scholarly journals The COVID-19 Family Stressor Scale: Validation and Measurement Invariance in Female and Male Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Prime ◽  
Mark Wade ◽  
Shealyn S. May ◽  
Jennifer M. Jenkins ◽  
Dillon T. Browne

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised significant concerns regarding the effect of social disruptions on parental mental health, family well-being, and children's adjustment. Due to the pace of the pandemic, measures of pandemic-related disruption have not been subject to rigorous empirical validation. To address this gap, a multi-national sample (United Kingdom, 76%; United States, 19%; Canada, 4%, and Australia, 1%) of 372 female caregivers and 158 male caregivers of 5–18-year-old children was recruited online. Participants completed a survey including a 25-item scale indexing disruption in finances, basic needs, personal and family welfare, career/education, household responsibilities, and family relationships related to the pandemic. An exploratory factor analysis yielded an optimal three-factor solution: factors included Income Stress (five items related to income, debt, and job loss; loadings ranged from 0.57 to 0.91), Family Stress (seven items related to family altercations and child management; loadings from 0.57 to 0.87), and Chaos Stress (four items related to access to supplies, crowded shopping areas, news coverage; loadings from 0.53 to 0.70). Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated measurement invariance of each factor across female and male caregivers, indicating that factor structure, loadings, and thresholds were equivalent across groups. Composites reflective of each factor were computed, and Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that female caregivers consistently scored higher than male caregivers on COVID-19 stressors related to income, family, and chaos. Finally, concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant bivariate correlations between each scale and caregiver, family, and child outcomes, respectively. This demonstrates the validity of the COVID-19 Family Stressor Scale for use with female and male caregivers in family-based research. The current sample was predominantly White-European, married/common-law, and had at least some post-secondary education. Additional sampling and validation efforts are required across diverse ethnic/racial and socioeconomic groups.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Prime ◽  
Mark Wade ◽  
Shealyn May ◽  
Jennifer Jenkins ◽  
Dillon Browne

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised significant concerns regarding the effect of social disruptions on parental mental health, family well-being, and children’s adjustment. Due to the pace of the pandemic, measures of pandemic-related disruption have not been subject to rigorous empirical validation. To address this gap, a multi-national sample (United Kingdom, 76%; United States, 19%; Canada, 4%, and Australia, 1%) of 372 female caregivers and 158 male caregivers of 5-18 year-old children was recruited online. Participants completed a survey including a 25-item scale indexing disruption in finances, basic needs, personal and family welfare, career/education, household responsibilities, and family relationships related to the pandemic. An exploratory factor analysis yielded an optimal three-factor solution: factors included Income Stress (5 items related to income, debt, and job loss; loadings ranged from .57 to .91), Family Stress (7 items related to family altercations and child management; loadings from .57 to .87), and Chaos Stress (4 items related to access to supplies, crowded shopping areas, news coverage; loadings from .53 to .70). Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated measurement invariance of each factor across female and male caregivers, indicating that factor structure, loadings, and thresholds were equivalent across groups. Composites reflective of each factor were computed, and paired samples t-tests showed that female caregivers consistently report higher levels of COVID-19 stress related to income, family, and chaos compared to male caregivers. Finally, concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant bivariate correlations between each scale and indicators of parental and child mental health and family relationships. This demonstrates validity of the COVID-19 Family Stressor Scale for use with female and male caregivers in family-based research. The current sample was predominantly White-European. Additional sampling and validation efforts are required in order to provide adequate description of racialized and minority communities at disproportionate risk of social consequences related to the pandemic.


Author(s):  
Wenjie Li ◽  
Linting Zhang ◽  
Ning Jia ◽  
Feng Kong

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities-Revised scale (HEMA-R) is one of the most extensively used instruments to assess how people pursue well-being. The main aims of the present research were to translate HEMA-R into Chinese and test its construct and predictive validity as well as measurement invariance across gender. In Study 1, we conducted confirmatory factor analysis with data containing 1090 Chinese undergraduates, and replicated the two-factor model which has been found in other studies. Furthermore, the measurement invariance across gender was supported throughout the multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Study 2 replicated these results and further found the HEMA-R had satisfactory predictive validity in measures of well-being, social support and smartphone addiction. All the findings indicate that the HEMA-R is reliable and valid to measure hedonic and eudaimonic motives, and it could be applied generally across gender in Chinese adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-450
Author(s):  
Rida Rehman ◽  
Tazvin Ijaz

Present study was conducted to develop and validate an Indigenous scale to assess the stressors experienced by obese people in different domains of their lives. Mixed method design and purposive sampling technique was used. A list of 29 items was generated after thorough review of the literature and from the details of the interviews conducted with the participants. Validation from expert clinical psychologists was obtained. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblimin rotation was run on a sample of 300 participants for current study. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate sample of 400 participants yielded a good model fit and validated three-factor structure with fit indices ? 2 = 807.45 (df = 320, N = 300), p < .05, RMSEA = .062, CFI = .91 and TLI = .88. The Cronbach alpha valuewas.86 indicating strong internal consistency of the scale. The distress and Well-being subscales of Mental Health Inventory were utilized to assess the convergent and divergent Validity which yielded positive and negative correlation respectively affirming Stressor Scale for Obese people as a valid construct. The study is an initial step to highlight and understand the stressors experienced by obese people and its severity level. This will help doctors and mental health professional to devise effective management of obesity.


Author(s):  
B. P. R. Perera ◽  
R. Jayasuriya ◽  
A. Caldera ◽  
A. R. Wickremasinghe

Abstract Purpose The WHO-5 well-being index is a widely used, short rating scale that measures subjective well-being. We translated the WHO-5 index into Sinhala and tested its psychometric properties including measurement invariance among diverse groups in a community sample in Sri Lanka. Methods The sample of 267 persons aged between 16 and 75 years was recruited from a semi-urban area. 219 completed a paper-based questionnaire and 48 responded to an online survey. Construct validity was tested for factorial validity (Confirmatory Factor Analysis -CFA), convergent validity and known group validity. Composite reliability for congeneric measures and test-retest reliability were also tested. Multi-group CFA (MG-CFA) was used to test measurement invariance. Results The translated Sinhala version demonstrated good content and face validity. Internal consistency reliability of the five items had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85 and test-retest reliability over 2 weeks was satisfactory (Pearson r = 0.72, p < 0.001, ICC = 0.82). Confirmatory factor analysis supported factorial validity with a $$ {\chi}_5^2 $$ χ 5 2 =4.99 (p = 0.28), a RMSEA of 0.03 (90% C.I. =0.00–0.10), a SRMR of 0.02, a TLI of 0.99 and a CFI of 0.99; factor loadings were between 0.55 and 0.89. Measurement invariance was acceptable for configural, metric and scalar invariance for gender. WHO-5 scores were significantly negatively correlated with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (Pearson’s r = − 0.45, p < 0.001) scores and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scores (Pearson’s r = − 0.56, p < 0.001). Conclusion The Sinhala translation of WHO-5 well-being index has shown acceptable psychometric properties and can be used for assessing mental well-being in the community in Sri Lanka. Further testing of the measure with larger and diverse (including different ethnic/cultural) groups are indicated to test measurement invariance of the measure.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tirth R Bhatta ◽  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Elizabeth Midlarsky

Abstract Background and Objectives Scholarly research has established the role of altruism in facilitating human cooperation and prosocial behaviors and highlighted its contribution to psychological well-being. Given the health significance of altruistic attitudes and orientations, we developed a valid and reliable measure of this construct that is suitable for use with older adults. Research Design and Methods Based on data from a long-term panel study on adaptation to frailty among older adults (n = 366; mean age = 86 years), we used confirmatory factor analysis to perform construct validation of a five-item Elderly Care Research Center (ECRC) Altruism Scale among older adults (e.g., “Seeing others prosper makes me happy”). Moreover, we examined the invariance of the scale’s factor structure across time and gender using nested models. Results Composite reliability (coefficient omega = 0.78), factor loadings (&gt;0.45 with eigenvalue = 2.84) from exploratory factor analysis, and model fit indices (e.g., comparative fit index = 0.999) from confirmatory factor analysis suggest a single factor, supporting a unidimensional reliable construct of altruistic orientation at baseline. The results provided support for configural, metric, and scalar invariance across time. Findings pertaining to measurement invariance across gender confirmed full configural invariance but only offered support for partial metric, scalar, and residual invariance at baseline. Strong correlations among the altruism scale, salient personality traits, psychological well-being, religiosity, and meaning in life help establish construct validity. Discussion and Implications The availability of a reliable and valid measure of altruistic attitudes enables a comprehensive evaluation of altruism’s influence on later-life health and well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Saeed Abdullah AL-Dossary

The flourishing Scale (FS) is a measure of overall life well-being. The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Arabic version of the FS in the Saudi Arabian context. Data was collected from two samples: 969 students at two universities and 299 full-time employees working in multiple sectors. Internal consistency of the FS was examined by calculating Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha coefficient to test relaibility. To evaluate convergent and discriminant validity, the FS was compared with other measures of well-being, happiness, and depression. In order to examine the factor structure and the measurement invariance of the FS across study samples, confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis were performed. The FS showed good internal reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Results also provided support for a one-factor and an invariant structure of the FS. Taken together, these results suggest that the FS Arabic version is a reliable and valid measure for the Arabic cultural context.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Mankin ◽  
Nathaniel von der Embse ◽  
Tyler L. Renshaw ◽  
Shannon Ryan

Previous research demonstrates that there is an association between effective teaching and teachers’ positive psychological functioning at work. The current study explores the factor structure of the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (TSWQ), which is a brief measure of two key dimensions of teachers’ positive psychological functioning: school connectedness and teaching efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on TSWQ responses from a sample of 1,883 teachers across eight states, with results suggesting that the TSWQ is a structurally valid measure of its two purported teacher well-being constructs. Furthermore, measurement invariance analyses reveal that the factor structure of the TSWQ stays consistent across elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Taken together, findings from the current study further support the technical adequacy and, by extension, the applied use of the TSWQ in schools to screen for intervention, measure outcomes, and monitor progress.


2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Jak

To make valid comparisons across countries, a measurement instrument needs to be measurement invariant across countries. The present article provides a nontechnical exposition of a recently proposed multilevel factor analysis approach to test measurement invariance across countries. It is explained that strong factorial invariance across countries implies equal factor loadings across levels and zero residual variance at the country level in a two-level factor model. Using two-level factor analysis, the decomposition of the variance at each level can be investigated, measurement invariance can be tested, and country-level variables can be added to explain differences in the common or residual factors. The approach is illustrated using two examples. The first example features data about well-being from the European Social Survey and the second example uses data about mathematical ability from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study. The input-files and annotated output-files for both examples are provided in the supplementary files.


GeroPsych ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence M. Solberg ◽  
Lauren B. Solberg ◽  
Emily N. Peterson

Stress in caregivers may affect the healthcare recipients receive. We examined the impact of stress experienced by 45 adult caregivers of their elderly demented parents. The participants completed a 32-item questionnaire about the impact of experienced stress. The questionnaire also asked about interventions that might help to reduce the impact of stress. After exploratory factor analysis, we reduced the 32-item questionnaire to 13 items. Results indicated that caregivers experienced stress, anxiety, and sadness. Also, emotional, but not financial or professional, well-being was significantly impacted. There was no significant difference between the impact of caregiver stress on members from the sandwich generation and those from the nonsandwich generation. Meeting with a social worker for resource availability was identified most frequently as a potentially helpful intervention for coping with the impact of stress.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 352-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Bonino ◽  
Federica Graziano ◽  
Martina Borghi ◽  
Davide Marengo ◽  
Giorgia Molinengo ◽  
...  

Abstract. This research developed a new scale to evaluate Self-Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis (SEMS). The aim of this study was to investigate dimensionality, item functioning, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity of the SEMS scale. Data were collected from 203 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (mean age, 39.5 years; 66% women; 95% having a relapsing remitting form of MS). Fifteen items of the SEMS scale were submitted to patients along with measures of psychological well-being, sense of coherence, depression, and coping strategies. Data underwent Rasch analysis and correlation analysis. Rasch analysis indicates the SEMS as a multidimensional construct characterized by two correlated dimensions: goal setting and symptom management, with satisfactory reliability coefficients. Overall, the 15 items reported acceptable fit statistics; the scale demonstrated measurement invariance (with respect to gender and disease duration) and good concurrent validity (positive correlations with psychological well-being, sense of coherence, and coping strategies and negative correlations with depression). Preliminary evidence suggests that SEMS is a psychometrically sound measure to evaluate perceived self-efficacy of MS patients with moderate disability, and it would be a valuable instrument for both research and clinical applications.


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