Luis M. Lozano

Development and validation of the Granada Burnout Questionnaire in Spanish police

The goal of the present study is to develop a questionnaire, with proper psychometric properties and current norms, to evaluate the burnout syndrome in Spain. The operative definition of burnout proposed by Maslach and Jackson is used to define three dimensions (Emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization and Personal accomplishment). A total of 2,403 national Spanish police participated. Evidence of construct validity was checked through cross validation (showing a good fit of the three factors model to the data). Using the MBI, NEO-FII and CECAD evidence of convergent validity and criteria validity were developed (showing that the relations are similar to the ones that appear in other research). The discrimination, mean, standard deviation, and typical error of the average of the items composing the various dimensions were analyzed. Both the Cronbach´s alpha coefficient and the conditional standard error of measurement (CSEM) were calculated for each of the dimensions. The results showed good internal consistency (all ? values > .85). Finally, the questionnaire was scaled using T scores. The psychometrical properties reported here support the use of this new questionnaire for the burnout evaluation in Spanish police.

Assessing Perceived Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents: New Validity Evidence of Trait Meta-Mood Scale–24

Adolescence is a critical period of life during which significant psychosocial adjustment occurs and in which emotional intelligence plays an essential role. This article provides validity evidence for the Trait Meta-Mood Scale–24 (TMMS-24) scores based on an item response theory (IRT) approach. A sample of 2,693 Spanish adolescents (M = 16.52 years and SD = 1.38), of whom 51.1% were boys, completed the TMMS-24. The three-dimensional structure of the TMMS-24 was confirmed, showing adequate psychometric properties for assessing adolescents. With one exception, the IRT analyses showed that the items have a reasonable fit to Samejima’s Gradual Response Model. In addition, all three dimensions exhibit the best measurement precision around the mean of the latent trait levels. Again, with one exception (Item 23), all items have a moderate to very high discrimination power.

Bayesian estimation of the prevalence of suicide risk in institutionalized older people.

The assessment of suicide risk in institutionalized older people has received less attention in comparison with those not institutionalized. The studies carried out show contradictory data on the prevalence of risk in this population group. The current work estimates the prevalence of suicide risk through a Bayesian analysis and studies the risk factors of this behavior in a group of 110 institutionalized older people. A prevalence of 38.4% is obtained, and an association between suicide risk and the factors depression and perception of health. The results indicate to us the necessity for actions directed at decreasing the suicide rate in geriatric homes.

The Spanish Adaptation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS)

BACKGROUND Sexual objectification of women is a subtle manifestation of gender violence. The aim of this study was to adapt the 15-item Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS) to Spanish to obtain a valid instrument to evaluate this construct. METHOD After its adaptation, the questionnaire was administered to 771 women from the general population. Subsequently, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated from both the classical perspective and item response theory. RESULTS The data obtained were very similar to those of the original version. The ISOS showed good internal consistency and a two-factor structure: body evaluation and unwanted explicit sexual advances. In addition, the ISOS showed correlations with benevolent sexism, state-anxiety and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS The Spanish version of the ISOS is a reliable and valid measure of sexual objectification of women in the interpersonal context.

Hypothesis Probability or Statistical Significance

After almost a century of debate among renowned statisticians, 21st century traditional Statistical Inference is marked by controversy over the application of the procedures for hypothesis estimation and contrast. The aim of this paper is twofold: First, to present various debatable issues that arise when the mean in a Normal distribution of known precision is contrasted and second, to argue the suitability of Bayesian philosophy for the analysis of research data.

Do Economic Crises Always Undermine Trust in Others? The Case of Generalized, Interpersonal, and In-Group Trust

After the global economic collapse triggered by the Great Recession, there has been an increased interest in the potential psychological implications of periods of economic decline. Recent evidence suggests that negative personal experiences linked to the economic crisis may lead to diminished generalized trust (i.e., the belief that most of the people of the society are honest and can be trusted). Adding to the growing literature on the psychological consequences of the economic crisis, we propose that the perceived personal impact of the economic crisis not only would undermine generalized trust but also may lead to increased interpersonal trust (i.e., directed to specific and close people) and depersonalized in-group trust [i.e., directed to individuals who, while strangers, belong to the same group (e.g., social class)]. Across three studies (N = 1379), we tested these central hypotheses and ascertained whether the perceived personal impact of the crisis would predict these types of trust (assessed using questionnaire and behavioral measures) independent of individuals’ socioeconomic status. Non-experimental data from Study 1 revealed that a higher perceived personal impact of the crisis is related to lower levels of generalized trust and higher levels of interpersonal trust. These effects were independent of participants’ socioeconomic status. Non-experimental data from Study 2 replicated the findings obtained in Study 1 and also showed a positive association between the perceived personal impact of the crisis and depersonalized in-group trust. This pattern of results emerged even after controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, age, political orientation, religiosity, and unemployment status. In Study 3, using an experimental design, we found that the salience of a possible economic downturn led to decreased generalized trust and increased interpersonal and depersonalized in-group trust – independently of socioeconomic status – compared with the control condition. These results challenge the conventional wisdom that economic crises invariably undermine trust in others. The implications of the present research as well as future research directions are discussed.