Psychometrics

Background. Relational self-esteem—self-worth derived from significant relationships—is central to psychosocial functioning. However, brief measures validated with appropriate methods for ordinal items are scarce in Ecuadorian populations.

Objective. To examine the factorial structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and gender-based measurement invariance of the Relational Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), using a cross-validation approach.

Design. Instrumental, cross-sectional study with n = 1.478 Ecuadorian adults. The sample was split for cross-validation: 40% (n = 591) for EFA and 60% (n = 887) for CFA. EFA used a polychoric matrix, ULS extraction, and oblimin rotation; factor retention was guided by parallel analysis. CFA employed WLSMV. Convergent validity was tested against personal self-esteem (RSES), collective self-esteem (CSE), and mental well-being (MHC-SF). Multigroup measurement invariance by gender was assessed (configural, metric, scalar, strict).

Results. Parallel analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure with robust factor loadings and an adequate overall model fit. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency and reliability. Convergent validity was established through significant positive correlations with measures of self-esteem, core self-evaluations, and mental health. The instrument showed full measurement invariance across genders, meeting all criteria from configural to strict levels.

Conclusion. The RSE shows a unidimensional structure, adequate reliability, convergent validity, and gender invariance in Ecuadorian adults. Findings support using the total score as a brief, valid indicator of relational self-esteem in this context.

Background. Gratitude is a human strength that promotes well-being; however, it is important to consider culture when constructing scales. 

Objective. To develop and validate a culturally adapted Mexican Gratitude Scale for youth, establishing its psychometric properties: reliability, internal structure, convergent validity, and criterion validity.

Design. The participants were 442 Mexican young people with a mean age of 20.81 years from three regions of Mexico.

Results. The initial 28-item scale underwent systematic refinement through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). This psychometric validation process yielded a final 9-item instrument characterized by a robust two-dimensional factorial structure: personal gratitude and emotional gratitude. The CFA results confirmed this structure through excellent model fit indices (CFI = .98; NFI = .97) and demonstrated significant internal consistency for personal gratitude (ω = .89) and emotional gratitude (ω = .88). The scale provided evidence for convergent validity through significant correlations. Personal gratitude showed moderate associations with optimism (r = .40), positive vision (r = .37), affective resources (r = .30), and hope (r = .43), while emotional gratitude exhibited stronger relationships with optimism (r = .54), positive vision (r = .51), affective resources (r = .42), and hope (r = .52). Discriminant validity was evidenced by young people who do not report any type of mental disease scoring higher on gratitude.

Conclusion. The psychometric properties of the Mexican Gratitude Scale proved to be acceptable, facilitating its use and application in the general and clinical population for future research.

Background.  Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) scars carry significant emotional weight, but no validated tools existed to assess related cognitions in Russian-speaking clinical practice.

Objective. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Russian-language version of the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scar Cognition Scale (NSSI-SCS) and examine its psychometric properties in a clinical Russian-speaking sample.

Design. The study recruited 262 participants with NSSI history and visible scars from psychiatric hospitals. The adaptation used forward-back translation and cross-cultural adaptation. Reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Construct validity was evaluated via Confirmatory (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Convergent and discriminant validity were examined through correlations with measures of suicidality, social anxiety, rumination, body image dysphoria, and NSSI functions.

Results. CFA indicated a poor fit for the original five-factor model. EFA supported a culturally adapted three-factor structure: 'Hopelessness' (suicidal ideation, weakness), 'Shame' (social stigmatization), and 'Inner Strength' (resilience). The 21-item scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .876 total). Convergent validity was confirmed by significant positive correlations of 'Hopelessness' and 'Shame' with suicidality, social anxiety, rumination, and body dysphoria. 'Inner Strength' showed discriminant validity through non-significant correlations with these clinical measures but positive correlations with NSSI functions.

Conclusion. The Russian NSSI-SCS is a valid and reliable tool. Its three-factor model provides a clinically useful framework for understanding the psychological impact of NSSI scars, facilitating targeted interventions and further research.

Background. Emotional regulation difficulties (ERD) are present in the Ecuadorian university student population; however, the specific assessment measures available do not allow for an efficient assessment.

Objective. To validate the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale -16 Item Version (DERS-16) with Ecuadorian university students. 

Design.  The research uses a descriptive and instrumental statistical analysis of the DERS-16 to analyze the validity of the construct, validity based with other variables (divergence) and the internal consistency of the model. 670 university students from two public universities in Ecuador (76% women and 24% men). The average age was 25.9 with a 7.1 standard deviation (SD). 

Results. A hierarchical factorial model with five first-order factors and one second-order general factor fit the data reasonably well. The model has adequate internal consistency and construct validity; particularly for the second-order general factor. The DERS-16 also shows divergence validity with the Academic Situation-Specific Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale (EAPESA-9). 

Conclusion. The DERS-16 is a consistent and reliable scale for the measurement of emotional regulation in Ecuadorian university students.

Background. Attention to emotions is growing in workplaces. To address this interest, new psychological instruments have been developed to assess the emotional states of individuals at work. The Work-Related Affective Feelings (WORAF) Scale is a new psychological tool for measuring four main emotions: happiness, anxiety, anger, and dejection at work. 

Objective. To determine psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the WORAF Scale in Iran.

Design. This research employed a cross-sectional research design. The sample consisted of 514 people (250 females and 264 males). We collected data using the Work-Related Affective Feelings Scale, the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to check the factorial structure of this scale. The Pearson correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and R software version 4.2.

Results. The model fit indices suggested satisfactory fit for the final models as CFI = .907, TLI = .904, NFI = .907, IFI = .907, X²/_df = 3.809, RMR = .055, and RMSEA = .079. The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale was .87 and values ranging from .73 to .92 confirmed the reliability of the WORAF. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between this scale and similar scales, verifying the convergent validity of this scale and similar scales.

Conclusion. The findings provide empirical support and introduce the WORAF Scale as a valid and reliable scale translated and validated in Iran. The Farsi version of this scale can measure four major emotions of individuals in Iranian workplaces. This scale can be used by Iranian researchers as well as by organizational practitioners to measure, identify, and improve the emotions employees experience in their workplaces. Considering the large number of employees in the private and public sectors in Iran, this scale can be and useful.  

Background. Investigating the complexities of consumer behaviour requires an understanding of the sociocultural contexts that shape individual preferences and purchasing patterns. Factors such as family dynamics, community norms, and cultural values emphasise the importance of exploring the influence of sociocultural premises. These forces are continuously negotiated within the evolving trends of the global consumer culture. As a result, it is essential to recognise that each group has unique values and needs that must be acknowledged.

Objective. This study aims to explore, develop, and assess psychometric properties and evidence of a measure assessing consumer sociocultural premises from an ethnopsychology approach, to identify distinctive elements shaping purchasing patterns based on social norms.

Design. A mixed-methods research design was employed to gather qualitative and quantitative data for a comprehensive analysis. First, sociocultural norms were extracted through focus group discussions. Building upon these identified premises, the subsequent study developed a scale wherein scale items were created, and their psychometric properties were evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

Results. The first study identified sociocultural premises related to family, gender roles, self-sacrifice, product, and hedonism that shape consumer behaviour. In the second study, these elements were incorporated into the initial set of scale items, which were then refined through expert review, pilot testing, and statistical analyses. Results revealed a seven-factor structure reflecting the key socio-cultural premises identified in the focus groups. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and adequate psychometric properties evidence.

Conclusion. The findings of this study underscore the significance of sociocultural factors in shaping individual purchasing behaviour, emphasising the need for a measurement tool that captures culturally specific purchasing beliefs and universal factors. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on social dynamics and consumer behaviour, providing valuable insights for future studies and practical applications in the field.

Background. Socio-emotional competencies are important for mental health and successful human interaction. In the university context, strengthening socio-emotional competencies is essential for fostering a collaborative learning environment, where students can manage academic stress and build meaningful connections with their peers.

Objective. To test the psychometric properties of the Socio-Emotional Competence Assessment Scale in the Cuban population.

Design. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 640) assessed the psychometric properties of the Socio-Emotional Competence Assessment Scale within the Cuban population. In Study 2 (N = 913), the nomological validity of the scale was evaluated.

Results. In Study 1, the scale demonstrated high internal consistency and the expected three-factor structure. We had to eliminate one item, as it was negatively correlated with the rest of the scale items; the result was the Cuban ECSE. In Study 2, we tested the nomological validity of the scale: we found that socio-emotional competencies had medium-sized positive correlations with subjective well-being and perceived academic self-efficacy. Negative associations were found between socio-emotional competencies and academic stress. Additionally, socio-emotional competencies were positively and statistically significantly correlated with the dimension of coping strategies in response to stressful stimuli or situations.

Conclusion. The use of the ECSE is recommended in the Cuban context.

Background. Self-efficacy refers to students’ perceived confidence in their ability to tackle learning tasks. Research shows that self-efficacy serves as an important predictor of academic achievement and relates to students’ academic success, self-regulated learning, and motivation. It is therefore important to understand how self-efficacy develops and manifests itself in Russian schoolchildren and relates to their academic achievement.

Objective. To establish evidence of the validity and reliability of domain-specific self-efficacy scales developed for elementary and middle school students.

Design. Messick’s unified framework was used to establish validity. The surveys were administered to elementary and middle school students in two regions of Russia.

Results. The pilot testing of the self-efficacy scales for elementary school, using exploratory (n = 972) and confirmatory (n = 972) factor analyses, resulted in a four-factor model, which was later confirmed with a different sample of elementary students (n = 1,392) with good reliability estimates (α = 0.75–0.82). The pilot testing of self-efficacy scales for middle school, using exploratory (n = 583) and confirmatory (n = 584) factor analyses, resulted in a three-factor model, showing excellent reliability estimates (α = 0.88–0.93).

Conclusion. The evidence of construct validity suggests that the domain-specific self-efficacy scales for elementary and middle school students can be recommended for use by researchers and practitioners. The article presents ideas for additional validation studies and future research using domain-specific self-efficacy scales.

Background. Modern society is characterized by the widespread use of social media, which provides users with new communication, leisure, work, and study opportunities. The growth of online communication time leads to the development of new special communicative needs. These circumstances prompted us to develop the “Questionnaire on Adolescents’ Needs to Communicate with Their Parents Online and Offline” (QANCP).

Objective. We set out to study the relationship between adolescents’ hierarchy of communicative needs and the characteristics of child-parent relations by developing and testing the psychometric characteristics of the QANCP.

Design. One hundred and twenty-eight teenagers (56 boys and 72 girls, age 15-17) took part in the research. The research methods included theoretical analysis, modeling, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. The tools used were: 1) the customized (authorial) “Questionnaire of adolescents’ needs to communicate with their parents online and offline” (QANCP); and 2) the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) by Armsden and Greenberg (1987) in the Sadovnikova and Eliseeva adaptation (Eliseeva, 2013).

Results. The results of the qualitative research proved the acceptability of the QANCP scales. Expert assessments showed that the test had sufficient face and content validity. Statistically significant differences in the parameters measuring adolescents’ communicative needs in groups with different types of relations with their parents were established.

Conclusion. Testing of the QANCP questionnaire showed that the QANCP is a valid and reliable instrument to measure adolescents’ communication with their parents in online and offline formats. It was established that there is a connection between the characteristics of child-parent relations in adolescence and the hierarchy of communication needs of “adolescent-parent” communication online and offline.

Background. For the last few years, in the field of school education, social-emotional competencies have been gaining in importance because they result in positive attitudes and adaptation to school (Mella et al., 2021).

Objective. The current study was designed to conduct Urdu translation, cross-language validation, and confirmatory factor analysis of the Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire (SECQ) for Pakistani adolescents.

Design. Urdu translation was done using the standard back-translation method. The data for the main study was collected using a non-random sampling method for 910 adolescents who were between 10 to 19 years old.

Results. The findings of the pilot study (n = 64) show that the Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire is a reliable questionnaire, as Cronbach’s alpha reliabilities of both versions (English and Urdu) were acceptable (Version 1 α = 0.77; Version 2 α = 0.77). After 15 days, the Pearson product-moment correlation was checked to meet the objective of cross-language validation, which resulted in a high correlation between the two forms (r = 0.88). The riginal author of the questionnaire had proposed a factor structure consisting of five factors, namely: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management, and responsible decision-making. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the present study also confirmed and supported the five-factor structure in comparison to other models for the Urdu version.

Conclusion. The Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire is a reliable and culturally-validated tool for adolescents attending school, which can be used in future research for measuring social-emotional competencies.

Background. The quality of sleep significantly impacts children’s day-to-day performance, with at least 20% reporting issues with sleepiness. Valid tools for assessing the quality of sleep are needed.

Objective. In this study, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Russian version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS). The initial adaptation of the PDSS was conducted on a sample from the Arctic regions of Russia. This location may have influenced the scale's generalizability due to variations in natural daylight across different areas of the country.

Design. To rectify this, we gathered a comprehensive, geographically diverse sample from Russia. This combined dataset comprised 3772 participants between 10 to 18 years of age, from nine different regions of Russia.

Results. We confirmed the unifactorial structure of the PDSS, which showed no regional effects. The psychometric analysis indicated that one item from the 8-item PDSS could be removed, thereby improving the scale's model fit. We also observed gender and age impacts on sleep quality: boys reported fewer sleep-related issues than girls, and younger children reported fewer problems than older children.

Conclusion. This study validates the usefulness and reliability of the Russian version of the PDSS, thereby enhancing its general applicability. Furthermore, we replicated previously reported age and sex effects on the sleep quality of school-aged children.

Background. Emotion Regulation (ER) involves any explicit or implicit process that may alter the emotion felt, its duration and expression, and is a transdiagnostic factor of vulnerability involved in the etiology and maintenance of different emotional disorders. The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) assesses nine cognitive strategies involved in ER and is a valuable tool. Its popularity and wide use led to the development of two abbreviated versions: a version with 18 items (two items per factor) and a 27-item version (three items per factor).

Objective. To analyze the psychometric properties of both versions in the Argentinean population.

Design. The research design was instrumental. The factor structure of the CERQ-18 and CERQ-27 as well as the reliability of the scores and the construct of each dimension were evaluated. In addition, we gathered validity evidence for its relationship with other variables by associating the CERQ scores with Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) scores.

Results. The CERQ-18 presented more consistent evidence regarding its internal structure (adequate fit indices and factor loadings of moderate magnitude) and reliability. Given that the association of the two versions with the DERS is similar, we recommend that the 18-item version be used.

Conclusion. The CERQ-18 has quite similar psychometric properties to the CERQ-27 in the general population of Argentina and the findings contribute to an understanding of its internal structure.

Background. Modern society is characterized by the widespread use of social media, which provides users with communication, leisure, work, and study opportunities. With the growth of such opportunities, more time is being spent online. These circumstances explain why we developed a test entitled the Virtual Identity of Social Media Users (VISCMU).

Objective. To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of the VISMU test.

Design. The research methods included theoretical analysis, modeling, expert assessments, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. The research sample was comprised of 285 users of VKontakte and other social media.

Results. The results of factor analysis proved the acceptability of the three scales identified in the test. Expert assessments showed that the test had sufficient face and content validity. The scales were characterized by optimal indicators of internal consistency, homogeneity, and discriminatory power. The test-retest reliability values demonstrated that the test indicators were stable. Statistically significant differences in the parameter measuring virtual identity in groups with different levels of success in adult life justified a sufficient level of criterion validity. The correlation between the test scales and the components of the factor structure of the modified test "Who am I online?" indicated its compliance with construct validity norms. Positive connections between virtual identity and Internet addiction, smartphone addiction, aggressiveness, hostility, and negative relationships with vitality , indicated sufficient convergent validity. The test has been standardized and specified.

Conclusion. The test was aimed at measuring the extent to which a person’s virtual identity would reveal the specific characteristics of its impact on the individual’s personal development.

Background. Psychological boundaries are defined as one’s ability to distinguish various components of psychological life: conscious and subconscious, self and others. The Boundaries in the Mind concept by E. Hartmann belongs to the psychodynamic tradition and is implemented in the Boundaries Questionnaire, which assesses the thinness of one’s psychological boundaries. Its shortest version (18 items) has been adapted in Russian but is a one-scale tool. The BQ-46 version, developed by D. Rawlings, consists of six subscales which allow for structural analysis.

Objective. The objective of this study was to develop a Russian version of the questionnaire based on the BQ-46 and analyze its structure in a Russian-speaking sample.

Design. The BQ-46 was translated into Russian and back. Data collection was arranged online. Three hundred eighty-seven (387) participants filled in the Russian version of the questionnaire. Two hundred ninety-six (296) of them also filled out four additional questionnaires for convergent validity assessment, and one hundred and one (101) subjects completed a BQ-46 retest.

Results. The Russian version of the questionnaire (referred to as BQ-33) consists of 33 items and is a five-scale measurement tool. Its subscales are generally in line with the original BQ-46 version by D. Rawlings. The BQ-33 demonstrated acceptable-to-good reliability and good test-retest stability (r = 0.86). The convergent validity of the BQ-33 was supported by associations with the respective psychological concepts. My findings supported the idea of boundaries getting thicker with age, along with some tendency for gender differences for particular subscales.

Conclusion. The study results supported the validity and reliability of the BQ-33 in a Russian-speaking sample. This tool can be used to measure psychological boundaries and assess their structure.

Background. Emotion Regulation comprises a set of strategies (cognitive, emotional, and physiological) that allow individuals faced with internal or external stimuli to manage their emotional response, to adapt to the environment, and to achieve goals. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is used to assess Emotion Regulation. It has been translated into several languages (including Spanish) and has been adapted around the world, but its psychometric properties have not been tested in Ecuador.

Objective. To confirm the bifactor structure of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and its reliability in a sample of Ecuadorian college students.

Design. A quantitative and instrumental study using Confirmatory Factor Analysis with Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation. The sample consisted of 400 participants (62.5% women), aged 18 to 25 (M = 21.1; SD = 1.95) from two universities in Ecuador and seven different undergraduate courses.

Results. The bifactor model of the test is confirmed with an adequate adjustment ꭓ² = 35.99; p > .001; ꭓ²/df = 1.43; CFI = .98; TLI = .96; SRMR = .034; and RMSEA = .033 CI_95%: [.033–.052]; ω_H = .70; ω_Hs1 = .23; ω_Hs2 = .35. Reliability is high with ω = .86 CI_95%: [.81–.88].

Conclusion. The bifactor model of the ERQ is an adequate and reliable test to assess Emotion Regulation among Ecuadorian college students.

Background. Multitasking is a rapidly evolving construct and we are in dire need of a sound tool for measuring multitasking behaviors and abilities across socio-cultural contexts. To this end, this study has put forward a cultural adaptation (through back translation) of an already developed (Kushniryk, 2008) measure i.e., Communication Specific Multitasking Measurement Instrument.

Objective. This study is intended to translate, adapt, and validate a multitasking measure i.e., Communication Specific Multitasking Measurement Instrument (CSMMI; Kushniryk, 2008) in the context of collectivist culture in Pakistan.

Design. The study was composed of two parts. The first part was completed in two phases. Phase I employed back and forward translation methods to translate the multitasking measure into an indigenous language. Phase II provided empirical validity of the translated and adapted instrument (CSMMI) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on data collected from a sample of 230 married individuals. The second part of the study was designed to establish construct validity of the translated instrument using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a larger data set of married individuals.

Results. EFA using a varimax rotation on all 19 items of CSMMI showed that the instrument is a three-dimensional measure. CFA confirmed that the translated and adapted instrument is also a three-dimensional measure on the larger data set. Analysis of the intraclass correlation and alpha coefficient provided sound evidence for validity and reliability of the measure (CSMMI).

Conclusion. The findings of this study indicate that the translated and adapted multitasking measure (CSMMI) is reliable and valid when applied to the culturally collectivist population of Pakistan. This also pertains to any other populations where the translation is adequately applicable. 

Background. Spearman’s law of diminishing returns (SLODR) states that intercorrelations between scores on tests of intellectual abilities were higher when the data set was comprised of subjects with lower intellectual abilities and vice versa. After almost a hundred years of research, this trend has only been detected on average.

Objective. To determine whether the very different results were obtained due to variations in scaling and the selection of subjects.

Design. We used three methods for SLODR detection based on moderated factor analysis (MFCA) to test real data and three sets of simulated data. Of the latter group, the first one simulated a real SLODR effect. The second one simulated the case of a different density of tasks of varying difficulty; it did not have a real SLODR effect. The third one simulated a skewed selection of respondents with different abilities and also did not have a real SLODR effect. We selected the simulation parameters so that the correlation matrix of the simulated data was similar to the matrix created from the real data, and all distributions had similar skewness parameters (about -0.3).

Results. The results of MFCA are contradictory and we cannot clearly distinguish by this method the dataset with real SLODR from datasets with similar correlation structure and skewness, but without a real SLODR effect. Theresults allow us to conclude that when effects like SLODR are very subtle and can be identified only with a large sample, then features of the psychometric scale become very important, because small variations of scale metrics may lead either to masking of real SLODR or to false identification of SLODR.

In the current study, self-assessed intelligence (SAI) is presented as a multidimensional construct related both to personality and to psychometric intelligence. On the basis of data obtained from a Russian student sample (N = 496), the authors validate a structural model in which SAI acts as a mediating variable between latent variables of measured IQ and the trait of acceptance of uncertainty. Evidence for signifi cant gender diff erences in SAI in favor of men is also given.