Carolyn Finck

Evaluation of the Latin American version of the Life Orientation Test-Revised

The Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) is the most intensively used instrument for the assessment of optimism, but empirical evidence of its psychometric quality in Latin America is lacking. The aim of this study was to test psychometric properties of this questionnaire based on a representative sample of the general population of Colombia (N = 1,500). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the bi-dimensionality of the questionnaire with two factors, namely Optimism and Pessimism. The sum scores of the optimism and pessimism subscale correlated with r = −.12. Convergent validity aspects were studied by correlating LOT-R values with anxiety, depression, quality of life, fatigue, mental health, hopelessness, and self-efficacy. Optimism was more strongly correlated with these variables than pessimism. Normative data and mean values for both genders and different age groups are given. Generally, there were only small age and gender effects. Compared to the German norm data, the Colombian participants scored on average one scale point higher in the dimension of optimism. In summary, the LOT-R in its Spanish version is an appropriate and practical tool for screening purposes in individual diagnostics and epidemiological research in Latin American samples.

Health‐related quality of life in Colombia: reference values of the EORTC QLQ‐C30

There are normative data of the quality of life (QoL) questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 (the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire) for several European countries and Korea, but not for Latin America. The aim of this study was to provide these normative values for the general population in Colombia and to assess differences in terms of age and sex. For that reason, a sample of 1500 representatively selected individuals of the Colombian population completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 form. Results showed that mean scores of the Colombian population are similar to those obtained in European countries; whereas the mean values from a Korean study were lower (worse QoL). Age and sex differences were found in several scales and symptom items. Linear regression analyses were calculated to help quantify the influence of age and gender on QoL. Men reported better functioning and less symptoms than women on all scales, and older individuals reported worse global scores in terms of functioning and lower QoL than younger ones. In sum, the normative values presented can be used to assess QoL scores of Latin American cancer patients and to compare groups of patients with unequal age and sex distributions.

Standardization of the Colombian version of the PHQ-4 in the general population

BackgroundThe PHQ-4 is a widely used open access screening instrument for depression and anxiety in different health care and community settings; however, empirical evidence of its psychometric quality in Colombia is lacking. The objectives of the current study were to generate normative data and to further investigate the construct validity and factorial structure of the PHQ-4 in the general population.MethodsA nationally representative face-to-face household survey was conducted in Colombia in 2012 (n = 1,500). The item characteristics of the PHQ-4 items, including the inter-item correlations and inter-subscale correlations, were investigated. To measure the scale’s reliability, the internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) was assessed. For factorial validity, the factor structure of the PHQ-4 was examined with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsThe Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the PHQ-4 was 0.84. The confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model, which was structurally invariant between different age and gender groups. Normative data for the PHQ-4 were generated for both genders and different age levels. Women had significantly higher mean scores compared with men [1.4 (SD: 2.1) vs. 1.1 (SD: 1.9), respectively]. The results supported the discriminant validity of the PHQ-4.ConclusionsThe normative data provide a framework for the interpretation and comparisons of the PHQ-4 with other populations in Colombia. The evidence supports the reliability and validity of the two-factor PHQ-4 as a measure of anxiety and depression in the general Colombian population.

Quality of life in breast cancer patients: Associations with optimism and social support

Background/Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer patients from Colombia and to explore the relationship between QoL, habitual optimism, and social support. Method: A sample of 95 breast cancer patients treated in a hospital in Bogotá were administered the QoL instrument EORTC QLQ-C30 and the Life Orientation Test LOT-R. Additionally, they were asked to indicate from whom (physicians, friends, nurses, etc.) they wished and received social support. Reference data for the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the LOT-R were taken from a representative sample of the general Colombian population. Results: The breast cancer patients showed detriments to their QoL on most functioning scales and symptom scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30, while their general assessments of health and QoL were not worse than those of the controls. Optimism was positively correlated with QoL. Most patients wanted and received social support from their physicians and friends/family. Conclusions: The results suggest that optimism helps patients better cope with disease. A general assessment of global QoL cannot replace the more specific assessments of the functioning domains and symptoms.

Is the General Self-Efficacy Scale a Reliable Measure to be used in Cross-Cultural Studies? Results from Brazil, Germany and Colombia.

This study evaluated cross-cultural measurement invariance for the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) in a large Brazilian (N = 2.394) and representative German (N = 2.046) and Colombian (N = 1.500) samples. Initially, multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) analyses showed that sex and age were biasing items responses on the total sample (2 and 10 items, respectively). After controlling for these two covariates, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was employed. Configural invariance was attested. However, metric invariance was not supported for five items, in a total of 10, and scalar invariance was not supported for all items. We also evaluated the differences between the latent scores estimated by two models: MIMIC and MGCFA unconstraining the non-equivalent parameters across countries. The average difference was equal to |.07| on the estimation of the latent scores, and 22.8% of the scores were biased in at least .10 standardized points. Bias effects were above the mean for the German group, which the average difference was equal to |.09|, and 33.7% of the scores were biased in at least .10. In synthesis, the GSES did not provide evidence of measurement invariance to be employed in this cross-cultural study. More than that, our results showed that even when controlling for sex and age effects, the absence of control on items parameters in the MGCFA analyses across countries would implicate in bias of the latent scores estimation, with a higher effect for the German population.

Standardization of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in the general population

Abstract Background: The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) is a self-report instrument for the quantification of hopelessness in nonpsychiatric, as well as psychiatric patients. Hopelessness is a key psychological variable in suicide prediction. Until now the psychometric properties of the instrument have not been studied in a representative sample of the general population. Aims: The objectives of the study were to generate normative data and to further investigate the construct validity and factorial structure of the BHS. Methods: A nationally representative face-to-face household survey was conducted in Colombia in 2012 (N = 1500). Results: Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the BHS was 0.81. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model, achieving good fit indices (total sample: RMSEA = 0.043, CFI = 0.936, TLI = 0.921). Normative data for the BHS were generated for both genders and different age levels. Intercorrelations with hopelessness were highest for depression (r = 0.57), followed by anxiety (r = 0.52). Conclusions: The normative data provide a framework for the interpretation and comparisons of the BHS with other populations. Evidence supports reliability and validity of the three-factor BHS as a measure of hopelessness in the general population.

Cross‐cultural measurement invariance of the General Health Questionnaire‐12 in a German and a Colombian population sample

While the General Health Questionnaire, 12‐item version (GHQ‐12) has been widely used in cross‐cultural comparisons, rigorous tests of the measurement equivalence of different language versions are still lacking. Thus, our study aims at investigating configural, metric and scalar invariance across the German and the Spanish version of the GHQ‐12 in two population samples. The GHQ‐12 was applied in two large‐scale population‐based samples in Germany (N = 1,977) and Colombia (N = 1,500). To investigate measurement equivalence, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in both samples. In the German sample mean GHQ‐12 total scores were higher than in the Colombian sample. A one‐factor model including response bias on the negatively worded items showed superior fit in the German and the Colombian sample; thus both versions of the GHQ‐12 showed configural invariance. Factor loadings and intercepts were not equal across both samples; thus GHQ‐12 showed no metric and scalar invariance. As both versions of the GHQ‐12 did not show measurement equivalence, it is not recommendable to compare both measures and to conclude that mental distress is higher in the German sample, although we do not know if the differences are attributable to measurement problems or represent a real difference in mental distress. The study underlines the importance of measurement equivalence in cross‐cultural comparisons.

Effects of secularisation on the psychometric properties of the Post Critical Belief Scale

ABSTRACT The Post Critical Belief Scale (PCBS) is used to assess how people experience religion in a Christian context. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of the PCBS in Colombian samples. The dimensions underlying the PCBS (inclusion vs. exclusion of transcendence and literal vs. symbolic) could only be identified when segmenting the sample using an independent measure of religious practice, the System of Belief Inventory (SBI). The procedure used to successfully identify the data structure proposed by the scale leads to suggest that the dimensions of religious experiences are highly sensitive to historical processes and that the orthogonal disposition of the PCBS sub-scales can be a by-product of secularisation and not religious experience only. This emphasises the need to use convergent measures of religiosity and highlights the difficulties of using measures whose context sensitivity has not been tested. The results also offer the opportunity to critically analyse the assumptions of standardisation practices around psychometric tests.