scholarly journals Latent Structure of Scores From the Emotional and Behavioral Screener

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Lambert ◽  
Stacy-Ann A. January ◽  
Corey D. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Internalizing Behaviors ◽  
Latent Structure ◽  
Behavioral Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Technical Adequacy ◽  
Universal Screener ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Bifactor Models ◽  
Brief Screening

The Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS) is a recently developed teacher-reported brief screening instrument for identifying students who are at-risk of an emotional or behavioral disorder (EBD). Although prior research supports the technical adequacy of scores from the EBS, there is a gap in the literature regarding strong evidence of the factor structure underlying EBS scores. This study investigated the latent structure of scores from the EBS in a sample of 646 elementary students who were rated by their teachers in a 2-week screening period. Single-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bifactor models were used to test the hypothesis that EBS scores are a measure of both overall emotional and behavioral risk and students’ externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results supported a bifactor structure, in that scores from the EBS can be considered to represent a general factor (i.e., risk of EBD) and two group factors (i.e., externalizing and internalizing domains). Findings have implications for interpreting scores when using the EBS as a universal screener for the risk of EBD.

scholarly journals Sensory and affective components of symptom perception

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. jep.059716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Walentynowicz ◽  
Michael Witthöft ◽  
Filip Raes ◽  
Ilse Van Diest ◽  
Omer Van den Bergh
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Bifactor Model ◽  
Latent Structure ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Symptom Perception ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Affective Components ◽  
Psychometric Studies

Psychological accounts of symptom perception put forward that symptom experiences consist of sensory-perceptual and affective-motivational components. This division is also suggested by psychometric studies investigating the latent structure of symptom reporting. To corroborate the view that the general and symptom-specific factors of a bifactor model represent affective and sensory components, respectively, we performed bifactor models applying confirmatory factor analytic approaches to the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and the Checklist for Symptoms in Daily Life completed by 1053 undergraduate students. Additionally, we explored the association of latent factors with negative affectivity (NA). For both questionnaires, a bifactor model with one general and several symptom-specific factors revealed the best fit to the data. NA yielded large associations with the general factor, but smaller ones with somatic symptom-specific factors in both questionnaires. The observed latent structure supports a distinction between sensory-perceptual and affective-motivational components, and the association between the NA and the general factor confirms the affective tone of the latter.

scholarly journals A New Story on the Multidimensionality of the MSPSS: Validity of the Internal Structure through Bifactor ESEM

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 935
Author(s):  
César Merino-Soto ◽  
Alicia Boluarte Carbajal ◽  
Filiberto Toledano-Toledano ◽  
Laura A. Nabors ◽  
Miguel Ángel Núñez-Benítez
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Bifactor Models ◽  
Correlated Factors

The internal structure of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) in adolescents has been evaluated with some factorial analysis methodologies but not with bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and possibly the inconsistency in the internal structure was dependent on these approaches. The objective of the study was to update evidence regarding its internal structure of MSPSS, by means of a detailed examination of its multidimensionality The participants were 460 adolescents from an educational institution in the Callao region, Lima, Peru. The structure was modeled using unidimensional, three-factor and bifactor models with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and ESEM approaches. The models showed good levels of fit, with the exception of the unidimensional model; however, the multidimensionality indicators supported the superiority of the bifactor ESEM. In contrast, the general factor was not strong enough, and the interfactorial correlations were substantially lower. It is concluded that the MSPSS can be interpreted by independent but moderately correlated factors, and there is possible systematic variance that potentially prevented the identification of a general factor.

Examining the Latent Structure of the BASC-3 BESS Parent Preschool Form

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Dowdy ◽  
Christine DiStefano ◽  
Fred Greer ◽  
Stephanie Moore ◽  
Kelvin Pompey
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Latent Structure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
School Based ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Future Research Directions

Screening for emotional and behavioral risk at the preschool level provides an opportunity to inform early intervention and prevention efforts. This study reports initial validation information for the Behavioral Assessment System for Children–Third Edition, Behavioral and Emotional Screening System, Parent Form–Preschool (BASC-3 BESS Parent-P). Using an Integrative Data Analysis framework, the BASC-3 BESS Parent-P latent structure was investigated using the norming sample from the BASC-3 ( n = 459) as well as two randomly split samples from the BASC-2 norming sample (development sample n = 770; validation sample n = 799). Five models were tested using confirmatory factor analyses; findings suggested a four-factor oblique solution, including Internalizing Risk, Externalizing Risk, Adaptive Skills, and Attention Problems factors. Future research directions and use in school-based screening applications are presented.

Measurement Invariance of a Universal Behavioral Screener Across Samples From the USA and Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Casale ◽  
Robert J. Volpe ◽  
Brian Daniels ◽  
Thomas Hennemann ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
School Based ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Universal Screener ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. The current study examines the item and scalar equivalence of an abbreviated school-based universal screener that was cross-culturally translated and adapted from English into German. The instrument was designed to assess student behavior problems that impact classroom learning. Participants were 1,346 K-6 grade students from the US (n = 390, Mage = 9.23, 38.5% female) and Germany (n = 956, Mage = 8.04, 40.1% female). Measurement invariance was tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across students from the US and Germany. Results support full scalar invariance between students from the US and Germany (df = 266, χ2 = 790.141, Δχ2 = 6.9, p < .001, CFI = 0.976, ΔCFI = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.052, ΔRMSEA = −0.003) indicating that the factor structure, the factor loadings, and the item thresholds are comparable across samples. This finding implies that a full cross-cultural comparison including latent factor means and structural coefficients between the US and the German version of the abbreviated screener is possible. Therefore, the tool can be used in German schools as well as for cross-cultural research purposes between the US and Germany.

scholarly journals How Specific Are Learning Disabilities?

2021 ◽  
pp. 002221942098298
Author(s):  
Robin L. Peterson ◽  
Lauren M. McGrath ◽  
Erik G. Willcutt ◽  
Janice M. Keenan ◽  
Richard K. Olson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Written Expression ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Math Problem Solving ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Bifactor Models ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Specific Learning

Despite historical emphasis on “specific” learning disabilities (SLDs), academic skills are strongly correlated across the curriculum. Thus, one can ask how specific SLDs truly are. To answer this question, we used bifactor models to identify variance shared across academic domains (academic g), as well as variance unique to reading, mathematics, and writing. Participants included 686 children aged 8 to 16. Although the sample was overselected for learning disabilities, we intentionally included children across the full range of individual differences in this study in response to growing recognition that a dimensional, quantitative view of SLD is more accurate than a categorical view. Confirmatory factor analysis identified five academic domains (basic reading, reading comprehension, basic math, math problem-solving, and written expression); spelling clustered with basic reading and not writing. In the bifactor model, all measures loaded significantly on academic g. Basic reading and mathematics maintained variance distinct from academic g, consistent with the notion of SLDs in these domains. Writing did not maintain specific variance apart from academic g, and evidence for reading comprehension-specific variance was mixed. Academic g was strongly correlated with cognitive g ( r = .72) but not identical to it. Implications for SLD diagnosis are discussed.

Technical Adequacy of the Positive Experiences at School Scale With Adolescents

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler L. Renshaw
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Technical Adequacy ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Black African ◽  
Means Testing ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Scale Characteristics ◽  
Current Sample

The present study reports on an investigation of the generalizability of the technical adequacy of the Positive Experience at School Scale (PEASS) with a sample of students ( N = 1,002) who differed substantially in age/grade level (i.e., adolescents in middle school as opposed to children in elementary school) and ethnic identity (i.e., majority Black/African American as opposed to majority Latino/a) in comparison with the measure’s primary development sample. Findings from confirmatory factor analyses indicated the original latent structure of the PEASS was tenable in the current sample and that the measure was invariant across gender and grade level, with some small demographic differences identified via latent means testing. Additional psychometric findings regarding the technical adequacy of the PEASS with this sample, including its observed scale characteristics and simulated classification utility with criterion measures of academic self-efficacy and school connectedness, are also presented. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Riskier Tests of the Validity of Bifactor Models of Psychopathology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley L. Watts ◽  
Holly Poore ◽  
Irwin Waldman
Keyword(s):  
Community Sample ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Bifactor Models ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Psychopathology Symptom ◽  
Using Data ◽  
P Factor ◽  
Correlated Factors ◽  
Additional Variance

We advanced several “riskier tests” of the validity of bifactor models of psychopathology, which included that the general and specific factors should be reliable and well-represented by their indicators, and that including a general factor should improve the correlated factor model’s external validity. We compared bifactor and correlated factors models using data from a community sample of youth (N=2498) whose parents provided ratings on psychopathology and external criteria (i.e., temperament, aggression, antisociality). Bifactor models tended to yield either general or specific factors that were unstable and difficult to interpret. The general factor appeared to reflect a differentially-weighted amalgam of psychopathology rather than a liability for psychopathology broadly construed. With rare exceptions, bifactor models did not explain additional variance in psychopathology symptom dimensions or external criteria compared with correlated factors models. Together, our findings call into question the validity of bifactor models of psychopathology, and the p-factor more broadly.

Giving G a Meaning: An Application of the Bifactor-(S-1) Approach to Realize a More Symptom-Oriented Modeling of the Beck Depression Inventory–II

Assessment ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1429-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Heinrich ◽  
Pavle Zagorscak ◽  
Michael Eid ◽  
Christine Knaevelsrud
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Beck Depression Inventory ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
First Order ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Bifactor Models ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Analysis Models

The Beck Depression Inventory–II is one of the most frequently used scales to assess depressive burden. Despite many psychometric evaluations, its factor structure is still a topic of debate. An increasing number of articles using fully symmetrical bifactor models have been published recently. However, they all produce anomalous results, which lead to psychometric and interpretational difficulties. To avoid anomalous results, the bifactor-(S-1) approach has recently been proposed as alternative for fitting bifactor structures. The current article compares the applicability of fully symmetrical bifactor models and symptom-oriented bifactor-(S-1) and first-order confirmatory factor analysis models in a large clinical sample ( N = 3,279) of adults. The results suggest that bifactor-(S-1) models are preferable when bifactor structures are of interest, since they reduce problematic results observed in fully symmetrical bifactor models and give the G factor an unambiguous meaning. Otherwise, symptom-oriented first-order confirmatory factor analysis models present a reasonable alternative.

Revisiting the Structure of the Short Dark Triad

Assessment ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn N. Persson ◽  
Petri J. Kajonius ◽  
Danilo Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Dark Triad ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Factor Loadings ◽  
The Past ◽  
S Factor ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Best Fitting ◽  
Fitting Model

In the past decade, extensive interest has been directed toward the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), popularly assessed by the Short Dark Triad (SD3). Nevertheless, relatively little research has been conducted on the SD3’s factor structure. We investigated the SD3’s psychometric properties in three studies with three independent samples, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses ( N1 = 1,487; N2 = 17,740; N3 = 496). In all three studies, Machiavellianism and psychopathy items displayed large general factor loadings, and narcissism larger specific factor loadings. In subsequent studies, two- and three-factor models fitted the data similarly, with the best fitting model being a bifactor model with items from Machiavellianism and psychopathy modelled as one specific factor, and narcissism as a second specific factor. On this basis, we suggest that the SD3 does not seem to capture the different mental processes theorized to underlie the similar behaviors generated by Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Additionally, we recommend the use of a single SD3 composite score, and not subscale scores, as subscales contain small amounts of reliable variance beyond the general factor.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document