Editorial: Clinical Psychometrics: Old Issues and New Perspectives

Abstract

Clinical Psychometrics is defined as a discipline that deals with the definition and measurement of clinical constructs. It focuses on the theory of measurement, the construction and validation of psychological measures, and their application in the assessment of individual differences. Therefore, Clinical Psychometrics is an applied discipline, which uses psychometric tools in order to develop evidence-based procedures aimed at understanding and improving the psychological well-being of individuals. Clinical Psychometrics can be considered as an essential tool in many fields of research related to psychological and psychiatric interventions: for example, it is useful for diagnostic assessment (in various fields, including clinical and forensic areas), and for the design and evaluation of specific psychological and pharmacological treatments. In the Research Topic “Clinical Psychometrics: Old Issues and New Perspectives,” we were interested in disseminating a culture of integration between the “psychometric model” and the “clinical model,” promoting a scientific debate around existing measures and methods, and proposing new methods capable of combining clinical significance with quantitative rigor (Balsamo et al., 2015a,b). Therefore, we brought together, within this research topic, contributions from researchers investigating factor invariance of new and existing instruments for measuring clinical variables; research studies developing more refined instruments for the evaluation of clinical dimensions; as well as research studies evaluating methodological issues involved in therapeutic outcomes and processes.