Assessment

Parents of children with dyslexia have an important role in the detection and treatment of success in their children. However, standard scales in this context are not suitable for use among parents. The main aim of the current study was to find the most important indicators of dyslexia according to parents’ reports and statements. First, a list of parent reports on dyslexia was developed. Then, according to the DSM-5 criteria (by clinicians), children were divided into two categories: children with dyslexia and healthy controls. Then, four Machine Learning (ML) algorithms—Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and ensemble methods—were used to extract the most relevant predictors. To predict dyslexia, recursive feature elimination chose the five most important variables from 35 parent-reported items. Logistic Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, and ensemble models were used in R-Studio. The ensemble model was the best. The most important were “Word Guessing,” “Letter Confusion,” “Letter–Sound Association,” “Slow Reading,” and “Letter Order Reversal.” The study revealed that ML models can accurately identify dyslexia by analyzing parent-reported indicators. The five key predictors “Word Guessing,” “Letter Confusion,” “Letter–Sound Association,” “Slow Reading,” and “Letter Order Reversal” provide essential information for detecting dyslexia early.

In the current literature on compulsivity, it is unclear whether this construct is best conceptualized as an internalizing disorder, a fear disorder, a thought disorder, or some combination of the three. The Compulsivity (CMP) scale introduced with the MMPI-3 assesses compulsive behaviors. To address the question of compulsivity’s placement within a hierarchical psychopathology structure, the current study examined the degree to which CMP scores share variance with internalizing, fear, and thought dysfunction factors using confirmatory factor analyses. Results indicated that a model in which CMP scores cross-loaded onto latent fear and thought dysfunction factors exhibited preferential fit compared to a model in which CMP scores cross-loaded onto a higher-order internalizing factor and a thought dysfunction factor. Constraining equality in the cross-loading of CMP scores onto fear and thought dysfunction factors caused no significant decrement in fit. These findings indicate that the MMPI-3 CMP scale measures both fear and thought dysfunction. Implications and limitations of these findings and future research directions are discussed.

Quality of life (QOL) broadly encompasses constructs including health, well-being, life satisfaction, and psychosocial functioning. Depression, a major cause of global disability, is linked to lower QOL. Despite the rise of measurement-based care and patient-reported outcomes, there is no consensus on QOL definitions or models, resulting in varied assessments. This study aims to describe the item content overlap among commonly used QOL measures in depression research. We analyzed 10 QOL measures from a meta-analysis, calculating Jaccard indices to quantify overlap, and used two coding approaches: one for similarly worded items and another for exact word matches. We also categorized items into broader themes. At the most, average Jaccard similarity was M = 0.14 (SD = 0.12), indicating significant heterogeneity among QOL measures in depression. This suggests that QOL outcomes may not be reproducible across different scales. Future research should examine the relationships between the content assessed by various QOL measures.

Recent advancements in the theory of narcissism emphasize that it is a multidimensional construct with three distinct facets: agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic. Although this model has been extensively studied and supported in adults, there is a lack of instruments assessing the multidimensional structure of narcissism in children. In response to this gap in the literature, we aimed to introduce a new measure of three-dimensional narcissism in children. In three studies among children aged between 8 and 10 years ( N = 189, N = 235, N = 163), we successfully supported the presence of the three-factor structure of narcissism. In addition, we identified respectable reliability and validity for the new measure. Agentic narcissism positively correlated with self-enhancement values, agentic attributes, and self-esteem. Neurotic narcissism was negatively correlated with self-esteem. Finally, antagonistic narcissism was negatively associated with self-transcendence values and positively with self-enhancement values. In conclusion, we propose a 12-item measure distinguishing agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic narcissism in children.

To refine the 23-item chronic Hepatitis B quality of life instrument (CHBQOL) using the modified Delphi method and Rasch model analysis, this study conducted a secondary data analysis on 578 chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The preliminary evaluation of the item’s importance of the original CHBQOL and the final review of the short form of CHBQOL (CHBQOL-SF) were collected by the Delphi method. A bi-factor model was estimated and Rasch analysis with partial credit model was performed on each domain of the CHBQOL. Six items were suggested to remove based on the Delphi results. The fit of the bi-factor model was acceptable (RMSEA = 0.040; CFI = 0.983; TLI = 0.965). Disordered thresholds were initially found on three out of five items in Somatic symptoms, and four out of six items in Social stigma. Uniform differential item functioning was observed for three items for age group, two items for gender, and one item each for different ALT levels and HBV-DNA levels. Finally, the 10-item CHBQOL-SF retained the four-dimensional structure of the original instrument. The 10 items fit the Rasch model well and response options were set reasonably. The 10-item CHBQOL-SF would offer a brief and easily administrative CHB-specific patient-reported outcome measure for use in clinical practice and population studies.

The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5 ; PCL-5) was designed and validated to track symptoms over the past month (PCL-5-M), yet an untested ad hoc weekly version (PCL-5-W) is commonly used to track changes during treatment. We used archival data of clinical trials for the treatment of PTSD in veterans to assess the construct validity of PCL-5-W. Both PCL-5-M and PCL-5-W were found to have configural measurement invariance across four consecutive administrations. The results also indicated at least partial metric and scalar invariance for each version. The reliability estimates of PCL-5-M and PCL-5-W at each time point were equivalent. However, we found a discrepancy with regard to concurrent validity; correlations with the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire may be meaningfully different between PCL-5-M and PCL-5-W. Nevertheless, overall, the results suggest that PCL-5-W can be validly used to assess PTSD symptoms over time, but factor scores may need to be tracked alongside total scores to address validity concerns.

Choosing a short-form measure of conspiracist ideation (i.e., the tendency to believe in conspiracy theories) is fraught. Despite there being numerous scales to choose from, little work has been done to compare their psychometric properties. To address this shortcoming, we compared the internal consistency, 2-week test–retest reliability, criterion validity, and construct validity of five short-form conspiracist ideation measures: the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale–5 (GCB-5), the Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ), the General Measure of Conspiracism (GMC), the American Conspiracy Thinking Scale (ACTS), and the One-Item Conspiracy Measure (1CM). The results of our investigation indicated that all five scales are reliable and valid measures of conspiracist ideation. That said, the GCB-5 tended to perform the best, while the 1CM tended to perform the worst. We conclude our investigation by discussing trade-offs among the five scales, as well as providing recommendations for future research.

The interpersonal problem circumplex is extensively used in the field as an assessment framework for understanding the interpersonal implications of a range of personality and psychopathology constructs. The vast majority of this large literature has been conducted in Western convenience and clinical samples. We computed interpersonal problem structural summary parameters for a range of personality and psychopathology variables in two Chinese offender samples ( N = 424 and N = 555) and one undergraduate sample ( N = 511) to test how well findings from Western samples generalize to Chinese undergraduates and offenders. The results showed that findings in Western samples generalized reasonably well to Chinese young adult and forensic contexts, although the interpersonal profiles of external variables were less specific in Chinese samples. Compared with undergraduates, interpersonal distress has stronger associations with the mental health of offenders. This study further elaborates the interpersonal correlates of individual differences in personality and psychopathology across cultures and assessment contexts, and it also extends the literature examining interpersonal problems in forensic settings.

The Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) is a multidimensional measure of executive functioning (EF). Yet, no work has validated the 20-item BDEFS short form (BDEFS-SF) among individuals at risk of EF deficits, including college students who consume alcohol. The current study evaluated the factor structure and measurement invariance of the BDEFS-SF in 867 undergraduates from 12 colleges/universities who endorsed past-month alcohol use. The bifactor model best fit the data, supporting the use of the general factor over the five subscales for measurement models, and measurement invariance was partially supported across sex assigned at birth. Four subscales were uniquely associated with alcohol use, consequences, and alcohol protective behavioral strategies. The BDEFS-SF total score appears to be a valid measure of EF among undergraduates who use alcohol; however, more research is needed to increase the clinical utility of the measure given the lack of support for the use of the subscales in measurement models.

Psychometric and normative information is provided for the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI) cognitive disengagement syndrome, anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-inattention, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity, oppositional defiant disorder, social impairment, peer rejection, withdrawal from peer interactions, and academic impairment scales with a nationally representative sample of Spanish youth. Parents of 5,525 Spanish youth (ages 5–16, 56.1% males) completed the CABI scales on their sons and daughters. Scores on the 10 CABI scales demonstrated excellent reliability, invariance, and validity for males and females within early childhood (ages 5–8), middle childhood (ages 9–12), and adolescence (ages 13–16). Normative information ( T-scores) is provided for females and males within each age group for the 10 CABI scales. The new psychometric and normative information increase the usefulness of the CABI scale scores for research and clinical activities. Copies of the CABI and the norms are available at no cost to professionals.

The Learning, Executive, and Attention Functioning (LEAF) scale is a resource-friendly means of assessing executive functions (EFs) and related constructs (e.g., academic abilities) in children and adolescents that has been adapted for use with adults. However, no study in any population has investigated the factor structure of all LEAF EF items to determine whether items factor in a manner consistent with the originally proposed scale structure. Therefore, we examined LEAF scale responses of 546 young adults ( M age = 20.05, SD = 2.17). Upon removing academic items following a preliminary factor analysis, we performed principal axis factoring on the remaining 39 EF items. The final model accounted for 61.75% of the total variance in LEAF EF items and suggested that these items assess six moderately correlated EF constructs in young adults. We constructed six updated subscales to help researchers measure these EFs in young adults using the LEAF scale, each of which uniquely and differentially predicted measures of self-reported impulsivity, academic difficulties, and learning-related disorder history. Overall, the LEAF promises to be an accessible means of assessing a range of EF constructs in young adults, particularly when updated subscale structures based on factor analysis are used.

Assessing cognition and language using standardized tests is challenging when the individual has severe speech and motor impairments. Tests with a multiple-choice format may be adapted without compromising standardization using alternative response modes like partner assisted scanning (PAS) and eye-pointing (EP). Standardization of such assessment is little researched. The study investigates the (a) reliability of, (b) transparency of, and (c) adherence to assessment protocols using PAS and EP. The participants were students from special needs education and speech and language therapy, who worked in dyads ( n = 39). Two observers recorded a number of errors made in protocol delivery, independently of each other. The dyads made between 0 and 81.5 errors. Number of errors was not related to response mode, t(38) = –0.21, p = .839. The observers were in high agreement, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of .97, p < .001. The study suggests that assessing language involving alternative modes of responding can be successfully taught to novice practitioners.

The goal of this special section was to encourage discussion about replication in assessment science, as well as the use and development of registered replication and open science more broadly. The contributions span a range of topics, from the replicability and generalizability of measurement models, to challenges in the replicability of results from intensively longitudinal designs, to a discussion of how preregistration should be used in assessment science. Collectively, the papers in this special section provide a view of replication as part of the process by which scientific theories are evaluated and evolve.

Rapport in the context of neuropsychological assessment refers to the interpersonal interaction between the examinee and examiner. The purpose of this study was to improve upon the original Barnett Rapport Questionnaire. Participants consisted of college students ( n = 55), middle-aged adults ( n = 30), and older adults ( n = 99) at a university-affiliated neuropsychology clinic, who were administered a brief test battery. After testing, both examinees ( n = 184) and examiners ( n = 12) completed items regarding the nature of the interpersonal interaction. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a two-factor model consisting of nine items found on both the examinee and examiner versions. No age cohort differences were found on the total Barnett Rapport Questionnaire – 2 (BRQ-2) scores for the examiner or examinee version; however, older adults endorsed the positively worded items more than young adults, and examiners endorsed the negatively worded items more for young adult examinees than for older adult examinees. No differences were found by gender or by race/ethnicity. The BRQ-2 promises better usability and improved psychometric qualities for the measurement of rapport in the context of neuropsychological assessment.

The assessment of multilingual participants is challenging, as, for example, proficiency in the test language may interfere with test performance. We examined whether different language aspects (i.e., receptive and expressive language abilities, bi/multilingualism) contribute independently to the variance in scores on cognitive and developmental functions of the Intelligence and Development Scales–2 (IDS-2). The sample comprised 826 children aged 5 to 10 years living in German-speaking regions. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that receptive language ability was significantly associated with almost all IDS-2 scores. Expressive language ability explained little additional variance, except for the intelligence composites, Verbal Reasoning (including subtests), and the basic skills subtests. Bi/multilingualism explained variance above language abilities only in subtests of Verbal Reasoning and verbal Long-Term Memory. Findings highlight the importance of considering language proficiency, particularly in tasks with high verbal demands, when assessing cognitive and developmental functions with the IDS-2 in participants at risk for linguistic disadvantages.

Research on the construct of flourishing spans many fields of study. This study extends previous work by VanderWeele by investigating the measurement of flourishing, focusing on the structure and convergent validity of the Flourish Index (FI) and the Secure Flourish Index (SFI) within a national, multi-site sample of resident physicians. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFAs and CFAs), we assessed whether the FI and the SFI aligned with the theoretical flourishing models that VanderWeele suggested. We examined the convergent validity of both indices by testing whether they exhibited expected correlations with six different scales. The results of factor analyses and scale validation showed that data collected by the FI and the SFI fit the structural model of flourishing proposed by VanderWeele. Although prior studies reliably indicate that CFA results align with VanderWeele’s model, this is a rare study where the EFA results also demonstrated a structure that aligns with his framework. Both scales exhibited strong convergent validity, producing data correlated with all six measures in the predicted directions. Although convergent validity has been previously shown, this study replicated and expanded evidence of the construct validity of data provided by the FI and the SFI.

The five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) is among the most frequently used brief standard measures to assess hedonic well-being. Numerous studies have investigated different facets of its psychometric properties in adult populations. However, whether these results apply to adolescents is uncertain, and only few psychometric studies employed adolescent populations. Thus, the current study aimed to conduct an in-depth psychometric item response theory analysis of the WHO-5 among adolescents from 43 countries using the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2022 data set and investigated its (a) dimensionality and measurement structure, (b) test information values and marginal reliability, (c) cross-country measurement invariance and differential item/test functioning, and (d) convergent validity with other measures related to mental health and well-being across countries. The WHO-5 showed a unidimensional measurement structure and overall high test information values and marginal reliability. Furthermore, although a large proportion of parameters were flagged as non-invariant, differential test functioning of the WHO-5 was only modest. Moreover, the WHO-5 mainly showed a concurring nomological network with the other measures related to mental health and well-being across countries, although with some differences in effect sizes. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a psychometrically sound measure that has shown promise for cross-cultural research among adolescents in the included European, Central Asia, and North American countries. The translated versions of the WHO-5 are available at https://osf.io/pbexq.

The Self-Control Scale (SCS) is one of the most widely used measures in the clinical, personality, and social psychology fields. It is often treated as unidimensional, even though no research supports such a unidimensional factor structure. We tested the factor structure in an undergraduate sample as well as a community sample used for additional confirmatory analyses. Factors from the best-fitting confirmatory models were correlated with putatively related and distinct constructs to assess their (dis)similarities. Consistent with hypotheses, the best-fitting factor structure consisted of multiple, correlated factors; however, none of the factor solutions met pre-specified fit criteria. Several additional analyses were conducted beyond the preregistered analyses to find a reasonably fitting factor solution. Ultimately, study findings support a two-factor solution using the items of the Brief Self-Control Scale. Results are discussed for the full 36-item scale as well as the brief, 13-item scale. We conclude with lessons learned from a Registered Report focused on factor analysis.

The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) is a leading assessment of interoception. We examined the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the MAIA-2 and its associations with psychopathology in a sample of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults. Participants ( N = 301) were recruited via Prolific Academic. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the MAIA-2 subscales, disordered eating, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. The eight-factor MAIA-2 demonstrated good model fit after removing Item 2. The MAIA-2 subscales were significantly positively associated with body appreciation and body satisfaction and negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The MAIA-2 subscales also demonstrated several significant associations with disordered eating. Only Body Trust was significantly negatively associated with participants' perceived likelihood of making a future suicide attempt. This study provided preliminary evidence that the MAIA-2 is an adequate measure of interception in TGD samples.

The use of parent-report screeners for early detection of autism is time- and cost-efficient in clinical settings but their utility may vary by respondent characteristics. This study aimed to examine the degree to which infants’ age and sex impacted parental reports of early behavioral signs of autism captured by the First Years Inventory Version 3.1 (FYIv3.1). The current sample included 6,454 caregivers of infants aged 6 to 16 months recruited through the North Carolina vital records. Using moderated nonlinear factor analysis for each of the seven FYIv3.1, we identified differential item functioning in small to medium effect sizes across 18 out of 69 items, with the majority of biases associated with infants’ age (e.g., object mouthing, walking, pretend, and imitation), while sex-related biases were minimal. This indicates that differential scoring algorithms by infants’ age and more closely spaced monitoring may be needed for these constructs for more accurate identification of autism in infancy.

Ecological Momentary Assessment using smartphone technology (smart EMA) has grown substantially over the last decade. However, little is known about the factors associated with completion rates in populations who have a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment. A systematic review of Smart EMA studies in populations who have a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment was carried out (PROSPERO; ref no CRD42022375829). Smartphone EMA studies in neurological, neurodevelopmental and neurogenetic conditions were included. Six databases were searched, and bias was assessed using Egger’s test. Completion rates and moderators were analyzed using meta-regression. Fifty-five cohorts were included with 18 cohorts reporting confirmed cognitive impairment. In the overall cohort, the completion rate was 74.4% and EMA protocol characteristics moderated completion rates. Participants with cognitive impairment had significantly lower completion rates compared with those without ( p = .021). There were no significant moderators in the cognitive impairment group. Limitations included significant methodological issues in reporting of completion rates, sample characteristics, and associations with completion and dropout rates. These findings conclude that smart EMA is feasible for people with cognitive impairment. Future research should focus on the efficacy of using smart EMA within populations with cognitive impairment to develop an appropriate methodological evidence base.

Some recent studies have revived the approach of investigating extreme levels of self-reported depressive symptoms as indicative of gross exaggeration. While scores above 40 on the Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition (BDI-II) were discussed as indicating exaggerated symptom claims, different cut scores for identifying noncredible responding are now being discussed. A consecutive sample of 242 patients referred for forensic psychological assessment (mean age: 46.0 years, 47.7% women) with full data sets on the BDI-II and the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) were assessed. Of all patients, 13.2% scored above 40 and BDI-II scores correlated with SIMS total scores at .62. For different SIMS cutoffs (>14, >16, >19, >23) used as criterion standard, optimal cut scores for the BDI-II were computed. When specificity was set at a minimum of 90%, sensitivity estimates were below 50% for all four SIMS levels. Extreme scores on the BDI-II should raise concern about the credibility of self-reported depressive symptom load. Diagnosis as well as severity estimates should not be based primarily on self-report instruments. To avoid significant risks of bias, the development of reliable cut scores for BDI-II elevations should be based on more studies with samples from diverse contexts.

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) assesses two distinct dimensions of meaning in life: presence of meaning and search for meaning. The MLQ is the most widely used instrument for measuring meaning in life, yet there is a limited variety of validity evidence on the originally proposed two-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) solution. In this light, the present research examined, across five studies (total N = 3,205), several aspects of the MLQ’s validity and tested cross-gender and cross-national measurement invariance. We also examined the usefulness of the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) of the MLQ as an alternative to the standard CFA model. The results obtained provide evidence for: (a) the validity (structural, convergent, concurrent, and incremental) of the MLQ ESEM factors; (b) full scalar invariance of the MLQ ESEM model across gender and partial measurement invariance across four countries; and (c) similar cross-national relationships between MLQ ESEM factors and measures of depression and life satisfaction. The present research provides support for the value of applying the ESEM framework in overcoming limitations of the CFA model when examining evidence on the MLQ’s validity.

This study examined the item- and scale-level functioning of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) as well as differential functioning by gender using an item response theory (IRT) analysis. SAAS data collected from 840 college students were analyzed. A graded response model was used to analyze the 16 items comprising the SAAS. The measure was found to be unidimensional in its factor structure, and every item demonstrated high to very high ability to differentiate respondents varying in levels of the underlying trait (i.e., appearance concerns). In addition, we found evidence of differential item functioning (DIF) by gender for four items, corresponding to small effect sizes. Two of these items were related to internal experiences of appearance concerns (e.g., nervousness and discomfort when a flaw is noticed by others) that were more likely to be endorsed by women, and two of the items were related to external evaluative experiences related to appearance (e.g., missing opportunities and life being more difficult) that were more likely to be endorsed by men. Overall, the IRT and DIF results suggest that the SAAS effectively identifies appearance concerns among individuals with low to very high appearance concerns.

Personality dysfunction is a core element of the diagnosis of personality disorders in both main diagnostic systems ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [5th ed.] Personality Disorders and ICD-11 [ International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision] Personality Disorders). A recent study by Sleep et al. explored the structure of personality dysfunction ( N = 517 undergraduates) with exploratory bass-ackward factor analyses at the item level using items from six measures of personality functioning. The present study represents a replication of the study by Sleep and colleagues in a community sample of individuals currently in or seeking psychological/psychiatric treatment. Participants were recruited from Prolific who completed items from six measures of personality dysfunction ( N = 457). The primary factor analysis identified three lower-order factors of impairment (Negative Self-Regard, Disagreeableness, and Intimacy Problems). These dysfunction factors showed moderate to strong relations to the factors generated by Sleep et al.; however, there were important differences in the overall structure suggesting a lack of formal replication.