Abstract
BackgroundThe Children’s Response Styles Questionnaire (CRSQ) is a widely-adopted inventory that assesses response styles in youths. It is useful in examining how coping styles (particularly rumination) may relate to depressive vulnerability in youths. Despite its utility, little is known about its applicability in non-Western cultures and CRSQ has not been evaluated using current psychometric methods including item response theory (IRT). The present study assessed the properties using IRT methods in a Chinese youth sample.MethodsStudents in Grades 4-6 were recruited from seven public primary schools in Hong Kong, and a total of 581 children (280 boys and 301 girls) between 8 and 14 years of age participated in the study. A Chinese version of CRSQ was administered to them in groups at school after receiving written parental consent as well as students’ assent.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure that was comparable to that identified in Western samples, namely, the rumination and distraction/problem-solving subscales. IRT analysis suggested that items varied in levels of item discrimination and item severity, and in precision/usefulness for assessing the underlying latent trait levels. Test information analysis indicated that rumination subscale was more useful than the distraction and problem-solving subscale in assessing the latent trait over a broader range of levels. For gender-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis, item 1 “When I am sad, I think about how alone I feel” was found to exhibit higher discriminating power for girls than boys.ConclusionsThe study presents the first attempt to examine CRSQ item properties using IRT analysis and supports its validity beyond the Western cultures. The factor structure of CRSQ was found to be comparable to the West in our Chinese sample. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) evaluation suggested all but one item in the rumination subscale of the CRSQ apply equally well to both boys and girls.
Highlights
The Children’s Response Styles Questionnaire (CRSQ) is a widely-adopted inventory that assesses response styles in youths
A final sample of 581 children (280 boys and 301 girls), with ages between 8 to 14 years (M = 10.6, Standard deviation (SD) = 1.1), was secured with written parental consent as well as students’ assent before data collection. This sample size was estimated to be adequate for performing factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) analysis based on the 25-item CRSQ [39]
In contrast to the original form of 25item CRSQ in English [19], a 20-item Chinese CRSQ emerged from item elimination in our data analyses, with 10 items remaining in the rumination subscale and 10 items in the distraction and problem-solving subscale
Summary
The Children’s Response Styles Questionnaire (CRSQ) is a widely-adopted inventory that assesses response styles in youths. It is useful in examining how coping styles ( rumination) may relate to depressive vulnerability in youths. The ruminative response style predicts depressive symptoms concurrently and months or even years later Distraction and problem solving seem to predict reduced depression risks Previous literature has robustly indicated that internalizing symptoms occurring during the critical period of early- to mid-adolescence significantly predict risks and duration of emotional problems later in life [17]. Assessing coping styles early in the developmental trajectory is of paramount importance to risk identification and promoting healthy adolescent development
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