Caterina Laicardi

Factor structure of the Italian version of the WAIS-R compared with the American standardization.

Factor analysis for responses to the WAIS–R by 1,630 adults of the Italian standardization sample produced two factor solutions in different age groups, and showed high factorial similarity when compared with the same American solution. An estimate of g factor and variance components showed some difference with American data: a lower proportion of g and common variance, and a greater specificity characterized the Italian version with an almost identical error variance. For both the estimate of g and variance components some change across age groups was observed with g and common variance increasing and specific variance decreasing from youngest to oldest groups.

Dimensions of health-related dispositions in elderly people: relationships with health behaviour and personality traits

The principal aim of this study was to examine a health‐related disposition construct in elderly Italians by explorative factor analysis of the Multidimensional Health Questionnaire. The questionnaire had a two‐factor structure. The first factor was loaded by cognitive variables such as Health‐Efficacy, Health Control, Optimism, etc.; it predicted compliance with self‐rating health seeking behaviours and it was correlated with personality traits such as Emotional Stability and the Lie scale. The second factor comprised emotional dispositions including Health Anxiety, Health Depression, Health Preoccupation, etc. and it was negatively associated with Conscientiousness and Energy. Interesting results emerged for sex by age differences in both health factors. Moreover, men and women showed different correlation patterns between the health factors and the Five Factor Model. Copyright

RORSCHACH INDICES FOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN TWO SCHIZOPHRENIC SYNDROMES

Thinking disturbance and disorder of affects may be different in two subtypes of schizophrenia, the “florid” and the “withdrawal” syndromes. In Exners approach to the Rorschach system, the diagnostic indicators of disordered thinking may point out large differences not only between schizophrenic and control subjects but also between different types of schizophrenics. The Rorschach protocols of 45 subjects (15 “florid” schizophrenics, 15 “withdrawn” schizophrenics, and 15 controls of the same age and education, matched by sex) were examined on several Exner indices. Compared with the control group, both schizophrenic types confirmed an impairment of perceptual accuracy and of reality testing as well as a reduced emotional control. Compared with the “withdrawn” group, the “florid” schizophrenic subjects showed significantly higher indices of poor perceptual functioning, of an inadequate organizational activity (more Whole and Z responses characterized by negative Form Quality) and greater disordered ideational production.

Alternative factor structures of health-related psychological tendencies and their relationship to self-reported health seeking behaviors

Abstract The MHQ-Multidimensional Health Questionnaire (Snell and Johnson, 1997) and a checklist of twenty Health Promoting Behaviors were administered to 1,011 Italian subjects aged 21 to 80 years. The MHQ measures twenty health related psychological tendencies (e.g, Health Efficacy, Locus of Control, Optimistic Expectations). A Principal Components Analysis was carried out on the twenty scales to study their internal structure. Both a four- and a two-factor solution are discussed, presenting different perspectives on the data. The former solution yielded a larger motivational factor, which we labeled Aspiration for Health, and three smaller factors, which we labeled Optimistic Expectations, Internal Control and Lack of Control. All factors, particularly the first one, discriminated self-reported health seeking behaviors. The latter solution yielded a Health Management factor and a Negative Thinking one, both discriminating health behaviors. Moreover, the two factors provide a useful model for distinguishing efficacy, optimism and internal control in terms of their cognitive and affective components.

FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE WAIS-R ITALIAN VERSION COMPARED WITH AMERICAN AND BRITISH SOLUTIONS

The WAIS-R was administered to a sample of 180 young Italian adults (aged 19 to 35 years). A principal components analysis was conducted on the 11 subtests to investigate the factor structure. According to the criteria of extraction, one- and three-factor solutions are discussed. The oblique rotation provided evidence for three correlated factors, 1: Verbal, 2: Perceptual Organization, and 3: Freedom from Distractibility. However, to compare Italian results with those obtained in the USA and UK, an orthogonal rotation was performed. High coefficients of congruence point to similarity of factor loading matrices in all three countries.

Unidimensionality of Life Satisfaction and its Relation to Social Desirability: A Confirmatory Study of a Short Form of the Life Satisfaction Scale

This study investigated construct validity of a short version of the Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale developed from an exploratory factor analysis in 1990 of the original version of Salamon and Contes Life Satisfacion scale. First, a confirmatory factor analysis (maximum likelihood method) was conducted on 149 adult and elderly Italians to assess whether the latent variable of the Life Satisfaction Short Form scale was adequately represented by one factor. Analysis showed a good fit for the proposed unidimensional model, the items achieved good internal consistency on the scale, and no age differences arose in the score for the Life Satisfacion factor. Second, the correlations between the items measuring Life Satisfaction and the Eysenck 1985 Lie scale indicated that the items on the Life Satisfaction Short Form are largely independent of social desirability for younger and older adults.

Stability of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for a Cross-Sectional Sample

Factor comparability of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised was tested by contrasting three groups of people: young, adult, and eiderly persons. Personality trait factors were significantly invariant among age groups. There was a significant age × sex interaction for Neuroticism scores.

Validity of the Elderly Behavior Assessment for Relatives (EBAR)

Summary: An Elderly Behavior Assessment for Relatives (EBAR), updating the GERRI (Schwartz, 1983), was administered to relatives (or significant others) of 349 elderly persons, from 60 to over 80 years of age, living at home, in good health and without cognitive impairment. A trained psychologist administered subjects the Life Satisfaction for Elderly Scale (LSES), the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and personally answered to an overall elderly behavior rating scale (RA). EBAR items were first examined. The more attractive and less discriminative statements were excluded. A principal components analysis was carried out on the remaining EBAR items. Three factors were extracted. After varimax rotation they were tentatively labeled: Everyday Cognitive Functioning, Depression, and Hostility. Factor-driven EBAR subscales were designed, taking into account simpler items in the factor matrix. Results provide evidence for EBAR construct validity. Everyday C...