Factor Solution Research Articles

Exploring Reliability and Factorial Validity of Responsible Talk and its Impact on Cooperative Classrooms

The aim of this study was to validate an instrument which enables the evaluation of talk which maximizes student performance during different segments of interaction-interactivity throughout a complete learning sequence. Based on works developed by the Learning and Research Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh, a scale was developed that gathered the most relevant behaviors of each proposed dimension by researchers from this university center. The scale was used to develop a core subject for a final year Bachelor of Arts degree in Primary Education at a university in Spain and was applied to the 65 students (M = 19, F = 46) taking the subject. The data analysis used an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that yielded a reliability of α = 0.922. EFA revealed a final interpretable three-factor structure, and the factorial solution comprised 87.86% of total variance. Results show that the talk that students use has three purposes: to constitute an effective group for learning, to build knowledge and to verify its acquisition. The results are discussed in terms of input from the Center for Research in Education and Educational Technologies at the Open University and the Learning Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh.

Translation, Reliability Assessment, and Validation of the Persian Version of MedRisk Instrument for Measuring Patient Satisfaction With Physical Therapy Care (20-Item MRPS)

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the 20-item version of the MedRisk. Materials and Methods: In our study, we used a cross-sectional and prospective validation study design. This research was a test development study involving 297 outpatients with musculoskeletal disorders from the physiotherapy centers in Kerman City, Iran, in 2017. All patients completed the MedRisk instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with physical therapy care. Participants also answered a demographic questionnaire, visual analog score, and global rating of change. Internal consistency and reproducibility were investigated, too. To determine test-retest reliability, 40 randomly selected patients completed the MedRisk instrument again 5-7 days after their treatment. Factor analysis, divergent validity, convergent validity, and the floor and ceiling effects were tested, too. The Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran, reviewed and approved this research project. The SPSS software-24 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Dimension of MedRisk demonstrated a high internal consistency (the Cronbach alpha=0.82). Reproducibility was also satisfactory (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.76). The standard error of measurement, minimal detectable changes, and coefficients of variation indices were respectively 0.63, 1.76, and 0.13 for the total score. In factor analysis, the 4-factor solution has emerged. The external validity testing revealed that the MedRisk instrument score correlated negatively with the visual analog scale (r=-0.18, P=0.002) and global rating of change (r=-0.19, P=0.001). Eighteen individual items of MedRisk were positively correlated with global satisfaction. The results showed that items 5 and 7 had a floor effect, and all other items except items 4, 5, and 7 had a ceiling effect. Conclusion: The Persian version of the MedRisk instrument is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with physical therapy and can be used in a clinical setting.

Adaptation of the Fears of Compassion Scale into Turkish: a reliability and validity study.

The concept of fear of compassion draws the interest of researchers in both clinical and scientific fields. The Fears of Compassion Scale (FCS) was developed in order to examine the fear of compassion for others, compassion from others and compassion for one's self. This study aims to adapt the FCS into the Turkish language. The Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Self-Compassion Scale were used to assess the criterion-related validity of the FCS. In order to determine the construct validity of the scale, validity and reliability studies and factor analysis were carried out on 681 participants (Mage = 32.00, SD = 10.15; 64% female and 36% male). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis yielded the expected 3-factor solution (the fear of compassion for others, the fear of compassion from others and the fear of self-compassion), which consists of 35 items. The internal consistency validity coefficient of the whole scale was .92. Moreover, there were significant negative relationships between the Fears of Compassion Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and Self-Compassion Scale, which are similar to those of the original scale. These significant findings reveal the Turkish adaptation of the FCS to be a valid and reliable measurement tool.

Assessment of Motor Planning and Inhibition Performance in Non-Clinical Sample-Reliability and Factor Structure of the Tower of London and Go/No Go Computerized Tasks.

In two studies, we examine the test-retest reliability and factor structure of the computerized Tower of London (TOL) and Go/No Go (GNG). Before analyses, raw results of variables that were not normally distributed were transformed. Study 1 examined the reliability of a broad spectrum of indicators (Initial Time Thinking, ITT; Execution Time, ET; Full Time, FT; Extra Moves, EM; No Go Errors, NGE; Reaction Time for Go Responses, RTGR) across an eight-week delay in a sample of 20 young adults. After correction for multiple comparisons and correlations, our results demonstrate that the tasks have ambiguous test-retest reliability coefficients (non-significant r for all indicators, and interclass correlation (ICC) for TOL; significant ICC for GNG; show lack of reliable change over time for all indicators in both tasks); moreover, ITT exhibits strong practice effects. Study 2 investigated both tasks’ factor structure and conducted a more detailed analysis of indicators for each trial (ITT, ET, EM) in the TOL task in the group of 95 young adults. Results reveal a satisfactory 2-factor solution, with the first factor (planning inhibition) defined by ITT, NGE, and RTGR, and the second factor (move efficiency) defined by EM and ET. The detailed analysis identified a 6-factor solution with the first factor defined by ITT for more difficult trials and the remaining five factors defined by EM and ET for each trial, reflecting move efficiency for each trial separately.

Quantifying ambient concentrations of primary and secondary organic aerosol in central Los Angeles using an integrated approach coupling source apportionment with regression analysis

The main objective of this study was to explore the correlations between carbonaceous PM2.5 species (i.e., primary and secondary organic aerosols (POAs and SOAs) and elemental carbon (EC)) with various criteria gaseous pollutants over the 2015–2019 period in order to devise a simple way of estimating the 24-hr concentration of these PM species in central Los Angeles. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model was used to determine the contribution of various sources to organic carbon (OC) and its volatility fractions (OC1-OC3) in the atmosphere in years of 2015, 2017, and 2019. A 5-factor solution that includes vehicular exhaust emissions (traced by EC and OC1), non-tailpipe emissions (characterized by Ti, Cu, and Zn), SOAs (identified by sulfate and ozone), biomass burning (associated with high loadings of K+/K), and local industrial activities (traced by Cr) was identified as the most physically interpretable solution for each of the investigated years. The SOA concentrations determined using the PMF model output and the POA concentrations, calculated by subtracting the SOA concentrations from the total OC mass, were employed in our regression analysis with criteria gaseous pollutants, the concentrations of which are routinely reported by the air quality agencies. The result of the regression analysis revealed high correlation between the concentrations of SOA and ozone (R2 > 0.74) in different years, probably because they are originated from synchronized photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. The SOA/O3 ratios were between ∼47-56 μg/m3/ppm in the time period of 2015–2019. A strong correlation between POA and CO was also observed (R2 > 0.70); the POA/CO ratios decreased from about 6.5 to 5 μg/m3/ppm from 2015 to 2019, which is consistent with the trend of tailpipe emission contributions to total OC concentrations in our monitoring site. EC was also strongly correlated with NO2 (R2 > 0.73) and CO (R2 > 0.70) because they are emitted from the same combustion sources (e.g., vehicular emissions in central Los Angeles). Our results show persistent and significant correlations between the concentrations of criteria gaseous pollutants and carbonaceous PM2.5 species (i.e., POA, SOA, and EC) in different years, offering a straightforward approach to estimate the 24-h average concentration of these PM species in central Los Angeles.

Metrics of Sexual Behavior Stigma Among Cisgender Men Who Have Sex With Men in 9 Cities Across the United States.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States are stigmatized for their same-sex practices, which can lead to risky sexual behavior, potentiating risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Improved measurement is necessary for accurately reporting and mitigating sexual behavior stigma. We added 13 sexual behavior stigma items to local surveys administered in 2017 at 9 sites in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system, which uses venue-based, time-sampling procedures to survey cisgender MSM in US Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas. We performed exploratory factor analytical procedures on site-specific (Baltimore, Maryland; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Nassau-Suffolk, New York; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; San Diego, California; and Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia) and pooled responses to the survey items. A 3-factor solution-"stigma from family" (α=0.70), "anticipated health-care stigma" (α=0.75), and "general social stigma" (α=0.66)-best fitted the pooled data and was the best-fitting solution across sites. Findings demonstrate that MSM across the United States experience sexual behavior stigma similarly. The results reflect the programmatic utility of enhanced stigma measurement, including tracking trends in stigma over time, making regional comparisons of stigma burden, and supporting evaluation of stigma-mitigation interventions among MSM across the United States.

Translation, Adaptation, and Validation of the L'Échelle d'Interactions Infirmière-Patient-23 for the Portuguese Culture: The Multidimensional Nature of Nursing Care.

Nursing care is based on the interaction between nurse and patient. The L’Échelle d’Interactions Infirmière-Patient-23 (EIIP-23) is used to evaluate and understand the perception of nurses about their interventions in the practice of care, to reach better health results. The present study aims to validate the questionnaire EIIP-23 to Portuguese, evaluating its psychometric properties. Methods: This is methodological research for the process of cross-cultural translation and adaptation. Results: The process of cross-cultural translation and adaptation were satisfactory. The committee of experts reached an agreement of more than 90% in the first evaluation for all the items. The internal consistency of the nurse-patient interaction scale 22-PT (NPIS-22-PT) was 0.864. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out in the NPIS-22-PT model, with three factors. The results show that the final factorial solution presents acceptable goodness of fit indexes and adequate convergent validity. Conclusion: The translated version produced a good quality psychometric evaluation, and can be considered a valid, trustworthy, and useful instrument to evaluate the nurse-patient interactions in Portugal. It showed acceptable reliability and validity in psychometric tests. In the context of nursing, the NPIS-22-PT is a relevant instrument.

Psychometric properties of the 7-item version of the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report Scale for rural adults enrolled in an Internet-delivered self-help program for depression.

Monitoring suicide risk in clinical practice requires valid and reliable assessment instruments. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the 7-item version of the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report, CHRT-SR7 in a primarily rural population. The sample comprised 788 participants (81.7% female) of an effectiveness trial of an internet-based self-help intervention for depression. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, including the CHRT-SR7 , Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, and Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Care. Four-week test-retest reliability was calculated for a subsample of 147 participants randomized to a waitlist control group. The CHRT-SR7 internal consistency was α = 0.80 (total sample), α = 0.80 (women), and α = 0.83 (men). The 4-week test-retest reliability was strong for women (r = 0.78) and moderate for men (r = 0.66). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original 3-factor solution: Hopelessness (2 items), Perceived Lack of Social Support (2 items), and Current Suicidal Thoughts and Plans (3 items), which was invariant across gender and rural status. Convergent and divergent validity was supported as reflected in significant correlations of the CHRT-SR7 and its subscales with measures of depression, anxiety, adjustment, and resilience. Limitations include the limited demographic diversity (mostly non-Hispanic White women) and reliance on self-report data. Our findings complement those reported in prior studies of patients with severe depression and support the use of the CHRT-SR7 for measuring suicide risk in rural adults; future studies should further test the instrument's psychometric properties in racial or ethnic minority rural residents.

Examining Associations between Knowledge and Vaccine Uptake Using the Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Questionnaire (HPV-KQ).

Objectives: Understanding the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge and vaccination behavior is important to inform public health interventions, yet few validated HPV knowledge scales exist. This study describes development of the Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Questionnaire (HPV-KQ) and its validation with parents residing in the southern United States (US). Methods: Drawing on previously published measures, we developed the 13-item HPV-KQ and administered the scale via Web-based survey to parents (N=1105) of adolescents ages 9 to 17 years. Dimensionality, internal consistency, model fit, and predictive validity were assessed. Results: The scale was bidimensional. One factor captured general HPV knowledge, and the second factor captured perceptions of gender differences in HPV infection and vaccine recommendations. The 13-item scale and 2-factor solution displayed strong internal consistency and good model fit. Parents of vaccinated adolescents scored higher on the 13-item HPV-KQ (Mean = 8.56) than parents of unvaccinated adolescents (Mean = 6.43) (p < .001). In regression models, controlling for key covariates, parents' performance on the HPV-KQ predicted adolescent HPV vaccination (p < .001). Conclusions: Evaluation indicates the HPV-KQ is a reliable and valid tool for measuring knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccine among parents residing in the southern US. We recommend further efforts to validate the scale with other populations.

Stability of Symptom Clusters in Patients With Gynecologic Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy.

Patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy experience multiple co-occurring symptoms. Understanding how symptom clusters change over time is essential to the development of interventions that target multiple co-occurring symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the relative stability of symptom clusters across a chemotherapy cycle in patients with gynecologic cancer. This is a longitudinal, descriptive study. Eligible patients (n = 232) were English-speaking adults (≥18 years old) with gynecologic cancer. Data were collected in the week before patients' second or third cycle of chemotherapy (T1) and at 1 (T2) and 2 (T3) weeks after chemotherapy. Three dimensions of the symptom experience (occurrence, severity, and distress) were assessed using a modified version of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Symptom clusters for each dimension and time point were identified through exploratory factor analysis. A 5-factor solution was selected for each exploratory factor analysis. Hormonal, respiratory, and weight change clusters were identified across all dimensions and time points. A psychological symptom cluster was identified at T1 for occurrence and severity and at T2 and T3 for all 3 dimensions. A gastrointestinal symptom cluster was identified at T1 for occurrence and at T2 and T3 for all 3 dimensions. The hormonal, respiratory, psychological, and weight change symptom clusters exhibited common symptoms across dimensions and time points. Hormonal, respiratory, weight change, and psychological symptom clusters are relatively stable across a cycle of chemotherapy in patients with gynecologic cancer. Clinicians need to assess patients for multiple co-occurring symptoms and initiate multimodal interventions.

Assessing Professionals' Adoption Readiness for eMental Health: Development and Validation of the eMental Health Adoption Readiness Scale.

BackgroundThe last few decades have witnessed significant advances in the development of digital tools and applications for mental health care. Despite growing evidence for their effectiveness, acceptance and use of these tools in clinical practice remain low. Hence, a validated and easy-to-use instrument for assessing professionals’ readiness to adopt eMental health (EMH) is necessary to gain further insights into the process of EMH adoption and facilitate future research on this topic.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to develop and validate an instrument for assessing mental health care professionals’ readiness to adopt EMH.MethodsItem generation was guided by literature and inputs from mental health care professionals and experts in survey development. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on an initial set of 29 items completed by a sample of mental health care professionals (N=432); thereafter, the scale was reduced to 15 items in an iterative process. The factor structure thus obtained was subsequently tested using a confirmatory factor analysis with a second sample of mental health care professionals (N=363). The internal consistency, convergent validity, and predictive validity of the eMental Health Adoption Readiness (eMHAR) Scale were assessed.ResultsExploratory factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution with 15 items. The factors were analyzed and labeled as perceived benefits and applicability of EMH, EMH proactive innovation, and EMH self-efficacy. These factors were confirmed through a confirmatory factor analysis. The total scale and subscales showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach α=.73-.88) along with acceptable convergent and predictive relationships with related constructs.ConclusionsThe constructed eMHAR Scale showed a conceptually interpretable 3-factor structure having satisfactory characteristics and relationships with relevant concepts. Its ease of use allows for quick acquisition of data that can contribute to understanding and facilitating the process of adoption of EMH by clinical professionals.

Development and Validation of an Evaluation Tool of Consumers' Knowledge and Confidence to Report Patient Deterioration in Hospitals.

Studies have shown that many preventable hospital deaths may be reduced through early reporting of deterioration by patients and their visitors to health professionals. Engagement of patients and families for safer health care was recommended by the World Health Organization. As no validated tool was identified, the objective of the study was to develop and validate a tool to measure the impact of messages contained in self-developed educational materials on consumers' knowledge and confidence to report patient deterioration. A tool was created using consumer-based input. A test-retest methodology was used 2 weeks apart, using 37 participants sourced from consumer groups. Fourteen 5-point Likert scale questionnaire items were categorized into knowledge and confidence components to identify the impact of the materials in both of these areas. Test-retest reliability confirmed 10 of the 14 proposed questionnaire items (4 knowledge items and 6 confidence) had at least moderate κ agreement ranging from 0.42 to 0.69 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.66. An exploratory factor analysis of the 10 remaining items indicated a 2-factor solution had the best interpretability accounting for 96.9% of variability. The Cronbach α and factor loadings for the factors, knowledge, and confidence suggested an acceptable level of reliability and validity. The study confirms our tool for assessment of educational materials to be a reliable, context-specific, and validated instrument. The tool is an appropriate instrument to assess the effectiveness of educational materials in public awareness campaigns that focus on consumer reporting of patient deterioration within hospitals.

Development and psychometric properties of the Anticipatory Anxiety Inventory

Background: Anticipatory Anxiety (AA) is defined as a course of thoughts, feelings, and actions occurring just and only "before" an anxiety-provoking event. In order to explore this construct, the Anticipation Anxiety Inventory (AAI) was developed and its psychometric properties have been investigated in two studies. Methods: Study 1 used an Exploratory Factor Analysis approach to determine the factor structure of the items of the scale. In study 2, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to assess the scale structure, the validity of the factor solution, and convergent and discriminatory validity. Results: Exploratory factor analysis from study 1 suggested 13 items across four factors for the AAI: Emotional Hypersensitivity, Physical responses to AA, Dysfunctional Cognitions, and Daily Functioning. In study 2, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the 4-factor solution of the AAI had an acceptable fit, excellent internal consistency (α= 0.92), and displayed good convergent and discriminatory validity. Conclusion: The AAI could be proposed as a useful valid and reliable tool to investigate AA. For future implications, more research is needed regarding the utility of this measure in experimental designs or clinical settings.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI): Psychometric and clinical risk score applications among college students.

Sleep is closely related to physical and mental health problems as well as problem behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Thus, to better understand sleep seems paramount, including how to best measure it. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is one of the most widely used sleep measures. Some recent psychometric evidence (i.e., inconsistent dimensionality across studies) has called into question the application of this clinically developed measure. The current study sought to rigorously test the dimensionality of the measure, by comparing a psychometric application of it to a clinical application. It also tested correlates of sleep quality measured by the PSQI, including academic achievement, mental health, and substance use (alcohol and drug use) . Data were collected from 820 college students using an online computer-assisted protocol. Results from factor analyses supported a 2-factor solution for the PSQI. Findings from path analyses using scale scores based on the extracted factor structure as the independent variable provided evidence that the psychometric approach worked equally well as the clinical application using the global sleep quality risk score , providing some support for the use of a psychometric approach of the PSQI. Sleep quality scores (both scale and global sleep quality risk scores) were consistently associated with academic achievement, mental health, and substance use problems, thus providing further support on the importance of good sleep for young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor Structure and Validity Estimates of the Korean Version of the Short Dark Triad

The present study aims to assess the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity) and factor structure of the Korean version of the Short Dark Triad (SD3) with 27 items for evaluating the traits of the Dark Triad: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. An analysis of factor structure using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within Study 1 and Study 2 (N = 250 for study 1, N = 250 for study 2) yielded two factors of Machivellianism-Psychopathy (Ma-Psy) and Narcissism in Korea and did not suport the 3-factor solution of the original SD3 developed by Johns &amp; Paulhus (2014). For item-level validity, the Rasch Rating Scale Model was applied and the final 17 items with two factors of the dark personality (SD-2) were confirmed as a result of an item goodness-of-fit and item difficulty. Also, the psychometric properties of the Korean adaptation of the SD3 (2-factor solution with 17 items, called SD2) provided support for both convergent and discrimiant validity estimates as well as stability over 1-month time interval. Implications and limitations of the current research are discussed.

Strategies for improving faculty retention: A mixed-methods study in a private medical university in Karachi, Pakistan.

To determine the strategies that improve faculty retention at a medical university. The mixed-method study was conducted at Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, from August to September 2020, and comprised faculty members of either gender associated either with the university or with Pakistan Navy Station Shifa Hospital. Qualitative component comprised of semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data was collected using the 35-item Faculty Retention Strategies Questionnaire (FRSQ). Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was done to extract the common factors influencing faculty retention. Of the 182 faculty members approached, 101(56%) responded. Of them, 66(65.3%) subjects were females, 35(34.7%) were males, 46(45.5%) were aged <36 years, and 65(65.3%) were working at the university for <5 years. The factors affecting faculty retention were direct communication of departmental head with faculty, timely promotions, feedback on teaching performance to junior faculty, clear employment policies, protected research time, teaching expertise-based promotions, implementing innovative faculty ideas, scholarships for postgraduate faculty, faculty administrative positions, equal junior faculty workloads, transport provision, competitive pay-scale and faculty development workshops. Item mean was 4.143±0.380, Cronbach's alpha was 0.894 and inter-item correlation was 0.223. EFA revealed a 4-factor solution: 'institutional work support', 'faculty development', 'faculty communication' and 'faculty leadership initiative'. Implementing these strategies could possibly lead to long-term faculty retention.

Psychometric Properties of the Safety Climate Survey in Austrian Acute Care: Factor Structure, Reliability, and Usability.

BackgroundHospitals are complex organizations with a potential for medical errors that can be influenced by safety culture. Safety climate, as measurable element of safety culture, illustrates the perception of safety-relevant aspects of health care staff at a certain time. The Safety Climate Survey is applied internationally to measure safety climate. However, psychometrics for the German version of the survey have yet not been evaluated. The aim of this study is to explore the factor structure, reliability, and potential usefulness of the Safety Climate Survey in Austrian acute care.MethodsCross-sectional surveys of physicians, therapists, and nurses/midwives were implemented. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out, both in total sample and split by 2 selected professions. After deriving a factor structure for both professions, internal consistency and scale means were calculated for the subscales. Finally, mean subscale differences between physicians and nurses/midwives were tested.ResultsOf 5160 eligible staff, 933 respondents participated. A 6-factor solution explaining 59.1% of total variance was identified. Comparison by profession illustrated that the factor structures and item loading patterns differ between physicians and nurses/midwives. To achieve an overarching solution, 5 items were excluded from consecutive subscale measures because of cross-loadings and contradictory factor loadings. Subscales demonstrated good to low internal consistency (α = 0.794–0.535). Significant mean differences between subscales of professions were found relating to 3 factors.ConclusionsThe German Safety Climate Survey measures safety climate multidimensionally rather than unidimensionally and demonstrated some limitations in factor structures and item loadings but overall had satisfactory reliability of the 6 subscales.

Reassessing the CASP-19 adapted for Brazilian Portuguese: insights from a population-based study

AbstractThe study reassessed the configural and metric structures of the Brazilian version of the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization and Pleasure (CASP-19) quality-of-life scale. Data came from the EpiFloripa Ageing Study, which included 1,131 respondents from Southern Brazil. The original and two recently factorial solutions for the Brazilian CASP-19 were initially examined. Exploratory Factor Analyses and Exploratory Structural Equation Models were estimated in the first half of the sample, selected at random. In the second half, Confirmatory Factor Analyses determined the most tenable configural and metric model for the instrument. Neither the original nor the two Brazilian solutions were supported by our data. Instead, we suggest that two factors underlie CASP-19's configural structure: while the first one groups the control and autonomy dimensions, the second combines self-realization and pleasure. Except for four items, all others presented moderate to strong loadings, and only two showed a theoretically meaningful and sufficiently large residual correlation, which was worthy of inclusion in the final model. Cross-loadings were not detected. When assessed in a population-based sample of older respondents, this Brazilian version of the CASP-19 appeared to have two factors, moderate to strong loadings and a pair of redundant items. Future studies should evaluate the consistency of these findings, examine the scalar structure of the instrument, and assess configural, metric and scalar invariance across social groups.

Insights Into the Mini-BESTest Scoring System: Comparison of 6 Different Structural Models.

The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) is a balance scale common to clinical practice, but different scoring has been proposed, that is, total score and/or subsections. This study aimed to investigate Mini-BESTest validity by comparing 6 structural models and to establish the best model for discriminating fallers from nonfallers, that is, those who did or did not report at least 2 falls in the 6 months before evaluation. In this cross-sectional validation study, data from 709 individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3) were analyzed. Individuals were evaluated with the Mini-BESTest, and fall history was recorded. Construct, convergent, and discriminant validity and reliability of the 6 models were analyzed. The ability of the models to adequately identify individuals with or without a history of falls was tested with receiving operating characteristic curves. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the unidimensional models and the 4-factor solutions showed the best fit indexes. Conversely, second-order models, which allowed reporting of both total and subsections, did not converge. Most models and factors showed a low convergent validity (average variance extracted values <0.5). Correlations among the anticipatory postural adjustments factor with both the sensory orientation and the dynamic gait factors of multidimensional models were high (r ≥ 0.85). Unidimensional model reliability was good, whereas low values were found in one-half of the subsections. Finally, both unidimensional models showed a large area under the receiving operating characteristic curve (0.81). The original unidimensional Mini-BESTest model-with a total score of 28-showed the highest validity and reliability and was best at discriminating fallers from nonfallers. Conversely, its 4 subsections should not be reported separately, because they were highly correlated and had low reliability; therefore, they are not actually capable of measuring different aspects of balance. This study shows that the Mini-BESTest should be used only with the original unidimensional scoring system in people with Parkinson disease.

Dual use of alcohol and cannabis among college students: A reinforcer pathologies approach.

The reinforcer pathologies model proposes 2 behavioral economic constructs interact in addiction: operant demand and delay discounting. These constructs manifest as behavioral markers of addiction in the form of excessive reinforcer value and strong preference for immediate access and consumption of this reinforcer despite suboptimal long-term outcomes. The first aim of this investigation was to identify the degree to which delay discounting (of money and alcohol) and demand for alcohol differ between college student drinkers (N = 185) who do and do not co-use cannabis. As a second aim, we sought to replicate the 2-factor solution for alcohol and cannabis demand within a college sample. Results suggest dual users have significantly stronger Persistence and Amplitude for alcohol, demonstrate steeper delay discounting of alcoholic drinks, and are at greater risk for alcohol use disorder than individuals who drink yet do not use cannabis. These results provide further support for the reinforcer pathologies model and contribute to the literature on dual-substance use in the college population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).