Kateryna V. Keefer

Latent Structure of the Alexithymia Construct: A Taxometric Investigation.

Despite a wealth of research on the validity of alexithymia and its association with a number of common medical and psychiatric disorders, the fundamental question of whether alexithymia is best conceptualized as a dimensional or categorical construct remains unresolved. In the current investigation, taxometric analysis is used to examine the nature of the latent structure of alexithymia. Several nonredundant taxometric procedures were performed with item sets from the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (R. M. Bagby, J. D. A. Parker, & G. J. Taylor, 1994) as indicators. These procedures were applied separately in large community (n = 1,933) and undergraduate (n = 1,948) samples and in a smaller sample of psychiatric outpatients (n = 302). The results across various taxometric procedures and the different samples provide strong support that alexithymia is a dimensional construct. Some theoretical implications of these findings for research on the alexithymia construct are discussed.

Can Alexithymia Be Assessed in Adolescents? Psychometric Properties of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Younger, Middle, and Older Adolescents

The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20; Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994; Bagby, Taylor, & Parker, 1994) is the most widely used self-report measure of the alexithymia construct. The TAS-20 comprises 3 factors that assess difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Although the instrument is being increasingly used with adolescent respondents, the psychometric properties of the TAS-20 have not been systematically evaluated in preadult populations. In the present study, we examined measurement invariance of the factor structure, internal reliability, and mean levels of responses on the TAS-20 in groups of younger adolescents (aged 13-14 years), middle adolescents (aged 15-16 years), and older adolescents (aged 17-18 years), as well as in a comparison group of young adults (aged 19-21 years). Formal readability analysis of the TAS-20 assessment was also conducted. Results revealed systematic age differences in the factor structure and psychometric properties of the TAS-20, with the quality of measurement progressively deteriorating with younger age. Much of this effect could be attributed to the reading difficulty of the scale. The use of the TAS-20 with teenage respondents is not recommended without appropriate adaptation and further psychometric validation. Several adaptation strategies are discussed.

Toward a brief multidimensional assessment of emotional intelligence: psychometric properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory-Short Form.

Although several brief instruments are available for the emotional intelligence (EI) construct, their conceptual coverage tends to be quite limited. One notable exception is the short form of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i:S), which measures multiple EI dimensions in addition to a global EI index. Despite the unique advantage offered by the inventory, psychometric properties of the EQ-i:S scores have not yet been systematically evaluated. Such an evaluation was the main goal of the present investigation. Using data from 2,508 undergraduates, the authors conducted 2 studies involving factor structure, internal reliability, 6-month temporal stability, and construct validity of the EQ-i:S responses, both for the total EQ scale and for each constituent dimension. The results supported the multidimensional measurement structure of the EQ-i:S, with each dimension producing internally consistent, temporally stable, and theoretically meaningful responses. Scores on the EQ-i:S were associated more strongly with performance on an ability test of EI and with a conceptually similar construct of alexithymia than with the broader dimensions of basic personality and explained nontrivial amounts of incremental variance in the criterion symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Moreover, scores on each EQ-i:S dimension exhibited unique patterns of associations with the validation variables. The discussion highlights the advantages of the multidimensional approach in the assessment and study of EI.

Examining the structure of the Internet Addiction Test in adolescents: A bifactor approach

Youngs (1998a) Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is one of the most commonly used measures of problematic Internet use. Although the instrument is being increasingly applied in research with adolescents, its measurement structure has not been systematically evaluated with pre-adult respondents. Because the results of previous factor-analytic studies with adults have been highly inconsistent, the present study applied both the traditional (simple-structure) and novel (bifactor) modeling approaches to derive the most optimal measurement structure of the IAT for adolescents. The results of exploratory and confirmatory analyses in a large Canadian sample of high-school students (N=1948) converged on a bifactor model with a dominant global IA factor and two distinct sub-dimensions, each associated with a unique gender and problem behaviour profile. The discussion focuses on the implications of this bifactor structure for scale scoring and substantive theory on the nature and sources of individual differences in Internet addiction.

Longitudinal assessment of trait emotional intelligence: Measurement invariance and construct continuity from late childhood to adolescence.

Amid the growing efforts to promote positive youth development, trait emotional intelligence (TEI) has emerged as an important protective factor in the processes of resilience and adaptation. The inclusion of a brief form of the Emotional Quotient Inventory-Youth Version (EQi:YV-Brief) in the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) presents a unique opportunity to study the developmental dynamics of TEI during the transition from childhood to adolescence. However, before drawing any inferences about construct continuity and change, researchers must establish that the EQi:YV-Brief functions equivalently over time. This study tested configural, metric, scalar, and residual measurement invariance of the EQi:YV-Brief over a 6-year period from late childhood (age 10-11) to adolescence (age 16-17). Longitudinal mean and covariance structures models were fitted to the data from 773 NLSCY participants (51% girls) who completed the EQi:YV-Brief at 4 biennial cycles. Three of the 4 EQi:YV-Brief subscales were found to be fully invariant at ages 12-13 through 17-18 and partially invariant at age 10-11. Controlling for partial noninvariance, we also investigated patterns of rank-order stability and mean-level change in TEI. These exploratory analyses showed that individual differences in TEI became increasingly more stable with age and that changes in mean TEI levels followed a complex nonlinear pattern over time. The results supported the longitudinal utility of 3 of the 4 EQi:YV-Brief subscales used in the NLSCY, supporting their further use in research on the developmental dynamics of TEI.

Trait Emotional Intelligence and University Graduation Outcomes: Using Latent Profile Analysis to Identify Students at Risk for Degree Noncompletion.

This study explored the utility of trait emotional intelligence (EI) for predicting students’ university graduation outcomes six years after enrolment in university. At the start of the program, 1,015 newly registered students completed a brief multidimensional self-report EI assessment and provided consent to track their subsequent degree progress via official university records. Using latent profile analysis (LPA), participants were sorted into five classes that differed in the overall EI level and in the relative strengths and weaknesses on individual EI dimensions. Greater likelihood of degree noncompletion at the 6-year follow-up was uniquely associated with having a low-EI profile with particularly pronounced weaknesses in the interpersonal and stress management domains, after controlling for high school grades and gender. Comparative levels of predictive utility could not be achieved by examining scores on each EI dimension independently. Authors discuss practical advantages of LPA over traditional variable-centered approaches for identifying and assisting students at risk for degree noncompletion.

Self-Report Assessments of Emotional Competencies: A Critical Look at Methods and Meanings

This Special Issue of the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment offers a critical appraisal of the validity, applied utility, and limitations of self-report assessments of emotional competencies. Using self-concept theory as an integrative theoretical framework, this introductory editorial highlights key methodological and validity issues raised in the contributing articles: (a) distinction between emotional competence self-perceptions and objectively measured abilities, (b) effects of response biases and respondents’ age on the psychometric properties of self-reports, (c) importance of adopting a multi-dimensional assessment strategy, and (d) various aspects of construct validity (conceptual definitions and paradigms, gender differences, relationships with basic personality, mechanisms and scope of prediction). The added value of conceptualizing emotional competence self-reports as self-concepts (as proposed in this article) is illustrated in the discussion of practical implications, outstanding questions, and directions for future research on the meaning and uses of these assessments.

Coping Strategies and Psychological Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Personal Resiliency

ABSTRACT Certain coping strategies alleviate stress and promote positive psychological outcomes, whereas others exacerbate stress and promote negative psychological outcomes. However, the efficacy of any given coping strategy may also depend on personal resiliency. This study examined whether personal resiliency moderated the effects of task-oriented, avoidance-oriented, and emotion-oriented coping strategies on measures of depression, anxiety, stress, positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction with life. Results (N = 424 undergraduates) showed higher personal resiliency was associated with greater use of task-oriented coping strategies, which were in turn associated with more adaptive outcomes, and less reliance on nonconstructive emotion-oriented strategies, which in turn were associated with poorer psychological outcomes. In addition, individual differences in personal resiliency moderated the effects of task-oriented coping on negative affect and of emotion-oriented coping on negative affect and depression. Specifically, proactive task-oriented coping was associated with greater negative affect for people lower in personal resiliency. Moreover, high personal resiliency attenuated the negative effects of emotion-oriented coping on depression and negative affect. The effects of avoidance-oriented coping were mixed and were not associated with or dependent on levels of personal resiliency.

Measurement equivalence of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia across language, gender, and clinical status.

The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) has been translated into Dutch, German, and Italian and validated in clinical and nonclinical populations. In order to make valid comparisons across different population groups, it is important to establish measurement equivalence across variables such as language, gender, and clinical status. Our objective in this study was to establish measurement equivalence in relation to language (English, Dutch, German, and Italian), gender, and clinical status (non-clinical, psychiatric, and medical) using differential item functioning (DIF). The sample was composed of 842 adults representing the four language groups, all of whom had undergone the TSIA assessment as part of several earlier studies. Ordinal Logistic Regression was employed to explore DIF of the TSIA items. Although several items were found to exhibit DIF for language, gender, or clinical status, all of these effects were within an acceptable range. These findings provide support for the measurement equivalence of the TSIA, and allow researchers to reliably compare results from studies using the TSIA across the four language groups, gender, and clinical status.

Moving Beyond Achievement Data Development of the Student Orientation to School Questionnaire as a Noncognitive Assessment Tool

The Student Orientation to School Questionnaire (SOS-Q) is a multidimensional student-centered assessment tool for measuring psychosocial facilitators of student engagement. The SOS-Q is based in research on the self-system models of motivation and direct student input on perceived supports and barriers for high school completion. The current study examined internal measurement properties (factor structure and reliability) of the upper-elementary and high school versions of the SOS-Q in two samples of Grade 4 (N = 615) and Grades 7 and 9 (N = 1,356) students, as an important step in the process of scale development and validation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFAs and CFAs) converged on a stable and reliable measurement structure for both versions of the scale, with common factors related to safe and caring school, peer relationships, self-confidence, external and internal resilience, and for the high school version only—perceived utility of school and extracurricular activities. Results are discussed in terms of incorporating the SOS-Q into comprehensive school assessment systems that go beyond the academic achievement and behavioral data and that can have important policy and program implications.