María Dolores Hidalgo

Psychometric Properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale in an Adolescent Spanish-Speaking Sample

The relationship among several social anxiety measures and a semistructured interview in an adolescent Spanish-speaking sample is examined. Construct validity and test-retest reliability were tested. A principal axis factor analysis was also explored. Results revealed good construct validity and alpha coefficients for the assessment instruments such as the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNES) and the Social Avoidance Distress Scale (SADS). Among these, data strongly support the validity of the Social Phobia and Difference measures of the SPAI and Total SAS-A score as assessment measures in the adolescent population even in non-American cultures and languages. Furthermore, results appear to support the presence of a single higher-order dimension, “social anxiety,” as measured by the instruments used in this study.

The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters

Summary: This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY; Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983), which assesse...

The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory: Reliability and Validity in an Adolescent Spanish Population

The objective of this study is to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the SPAI in a sample of adolescent Spaniards. The results obtained support the use of the correlated two-factor SPAI subscales and indicate high coefficient alpha values for the SPAI subscales. The results provide support for the use of the SPAI in an adolescent population in a non-English-speaking country. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the Social Phobia subscale showed a four-factor structure, instead of a five-factor dimension, as suggested by previous studies. Effects for gender and age and gender interaction were found. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The Social Phobia Scale and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale: Factor Structure and Reliability in a Spanish-Speaking Population

The factor structure of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) was evaluated in a Spanish university student sample. The objective of this study was to examine whether these scales are reliable measures in other languages and/or cultures. High levels of internal consistency were found. The results from the factor analyses replicated the structure proposed by the original authors and revealed that both scales are unidimensional and appear to measure different aspects of the social anxiety construct. Further, as in previous studies, gender differences were found on the SPS but not on the SIAS. Results support the psychometric properties of both the SIAS and the SPS in the assessment of Spanish-speaking samples.

Brief Form of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI-B) for Adolescents

Although social phobia is one of the most common mental disorders in adolescents, there are few reliable and valid assessment instruments for this age group. This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of a brief version of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI; Turner, Beidel, Dancu, & Stanley, 1989) in a sample of adolescents. Although the original 45-item SPAI has excellent psychometric properties, its utility is limited by its length. We developed and piloted a brief, 16-item version of the SPAI that has good psychometric properties, assesses cognitive, behavioral, and somatic symptoms, consistent with the original scale, which may be particularly useful as a screening measure. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Cross-cultural Adaptation of VISA-P Score for Patellar Tendinopathy in Spanish Population

STUDY DESIGN Clinical measurement. OBJECTIVES To adapt the VISA-P questionnaire into Spanish and to assess its psychometric properties. BACKGROUND Health status questionnaires and scales to report outcomes are increasingly used in medical research and clinical practice. Validated versions of these tools are necessary to avoid bias during use in different languages and cultures. METHODS We followed international recommendations to perform cross-cultural adaptation. The Spanish VISA-P (VISA-P-Sp) questionnaire and the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) were administered to 150 individuals: 40 healthy students, 40 professional players in sports requiring jumping, 40 athletes with patellar tendinopathy, and 30 athletes with knee injuries other than patellar tendinopathy. Participants were assessed at baseline and after 1 week. Athletes with tendinopathy also completed questionnaires and other knee measures (the Kujala Scoring Questionnaire and the Cincinnati Knee Rating Scale) after physiotherapy treatment, which consisted of rest, ice, eccentric exercise, electrotherapy, and manual therapy. RESULTS The VISA-P-Sp showed high reliability for both temporal stability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.994; 95% CI: 0.992, 0.996) and internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.885). Based on a factor analysis, a 2-factor solution explained 76.1% of the variance. The VISA-P-Sp score in the tendinopathy group was significantly correlated with scores on other knee scales (Kujala score [Spearman rho = 0.897; P<.001] and Cincinnati scale [Spearman rho = 0.782, P<.001]) and with SF-36 physical components score (Spearman rho>0.6, P<.001). The standardized size effect was 1.14, and the standardized response mean was 1.17. CONCLUSION The VISA-P-Sp questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable instrument, sensitive to clinical changes and comparable to the original English-language version.

Effectiveness of Combining Statistical Tests and Effect Sizes When Using Logistic Discriminant Function Regression to Detect Differential Item Functioning for Polytomous Items

The objective of this article was to find an optimal decision rule for identifying polytomous items with large or moderate amounts of differential functioning. The effectiveness of combining statistical tests with effect size measures was assessed using logistic discriminant function analysis and two effect size measures: R2 and conditional log odds ratio in delta scale (ΔLR). Four independent variables were manipulated: (a) different sample sizes for the reference and focal groups (1,000/500, 1,000/250, 500/250), (b) impact between reference and focal group (equal-ability distribution, i.e., no impact; or different-ability distribution, i.e., impact), (c) the percentage of differential item functioning (DIF) items in a test (0%, 12%, i.e., only the first three items of the test; 20%, i.e., the first five items of the test; 32%, i.e., the first eight items of the test), and (d) direction of DIF (one-sided and both-sided). The magnitudes of DIF were indirectly manipulated through the percentage of DIF items and DIF direction, and they were simulated to be moderate or large. The results show that the false positive rates were low when an effect size decision rule was used in combination with a statistical test, and they were very low when R2 effect size criteria were applied. With respect to power, when a statistical test was used in conjunction with effect size criteria to determine whether an item exhibited a meaningful magnitude of DIF, we found when using the ΔLRdecision rule that the percentage of meaningful DIF items was higher with greater amounts of DIF. Examining DIF by means of blended statistical tests, in other words, those incorporating both the p value and effect size measures, can be recommended as a procedure for classifying items displaying DIF.

Interpersonal Difficulties in Adolescence

Abstract. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA; Ingles, Mendez, & Hidalgo, 2000). In Study 1, the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 4,240 high school pupils. Exploratory factor analysis identified five factors accounting for 42.86% of the variance: Assertiveness, Heterosexual Relationships, Public Speaking, Family Relationships, and Close Friendships. Internal consistency was high (.90). In Study 2, 538 high school pupils answered a set of social anxiety and personality self-report measures. Test-retest reliability, over a 2-week period, was adequate (.78). Correlations between the QIDA and the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (r = .43), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (r = .61), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (r = -.38, Extraversion; r = .34, Neuroticism) were statistically significant. A significant difference was found between the total QIDA score for adolescent...

Factorial Invariance of the Questionnaire About Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents Across Spanish and Chinese Adolescent Samples

Abstract The factor structure of the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents was examined across gender and ethnicity in samples of Spanish and Chinese adolescents using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses. Partial invariance was observed across gender in the Spanish sample and across ethnic groups. Measurement invariance was found across gender in the Chinese sample.

Psychometric Properties and Clinical Cut-Off Scores of the Spanish Version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents

This study examined the reliability and validity evidence drawn from the scores of the Spanish version of the Slovenian-developed Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SASA; Puklek, 1997; Puklek & Vidmar, 2000) using a community sample (Study 1) and a clinical sample (Study 2). Confirmatory factor analysis in Study 1 replicated the 2-factor structure found by the original authors in a sample of Slovenian adolescents. Test–retest reliability was adequate. Furthermore, the SASA correlated significantly with other social anxiety scales, supporting concurrent validity evidence in Spanish adolescents. The results of Study 2 confirmed the correlations between the SASA and other social anxiety measures in a clinical sample. In addition, findings revealed that the SASA can effectively discriminate between adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and those without this disorder. Finally, cut-off scores for the SASA are provided for Spanish adolescents.