The Development and Validation of the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH)

2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 949-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek

The objective of this research was to develop and validate the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH) as a generic screening measure and research tool for adults and adolescents. Several samples of both sexes were recruited ( N = 3,619). Their ages ranged between 15 and 71 years. The scale has two equivalent versions: Arabic and English. The ASMH comprises 40 brief statements plus 10 filler items. Principal components analysis yielded six components labeled: satisfaction, self-confidence, optimism, enjoyment, meaningful life, and stability. Item-remainder correlations ranged between .31 and .79. Reliabilities in these samples indicated good internal consistency (alphas = .94 to .96) and temporal stability (7- to 10-day test-retest r = .84 to .94). The ASMH significantly and positively correlated with measures of happiness, satisfaction with life, hope, optimism, love of life, and self-actualization, from which one salient component was identified. Therefore, initial convergent and factorial validities were adequate. Male undergraduates obtained a higher mean score than did both their female counterparts and male employed workers, but the effect size was small. It was concluded that the ASMH has good psychometric characteristics in its Arabic version. The English version merits investigation in a cross-cultural study.

2009 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 437-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek

The present aim was to construct and validate the Factorial Arabic Neuroticism Scale. Based on the scales developed by Eysenck, Cattell, and Guilford, the item pool consisted of 226 nonrepeated items. Five Ph.D. referees shortened the pool to 84 items. Then, the item-remainder correlation, the exclusion of the items with significant correlation with scores on Extraversion, and several cycles of factor analyses yielded 20 items representing the final version. The principal components analysis yielded two high-loaded factors of General Neuroticism and Sleep problems and tension. Reliability coefficients alpha ranged from .89 to .94 and between .81 and .91 for test-retest, indicating good internal consistency and temporal stability, respectively. Criterion-related validity ranged between .75 and .79 against scores on the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI–R. Females obtained significantly higher mean scores than males for three of six comparisons (by age) among school and university students ( N = 2,783). An English version is available. The scale may be recommended for use in research, especially on cross-cultural comparisons and for assessing the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy.


1995 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Sumerlin

Adaptation to homelessness was investigated in a sample of 145 street homeless men using loneliness and depression scales and the construct of self-actualization. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation of a matrix of correlations of measures on the history of being homeless, demographic data, scores on loneliness and depression scales, and self-actualization measures gave a 3-factor model of adjustment: adaptive striving, detachment, and adaptive resources. Maslow's and Sullivan's contention that satisfying interpersonal relationships are common pathways to mental health was affirmed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 371-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Compton

Principal components analyses were calculated with intercorrelations of scores on scales measuring mental health and the five-factor model of personality on a sample of 296 university students. Mental health was measured with Affect Balance scale, Happiness Measure, Satisfaction with Life scale, Life Orientation test, Short Index of Self-actualization, Social Interest scale, and the Self-control Schedule, along with subscales from Scales of Psychological Well-being, Openness to Experience scale, and the Perceived Self Questionnaire. The five-factor model was measured with the Interpersonal Adjective Scale Revised–B5. Separate analyses for both the traditional five-factor model and the expanded interpersonal circumplex model of personality gave six-factor solutions. Scores on scales measuring subjective well-being, openness, and social interest loaded on the same factors as Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness, respectively. Scales that measured autonomy and self-actualization formed a factor that was separate from the five-factor model.


Assessment ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve B. Carlson ◽  
Lynn C. Waelde ◽  
Patrick A. Palmieri ◽  
Kathryn S. Macia ◽  
Steven R. Smith ◽  
...  

The Dissociative Symptoms Scale (DSS) was developed to assess moderately severe levels of depersonalization, derealization, gaps in awareness or memory, and dissociative reexperiencing that would be relevant to a wide range of clinical populations. Structural analyses of data from four clinical and five nonclinical samples ( N = 1,600) yielded four factors that reflected the domains of interest and showed good fit with the data. Sample scores were consistent with expectations and showed very good internal consistency and temporal stability. Analyses showed consistent evidence of convergent and divergent validity, and posttrauma elevations in scores and in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder provided additional evidence of construct validity. Item response theory analyses indicated that the items assessed moderately severe dissociative experiences. Overall, the results provide support for the reliability and validity of DSS total and subscale scores in the populations studied. Further work is needed to evaluate the performance of the DSS relative to structured interview measures and in samples of patients with other psychological disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almut Rudolph ◽  
Michela Schröder-Abé ◽  
Astrid Schütz

Abstract. In five studies, we evaluated the psychometric properties of a revised German version of the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES; Heatherton & Polivy, 1991 ). In Study 1, the results of a confirmatory factor analysis on the original scale revealed poor model fit and poor construct validity in a student sample that resembled those in the literature; thus, a revised 15-item version was developed (i.e., the SSES-R) and thoroughly validated. Study 2 showed a valid three-factor structure (Performance, Social, and Appearance) and good internal consistency of the SSES-R. Correlations between subscales of trait and state SE empirically supported the scale’s construct validity. Temporal stability and intrapersonal sensitivity of the scale to naturally occurring events were investigated in Study 3. Intrapersonal sensitivity of the scale to experimentally induced changes in state SE was uncovered in Study 4 via social feedback (acceptance vs. rejection) and performance feedback (positive vs. negative). In Study 5, the scale’s interpersonal sensitivity was confirmed by comparing depressed and healthy individuals. Finally, the usefulness of the SSES-R was demonstrated by assessing SE instability as calculated from repeated measures of state SE.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng-Wei Wang ◽  
Wei-Hsin Lu ◽  
Yi-Lung Chen ◽  
Dian-Jeng Li ◽  
Yu-Ping Chang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a ‘public health emergency of international concern. Both worry and anxiety are the common psychological impact during the pandemic. The level of and determinants for worry and anxiety during COVID-19 are not well explored. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to explore the associations of demographic and environmental factors with worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety among people in Taiwan. METHODS In total, 1970 respondents were recruited through a Facebook advertisement and completed an online survey on worry toward COVID-19, general anxiety during the pandemic, and individual and environmental factors. RESULTS In total, 51.7% and 43.4% of respondents reported high levels of worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety, respectively. Worse self-rated mental health, lower self-confidence in COVID-19 management, and insufficient mental health resources were significantly associated with high levels of both worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety. Lower perceived confidence in COVID-19 management by the regional government was significantly associated with a higher level of worry toward COVID-19. Lower perceived social support was significantly associated with a higher level of general anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that high levels of worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety were prevalent during the disease outbreak. Multiple individual and environmental factors related to worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety were identified. CLINICALTRIAL


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 928-928
Author(s):  
Manuela E Faulhaber ◽  
Amie Zarling ◽  
Jeongeun Lee

Abstract Millions of American children under the age of 18 are being cared for by their grandparents and without the presence of the biological parents. The number of custodial grandfamilies has significantly increased over the last five years. Recent studies have shown that custodial grandparents (CPGs) are often facing specific challenges in life, such as lower emotional well-being, higher parenting burden and stress related to this unique situation. Despite these findings, few interventions take a strengths based approach to improve their mental health and resilience. We describe our efforts to address these issues by proposing intervention anchored in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), emphasizing the importance of acceptance of challenging circumstances outside of one’s control and promoting resilience among participants. The program consists of a web based ACT program with online coaching meetings, six common core sessions and six separate sessions for each age group over a time period of six months. This program is unique in the sense that it utilizes both individual and group session techniques to facilitate the learning process. Main active ingredients of this program are to promote effective coping strategies, to reduce parenting stress among grandparents and to increase life skills (i.e., decision-making, proactivity) among grandchildren. We are hypothesizing that participating in the ACT program will help CGPs to improve self-efficacy, emotional well-being, higher self-confidence, social competence, lower depressive symptoms, and parenting distress, thereby leading to positive outcomes such as improved mental health and higher resilience.


Author(s):  
Leo Sher

Abstract Parental alienation is defined as a mental state in which a child, usually one whose parents are engaged in a high-conflict separation or divorce, allies himself strongly with one parent (the preferred parent) and rejects a relationship with the other parent (the alienated parent) without legitimate justification. Parental alienation may affect men’s mental health: a) parental alienation negatively influences mental health of male children and adolescents who are victims of parental alienation. Alienated children/adolescents display guilt, sadness, and depressed mood; low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence; distress and frustration; lack of impulse control, substance abuse and delinquent behavior; separation anxiety, fears and phobias; hypochondria and increased tendency to develop psychosomatic illness; suicidal ideation and suicide attempt; sleep and eating disorders; educational problems; enuresis and encopresis; b) parental alienation negatively affects the mental health of adult men who were victims of parental alienation when they were children and/or adolescents. Long-term effects of parental alienation include low self-esteem, depression, drug/alcohol abuse, lack of trust, alienation from own children, divorce, problems with identity and not having a sense of belonging or roots, choosing not to have children to avoid being rejected by them, low achievement, anger and bitterness over the time lost with the alienated parent; c) parental alienation negatively influences mental health of men who are alienated from their children. Fathers who have lost some or all contact with their children for months or years following separation or divorce may be depressed and suicidal.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (14) ◽  
pp. 2389-2396 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stochl ◽  
E. Soneson ◽  
A.P. Wagner ◽  
G.M. Khandaker ◽  
I. Goodyer ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundAn increasing importance is being placed on mental health and wellbeing at individual and population levels. While there are several interventions that have been proposed to improve wellbeing, more evidence is needed to understand which aspects of wellbeing are most influential. This study aimed to identify key items that signal improvement of mental health and wellbeing.MethodsUsing network analysis, we identified the most central items in the graph network estimated from the well-established Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Results were compared across four major UK cohorts comprising a total of 47,578 individuals: the Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network, the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, the Northern Ireland Health Survey, and the National Child Development Study.ResultsRegardless of gender, the three items most central in the network were related to positive self-perception and mood: ‘I have been feeling good about myself’; ‘I have been feeling confident’; and ‘I have been feeling cheerful’. Results were consistent across all four cohorts.ConclusionsPositive self-perception and positive mood are central to psychological wellbeing. Psychotherapeutic and public mental health interventions might best promote psychological wellbeing by prioritising the improvement of self-esteem, self-confidence and cheerfulness. However, empirical testing of interventions using these key targets is needed.


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