The Unified Narcissism Scale: Moving towards an integrated measure of narcissism

Narcissism as a psychological construct has had a contentious past both in its conceptualization and measurement. There is an emerging consensus that narcissism consists of grandiose and vulnerable subtypes, which share a common core. In the present research (N = 1002), we constructed a new measure of unified narcissism that reflects these contemporary understandings using items from the most widely used measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Terry, 1988, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.890), and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus et al., 2009, https://doi-org/10.1037/a0016530). We used classical test theory and item response theory approaches to devise a 29-item Unified Narcissism Scale. The scale showed good internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity, and showed evidence of measurement invariance between men and women. This research gave strong support for the structure, reliability, and validity of the unified measure, which offers a promising avenue for further enhancing our knowledge of narcissism.

Collision-Aware Routing Using Multi-Objective Seagull Optimization Algorithm for WSN-Based IoT

In recent trends, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become popular because of their cost, simple structure, reliability, and developments in the communication field. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnection of everyday objects and sharing of information through the Internet. Congestion in networks leads to transmission delays and packet loss and causes wastage of time and energy on recovery. The routing protocols are adaptive to the congestion status of the network, which can greatly improve the network performance. In this research, collision-aware routing using the multi-objective seagull optimization algorithm (CAR-MOSOA) is designed to meet the efficiency of a scalable WSN. The proposed protocol exploits the clustering process to choose cluster heads to transfer the data from source to endpoint, thus forming a scalable network, and improves the performance of the CAR-MOSOA protocol. The proposed CAR-MOSOA is simulated and examined using the NS-2.34 simulator due to its modularity and inexpensiveness. The results of the CAR-MOSOA are comprehensively investigated with existing algorithms such as fully distributed energy-aware multi-level (FDEAM) routing, energy-efficient optimal multi-path routing protocol (EOMR), tunicate swarm grey wolf optimization (TSGWO), and CoAP simple congestion control/advanced (CoCoA). The simulation results of the proposed CAR-MOSOA for 400 nodes are as follows: energy consumption, 33 J; end-to-end delay, 29 s; packet delivery ratio, 95%; and network lifetime, 973 s, which are improved compared to the FDEAM, EOMR, TSGWO, and CoCoA.

Assessment of Counseling Self-Efficacy: Validation of the German Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales-Revised

Background: Many authors regard counseling self-efficacy (CSE) as important in therapist development and training. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the German version of the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales-Revised (CASES-R).Method: The sample consisted of 670 German psychotherapy trainees, who completed an online survey. We examined the factor structure by applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to the instrument as a whole.Results: A bifactor-exploratory structural equation modeling model with one general and five specific factors provided the best fit to the data. Omega hierarchical coefficients indicated optimal reliability for the general factor, acceptable reliability for the Action Skills-Revised (AS-R) factor, and insufficient estimates for the remaining factors. The CASES-R scales yielded significant correlations with related measures, but also with therapeutic orientations.Conclusion: We found support for the reliability and validity of the German CASES-R. However, the subdomains (except AS-R) should be interpreted with caution, and we do not recommend the CASES-R for comparisons between psychotherapeutic orientations.

Mattering and Anti-Mattering in Emotion Regulation and Life Satisfaction: A Mediational Analysis of Stress and Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current study focused primarily on the associations that feelings of not mattering have with life satisfaction, stress, and distress among students trying to cope with the uncertain and novel circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 350 University students from Italy completed measures that included the General Mattering Scale and the Anti-Mattering Scale, as well as measures of self-esteem, difficulties in emotion regulation, life satisfaction, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression. Psychometric analyses confirmed the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the General Mattering Scale and the Anti-Mattering Scale. As expected, feelings of not mattering were associated with lower life satisfaction as well as with greater reported difficulties in emotion regulation, stress, and distress. Mattering and self-esteem were both unique predictors of levels of life satisfaction during the pandemic. The results of mediational analyses suggested that individuals who feel as though they do not matter may be especially vulnerable to stress, depression, and anxiety and this may promote a decline in life satisfaction. Given the potential destructiveness of feelings of not mattering, in general but especially during a global pandemic, it is essential to proactively develop interventions and programs that are designed to enhance feelings of mattering and reduce anti-mattering experiences and feelings.

The Polish COVID Stress Scales: Considerations of psychometric functioning, measurement invariance, and validity

The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) were developed to measure stress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To further investigate the psychometric properties of the CSS, we used data collected in Poland across two waves of assessment (N = 556 at T1 and N = 264 at T2) to evaluate the factor structure, reliability (at the item and scale level), measurement invariance (across the Polish and Dutch translations of the CSS, and time), over time stability, and external associations of the Polish-language version of the CSS (CSS-PL). Overall, results suggest that the CSS-PL is psychometrically robust, largely invariant across the countries and time-lags considered. The CSS-PL was also positively related to other measures of COVID-19 fear, health anxiety, obsessive compulsive symptoms, anxiety, depression, and intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This study thus provides considerable information about the CSS’s items and scales, and lays the foundation for future investigations into COVID stress across time and different populations.

Dimensions of Work Environment that Impact Job Satisfaction in Clinical Practices of Medical Students During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Introduction: This article deals with the relationship between the work environment and job satisfaction in clinical practices of medical students during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data are presented that attest to the underlying factor structure, reliability, predictive validity, and factors replicability between groups of the summary measure. Methods: An initial sample of 132 medical students from 3 different universities in Bogotá who carry out Clinical Practice activities in tertiary hospitals provided data for the exploratory factor analysis of this measure and to apply confirmatory factor analysis techniques. The validated instrument WCA is used for the work environment construct and MSQ for the job satisfaction construct. The potential applications of this measure are described, and the implications of these findings for measuring work environment and satisfaction are discussed. Results: The results of the CFA suggest a good global fit to the data of the proposed measurement model, favorable values of significance (p = 0,014); RMR; AGFI; TLI; CFI; GFI, and RMSEA. Conclusion: Solid psychometric properties are demonstrated, which prove that there are dimensions of organizational climate that have statistically significant relationships with variables of job satisfaction.

Validation of the General and Personal Belief in a Just World scales in Iran and Their Relations to Perceived Threat of Kin Favoritism

People possess a pre-conscious need to believe in the existence of justice in the world. This belief in a just world (BJW) is usually measured with self-report scales. Dalbert et al. (1987) and Dalbert (1999) have developed the general belief in a just world (GBJW) and personal belief in a just world (PBJW) scales as psychometrically robust measures of just-world beliefs. We conducted three studies to demonstrate the validity of the Persian versions of belief in a just world scales and the importance of distinguishing between GBJW and PBJW. First, we confirmed the factor structure. reliability, convergent validity (self-esteem, life satisfaction, and religiosity), and divergent validity (big five personalityfactors and dark triad traits) of GBJW and PBJW using Iranian participants (N1 = 454). Second, the associations of GBJW and PBJW with perceived threat of unjust behavior directed to self or others were assessed using two scenario-based studies (N2 = 81, N3 = 71) in the context of kin favoritism. While GBJW negatively predicted perceived threat of kin favoritism directed to others, PBJW was a negative predictor of perceived threat of kin favoritism directed to self. Consistent with theoretical assumptions, perceived likelihood of punishment mediated these associations. In addition to providing further evidence for the differentiation between GBJW and PBJW, the findings of Study 2 and 3 also support the idea of an optimistic bias towards self by showing that people perceived less threat of kin favoritism when others, rather than themselves, were potential victims of injustice.

Assessing Warning Signs of Relapse in Drug Addicts: Translation and Validation of AWARE Questionnaire

Aim: To translate and validate Advance Warning of Relapse (AWARE) Questionnaire in to Urdu language for assessing relapse among drug addicts of Pakistan. Methods: The research comprises of translation of AWARE, temporal validation of translated scale, and its construct validation. Two items (22, 28) were modified keeping structural and functional equivalence. Sample for validation was obtained from rehabilitation centers of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with age ranging from 18-60 years (M=29.3; SD=8.2). Temporal validity was determined by test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the valid factor structure, whose model fitness was assessed using Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was used to assess the internal consistency. Results: It was found that translated scale possess significant temporal validity (α= .81). EFA demonstrate a unifactorial structure (λ > .30) explaining variance of about 34.3%; such that four items (8, 14, 20, 26) were removed based on poor factor loadings. Indices of model fit through CFA confirm factor structure. Reliability of scale was also significant (α= .90). Conclusion: Findings suggested the reliable and valid nature of AWARE-Urdu to assess warning signs of relapse in drug addicts. Keywords: Warning signs, relapse, drug addicts, Urdu translation, validation, AWARE