scholarly journals Are we measuring loneliness in the same way in men and women in the general population and in the older population? Two studies of measurement equivalence.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Victor Pollet ◽  
Alexandra Thompson ◽  
Connor Malcolm ◽  
Kris McCarty ◽  
Tamsin Saxton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Loneliness Scale ◽  
Wide Circle ◽  
Best Fitting ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Gender

Background: High levels of loneliness are associated with negative health outcomes and there are several different types of intervention targeted at reducing feelings of loneliness. It is therefore important to accurately measure loneliness. A key unresolved debate in the conceptualisation and measurement of loneliness is whether it has a unidimensional or multidimensional structure. One of the most widely used scales to measure loneliness is the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The aim of this study was to examine the dimensional structure of this scale and establish whether this factorial structure is equivalent in men and women. Methods and Sample: Two online UK-based samples were recruited using Prolific. The participants in Study 1 were 492 adults, selected to be nationally representative by age and gender, whilst the participants in Study 2 were 290 older adults aged over 64. In both studies, participants completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale (version 3) as part of a larger project. Results: In both studies, the best fitting model was one with three factors corresponding to Isolation, Relational Connectedness and Collective Connectedness. A unidimensional single factor model was a substantially worse fit in both studies. In both studies, there were no meaningful differences between men and women in any of the three factors, suggesting measurement invariance across genders. Conclusion: The findings of this study are consistent with previous research in supporting a multidimensional, three factor structure to the UCLA scale, rather than a unidimensional structure. Further, the measurement invariance across genders suggests that the UCLA scale can be used to compare levels of loneliness across men and women. Overall the results suggest that loneliness has different facets and that people can be satisfied with some aspects of their social relationships (e.g. a wide circle of friends), whilst dissatisfied with others (e.g. lack of emotionally close relationships). Thus future research on loneliness should consider treating the UCLA loneliness scale as a multidimensional scale, or using other scales which are designed to measure the different aspects of loneliness.

scholarly journals Elucidating the Relationship Between Insomnia, Sex, and Cardiovascular Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 247028972098001
Author(s):  
Rebecca Leeds ◽  
Ari Shechter ◽  
Carmela Alcantara ◽  
Brooke Aggarwal ◽  
John Usseglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sex Research ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cvd Mortality

Sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality have been attributed to differences in pathophysiology between men and women and to disparities in CVD management that disproportionately affect women compared to men. Similarly, there has been investigation of differences in the prevalence and presentation of insomnia attributable to sex. Few studies have examined how sex and insomnia interact to influence CVD outcomes, however. In this review, we summarize the literature on sex-specific differences in the prevalence and presentation of insomnia as well as existing research regarding the relationship between insomnia and CVD outcomes as it pertains to sex. Research to date indicate that women are more likely to have insomnia than men, and there appear to be differential associations in the relation between insomnia and CVD by sex. We posit potential mechanisms of the relationship between sex, insomnia and CVD, discuss gaps in the existing literature, and provide commentary on future research needed in this area. Unraveling the complex relations between sex, insomnia, and CVD may help to explain sex-specific differences in CVD, and identify sex-specific strategies for promotion of cardiovascular health. Throughout this review, terms “men” and “women” are used as they are in the source literature, which does not differentiate between sex and gender. The implications of this are also discussed.

Cultural Effects on Technology Performance and Utilization

2011 ◽  
pp. 245-276
Author(s):  
Susan K. Lippert ◽  
John A. Volkmar
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Implementation ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
It Adoption ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Cultural Effects ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Acceptance Model

Research to date on information technology (IT) adoption has focused primarily on homogeneous single country samples. This study integrates the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Hofstede’s (1980, 1983) Masculinity/Femininity (MAS-FEM) work value dimension to focus instead on post adoption attitudes and behaviors among a mixed gender sample of 366 United States and Canadian users of a specialized supply chain IT. We test 11 hypotheses about attitudes towards IT within and between subgroups of users classified by nationality and gender. Consistent with the national MAS-FEM scores and contrary to the conventional consideration of the U.S. and Canada as a unitary homogenous cultural unit, we found significant differences between U.S. men and women, but not between Canadian men and women. These results support the importance of the MAS-FEM dimension—independent of gender—on user attitudes and help to clarify the relationship between culture and gender effects. Implications for managers responsible for technology implementation and management are discussed and directions for future research are offered.

Reliability, Validity, Factor Structure, and Measurement Invariance of the Japanese Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS)

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-349
Author(s):  
Fumio Someki ◽  
Masafumi Ohnishi ◽  
Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson ◽  
Kazuhiko Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
North American ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Scalar Invariance ◽  
Adhd Rating Scales

To examine reliability, validity, factor structure, and measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric, and scalar invariance) of the Japanese Conners’ Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Rating Scales (CAARS), Japanese nonclinical adults ( N = 786) completed the CAARS Self-Report (CAARS-S). Each participant was also rated by one observer using the CAARS Observer Form (CAARS-O). For the test of measurement invariance, excerpts from the original (North American) CAARS norming data ( N = 500) were used. Dimensional structure was examined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Test–retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were satisfactory. Based on the DSM-IV model and Japanese four-factor model, configural and metric invariance were established for the CAARS-S/O across Japanese and North American populations. Scalar invariance was established for the CAARS-O based on the Japanese model. The use of the Japanese CAARS for diagnostic purposes in Japan was supported; however, it should be used with caution for cross-cultural comparison research.

scholarly journals A latent class analysis of attitudes concerning the acceptability of intimate partner violence in rural Senegal

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sandberg ◽  
Rosalind Fennell ◽  
Yacine Boujija ◽  
Laetitia Douillot ◽  
Valerie Delaunay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
Measurement Strategies

Abstract Background Research concerning the causes and consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly in less developed areas of the world, has become prominent in the last two decades. Although a number of potential causal factors have been investigated the current consensus is that attitudes toward IPV on the individual level, likely representing perceptions of normative behavior, and the normative acceptability of IPV on the aggregate level likely play key roles. Measurement of both is generally approached through either binary indicators of acceptability of any type of IPV or additive composite indexes of multiple indicators. Both strategies imply untested assumptions which potentially have important implications for both research into the causes and consequences of IPV as well as interventions aimed to reduce its prevalence. Methods Using survey data from rural Senegal collected in 2014, this analysis estimates latent class measurement models of attitudes concerning the acceptability of IPV. We investigate the dimensional structure of IPV ideation and test the parallel indicator assumption implicit in common measurement strategies, as well as structural and measurement invariance between men and women. Results We find that a two-class model of the acceptability of IPV in which the conditional probability of class membership is allowed to vary between the sexes is preferred for both men and women. Though the assumption of structural invariance between men and women is supported, measurement invariance and the assumption of parallel indicators (or equivalence of indicators used) are not. Conclusions Measurement strategies conventionally used to operationalize the acceptability of IPV, key to modeling perceptions of norms around IPV, are a poor fit to the data used here. Research concerning the measurement characteristics of IPV acceptability is a precondition for adequate investigation of its causes and consequences, as well as for intervention efforts aimed at reducing or eliminating IPV.

Bryant’s Empathy Index: Structure and Measurement Invariance across Gender in a Sample of Primary School-Aged Children

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Lucas-Molina ◽  
Alicia Pérez-Albéniz ◽  
Marta Giménez-Dasí ◽  
Gema Martín-Seoane
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Index Structure ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Three Factor

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the dimensional structure and measurement invariance of Bryant’s Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) (Bryant, 1982) across gender in a representative sample of primary school-aged children in Spain. The sample consisted of 2,050 children (50.80% girls), with a mean age of 9.80 years (SD = 1.24), recruited from 27 primary schools. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The model that presented the best fit indices was Lasa, Holgado, Carrasco, and del Barrio’s (2008) three-factor model: Understanding Feelings, Feelings of Sadness, and Tearful Reaction. The levels of internal consistency for the subscales ranged from .76 to .83. In addition, the results partially support the measurement invariance of the IECA across gender. When the latent means of the empathy dimensions were compared across gender, statistically significant differences were found. These results coincide with those found in the literature showing the multidimensionality of the IECA. Specifically, the findings support its three-factor structure and its invariance across gender, making it a very useful instrument for exploring the expression of empathy in primary school children.

Impact of the Protection and Advocacy Subscale on the Factorial Validity of the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karrie A. Shogren ◽  
Hyojeong Seo ◽  
Michael L. Wehmeyer ◽  
James R. Thompson ◽  
Todd D. Little
Keyword(s):  
Factor Model ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Factorial Validity ◽  
Intensity Scale ◽  
Transition Age ◽  
Supports Intensity Scale ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Home Living

Abstract The Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version is a standardized assessment of support needs. This study examined the factorial validity of the standardized portion of the scale, finding that the six-factor model (Home Living, Community Living, Lifelong Learning, Employment, Health and Safety, Social Activities) demonstrated good fit, and that the inclusion of the Protection and Advocacy Scale did not affect fit and contributed unique information. Age and gender impacted intensity of support needs, with those of transition age and in late adulthood having the highest intensities. Gender also impacted support needs, but in fewer instances. Implications for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Measurement invariance of the Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I) across language, rheumatic disease and gender

2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Belia Kool ◽  
Rens van de Schoot ◽  
Isabel López-Chicheri García ◽  
Ricarda Mewes ◽  
José A P Da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatic Disease ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Rheumatic Diseases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Multiple Group ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
And Gender

ObjectivesThe Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I) assesses patients’ perception of responses of others that are perceived as denying, lecturing, not supporting and not acknowledging the condition of the patient. It includes two factors: ‘discounting’ and ‘lack of understanding’. In order to use the 3*I to compare and pool scores across groups and countries, the questionnaire must have measurement invariance; that is, it should measure identical concepts with the same factor structure across groups. The aim of this study was to examine measurement invariance of the 3*I across rheumatic diseases, gender and languages.MethodsParticipants with rheumatic disease from various countries completed an online study using the 3*I, which was presented in Dutch, English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish; 6057 people with rheumatic diseases participated. Single and multiple group confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the 3*I with Mplus.ResultsThe model with strong measurement invariance, that is, equal factor loadings and thresholds (distribution cut-points) across gender and rheumatic disease (fibromyalgia vs other rheumatic diseases) had the best fit estimates for the Dutch version, and good fit estimates across the six language versions.ConclusionsThe 3*I showed measurement invariance across gender, rheumatic disease and language. Therefore, it is appropriate to compare and pool scores of the 3*I across groups. Future research may use the questionnaire to examine antecedents and consequences of invalidation as well as the effect of treatments targeting invalidation.

scholarly journals Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Irrational Procrastination Scale: Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance Across Gender

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Shaw ◽  
Jennifer J. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Convergent And Divergent Validity ◽  
The One ◽  
Internal Construct Validity

The present paper reports on the preliminary validation of a Chinese version of Steel’s Irrational Procrastination Scale (IPS). To this end, the nine items of the IPS were translated into Chinese and data were collected from a sample of 2,361 mainland Chinese college students. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the dimensional structure of the IPS, and multigroup CFA (MG CFA) was carried out to evaluate the measurement invariance across gender. Results revealed that the Chinese IPS had adequate internal consistency reliability, adhered to the one-factor structure, and exhibited strong or scalar invariance across the two gender subgroups, thereby providing support for the internal construct validity of the scale. Additionally, the IPS scores were found to be strongly and negatively related to the Conscientiousness personality trait while showing weak correlations with the other traits, which provided some support for the convergent and divergent validity of the Chinese IPS. Study limitations and future research directions (e.g., expanding the empirical evidence for the scale’s criterion-related validity) are discussed.

scholarly journals Psychometric properties of the Valuing Questionnaire in a Spaniard sample and factorial equivalence with a Colombian sample

PeerJ ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. e12670
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Ruiz ◽  
Paula Odriozola-González ◽  
Juan C. Suárez-Falcón ◽  
Miguel A. Segura-Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Experiential Avoidance ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Spanish Version ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Fusion ◽  
And Gender

Background The Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) is considered as one of the most psychometrically robust instruments to measure valued living according to the acceptance and commitment therapy model. It consists of 10 items that are responded to on a 7-point Likert-type scale and has two factors: Progression and Obstruction. The Spanish version of the VQ showed good psychometric properties in Colombian samples. However, there is no evidence of the psychometric properties of the VQ in Spaniard samples. This study aims to analyze the validity of the VQ in a large Spaniard sample and analyze the measurement invariance with a similar Colombian sample. Method The VQ was administered to a Spaniard sample of 846 adult participants from general online population. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega were computed to analyze the internal consistency of the VQ. The fit of the VQ’s two-factor model was tested through a confirmatory factor analysis with a robust maximum likelihood (MLR) estimation method. Afterward, we analyzed the measurement invariance across countries and gender. Convergent construct validity was analyzed with a package of questionnaires that evaluated experiential avoidance (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, AAQ-II), emotional symptoms (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, DASS-21), life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS), and cognitive fusion (Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, CFQ). Results The internal consistency across samples was adequate (alphas and omegas were .85 for VQ-Progress and .84 for VQ-Obstruction). The two-factor model obtained a good fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.073, 90% CI [0.063, 0.083], CFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.97, and SRMR = 0.053). The VQ showed strict invariance across countries and gender and showed theoretically coherent correlations with emotional symptoms, life satisfaction, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the VQ demonstrated good psychometric properties in a large Spaniard sample.

Genital Self-Image and Aesthetic Genital Surgeries: Novel Perspectives Across the Cisgender and Transgender Spectrum

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Gender Dysphoria ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Patient Reported Measures ◽  
Transgender Men

Abstract Genital focused body image concerns or negative genital self-image is a common experience across the gender spectrum, including cisgender and transgender populations. Such concerns can result in lower psychological and sexual well-being. In this article, it is proposed that the development of genital self-image concerns may be partly explained by the theoretical framework of cisgenderism. This theory proposes that there are only two genders – men and women – and these are dictated solely by the appearance of the genitals. Any deviation from these two categories can result in discrimination, which particularly impacts transgender individuals. An increasing number of cisgender and transgender people are seeking out aesthetic genital procedures to alleviate genital self-image concerns (and gender dysphoria in transgender populations). The growing body of research suggests that cisgender and transgender men and women are relatively satisfied with the results of their genital procedures. However, this research is limited by a lack of standardized and validated patient-reported measures to evaluate surgical outcomes. Furthermore, despite negative genital self-image being a key motivator for surgery, it is often not included as an outcome measure. In this article, recommendations are proposed for conducting higher quality evaluation studies of aesthetic genital procedures in cisgender and transgender populations. Moreover, future research and clinical directions are suggested to assist transgender men and women who choose not to undergo genital gender confirmation surgery. The vast majority of transgender individuals do not have this surgery and so are in great need of support in managing their gender dysphoria and negative genital self-image.

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