samples. Norms across gender and age-groups were provided to enable future comparisons in research settings; it is not recommended to use these norms in clinical or diagnostic contexts. The investigation concluded that the K-DOCS is a robust psychometric tool for the self-assessment of creativity across domains.


Author(s):  
Δέσποινα Λιάλιου ◽  
Γεράσιμος Μεσίρης ◽  
Αικατερίνη - Αθανασία Ραμαντάνη ◽  
Ιωάννης Τσαούσης

The aim of this study was the adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) in the Greek language. Particularly, we were interested in investigating the factor structure of the scale, using a non-clinical sample (N = 184), aged 16-80 years old. In order to investigate the factorial structure of the measure we used confirmatory factor analysis. We tested three different models: the one-factor model (all items loading on one general worry factor), the two-factor model (two independent factors: Worry Engagement and Absence of Worry), and the three-factor model. The results showed that the three-factor model fitted the Greek data better, confirming the results from previous studies which suggested that PSWQ is a uni-dimensional worry instrument, in spite the fact that method effects appear to be associated with positively and negatively keyed items. Finally, the instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency and mean inter-item correlations, which provide sound evidence regarding the consistency and homogeneity of the items in measuring the construct of worry.


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