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Objectives: Due to the rise of depressive symptomatology especially among vulnerable populations such as young adults during the COVID-19 outbreak, a reliable measuring tool is needed. Because of the lack of such studies, the authors decided to validate the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) among Czech university students capturing the beginning of lockdown experience. Statistical analyses: Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and structural equation modelling with diagonally weighted least squares estimation using lavaan was employed. Different hypotheses about the dimensionality of the CES-D 8 scale were tested. The authors assessed the measurement equivalence of the CES-D 8 scale according to gender using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. The effect of socio-demographic and COVID-19 issues variables on depression was examined. Results: One dimensional model with correlated errors showed sufficient validity and therefore, the best fit. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis results revealed that the factor structure is invariant across gender. Women and those who reported financial distress and academic stress showed a higher level of depressive symptomatology. On the other hand, relationships proved to have a protective effect. Limitations: The sample came from an online survey, respondents were self-selected. There was a gender imbalance in the sample that cannot be explained by a higher number of women in the Czech university environment. Conclusions: The CES-D 8 proved to be a useful instrument for measuring depressed mood that opens further possibilities for depression research in the university environment and during pandemic situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Czech) Cile: Vzhledem k narustu depresivni sympto-matologie behem pandemie covid-19 zejmena u zranitelnych skupin, jako jsou mladi dospeli, narostla potrebnost spolehliveho nastroje na mereni depresivity. Z duvodu chybejici validizace se autori rozhodli overit osmipolozkovou skalu Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) u ceskych vysokoskolskych studentu v dobe sameho pocatku pandemie. Statisticke analyzy: Byla provedena konfirmacni faktorova analyza za pouziti strukturniho modelovani metodou DWLS (diagonally weighted least squares) pomoci baliku laavan. Byly testovany ruzne hypotezy o dimenzionalite skaly CES-D 8. Pomoci MCFA (multigroup confirmatory factor analysis) autori posuzovali ekvivalenci mereni skaly CES-D 8 podle pohlavi. Byl zkouman vliv sociodemografickych promennych a promennych tykajicich se problematiky covid-19 na depresivni symptoma-tologii. Vysledky: Jednodimenzionalni model s korelo-vanymi rezidualnimi rozptyly u dvou polozek prokazal dostatecnou validitu a nejlepe odpovidal datum. Vysledky MCFA ukazaly, ze faktorova struktura zvoleneho modelu byla invariantni vzhledem k pohlavi. Zeny a osoby, ktere byly ve financni nouzi nebo prozivaly zvyseny stres ze studia, vykazovaly vyssi uroven depresivni symptomatologie. Naopak partnersky vztah se ukazal mit protektivni efekt. Limity prace: Vzorek pochazi z online pruzku-mu, respondenti byli vybrani samovyberem. Nadreprezentaci zen-studentek v datech nelze zduvodnit vyssim podilem zen na ceskych univerzitach. Zaver: CES-D 8 se ukazal byt uzitecnym nastro-jem pro mereni depresivity, jenz otevira dalsi moznosti pro vyzkum deprese v univerzitnim prostredi a behem pandemickych situaci. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
to analyse the reliability of 6 age intervals of Spanish web-based Ages and Stages Questionnaires Third Edition (WB-ASQ-3) and parents' acceptability, in a clinical practice context, during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Chile. Cross-sectional study with a longitudinal component. Internal consistency was analysed by Cronbach's alpha and Pearson product-moment correlation, Pearson's correlations between intervals questionnaires were analysed. Acceptability was determined using a parental satisfaction survey. 1061 children completed 2318 validated questionnaires. Scores were compared with normative sample, except for Gross motor at 8 and 12 months, and Communication at 12, 18 and 24 months, without differences to the previous Chileans sample. In domain analysis, Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.36 to 0.80 and reached 0.74 to 0.81 for the overall test. Strong positive correlation between the domain and overall score was obtained. Correlation between most questionnaires at different ages was positive and significant. Parental surveys show high satisfaction;parents were thankful for being able to monitor children's development. WB-ASQ-3 is a reliable and feasible screening system, particularly when the test is taken as a whole, rather than by domains. It is remarkably high acceptability among parents, especially in complex times such as the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) AD -, Paula Schonhaut, Luisa: lschonhaut@alemana.cl Schonhaut, Luisa: Clinica Alemana, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile Armijo, Ivan: Faculty of Psychology, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile Rojas B., Paula: Clinica Alemana, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile Cabrera, Leonardo: Clinica Alemana, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile Boisier, Roberto: Clinica Alemana, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
ABSTRACT
It was aimed to develop a scale to evaluate how trust-distrust is structured in the context at the macro level;the state, lower organizations, employees and organization managers, decisions and measures regarding the epidemic and also communication between the employees and the organization and the changes brought about the way of doing business after being declared the outbreak in Turkey COVID-19. For this purpose, online interviews conducted with the help of open-ended questions. The obtained data transformed into measurable scale items and applied to 150 participants (Male: 78, Female: 72;Age: 22-67, Average: 38.3, SS: 12.43) together with the Socio- Demographic Information Form, General Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention scales. The findings obtained revealed that the scale has a three-factor structure: 'Trust in Manager', 'Trust in Organization' and 'Trust in Employee'. The results of the correlation analysis performed within the scope of the criterion validity showed that all the sub-dimensions of the scale are associated with General Job Satisfaction and the Turnover Intention. The analyzes carried out to test the discrimination validity showed that there is a significant differences in terms of Trust in Organization and Trust in Employees in groups where the perception of work-related health hazard is less dangerous and very dangerous. As a result, the findings obtained in this study show that the COVID-19 Readiness Organizational Trust Scale is a valid and reliable scale whose psychometric properties have been empirically tested in the Turkish sample. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Turkish) Bu calismada, Turkiye'de COVID-19 salgini ilan edildikten sonra;makro duzeyde devletin, daha asagida orgutlerin, calisanlarin ve orgut yoneticilerinin, salginla ilgili olarak aldigi kararlar, tedbirler, calisanlarin kendi aralarinda ve orgutle kurdugu iletisim, is yapma tarzi ile ilgili getirilen yenilikler baglaminda calisan ve orgut arasinda kurulan guven-guvensizligin nasil yapilandigini degerlendirmeye yonelik bir olcek gelistirmek amaclanmistir. Bu amaca yonelik olarak hazirlanan acik uclu sorular yardimiyla cevrimici gorusmeler gerceklestirilmistir. Elde edilen nitel veri olcumlenebilir olcek maddelerine donusturulmus ve Sosyo-demografik Bilgi Formu, Genel Is Memnuniyeti, Isten Ayrilma Niyeti olcekleriyle birlikte farkli sektorlerde calisan 150 katilimciya (Erkek: 78, Kadin: 72;Yas: 22 - 67, Ort:38.3, SS:12.43) uygulanmistir. Elde edilen bulgular olcegin 'Yoneticiye Guven', 'Kuruma Guven' ve 'Calisana Guven' olmak uzere uc faktorlu bir yapi gosterdigini ortaya koymustur. Kriter gecerliligi kapsaminda gerceklestirilen korelasyon analizi sonuclari olcege ait tum alt boyutlarin Genel Is Memnuniyeti ve Isten Ayrilma Niyeti ile iliskilendigini gostermektedir. Ayirt etme gecerliligini test etmek amaciyla gerceklestirilen analizler isin saglik acisindan tehlike algisinin az tehlikeli ve cok tehlikeli oldugu gruplarda Orgute Guven ve Calisana Guven boyutlarinda anlamli farklilik oldugunu gostermistir. Sonuc olarak, bu calismada elde edilen bulgular COVID - 19 Hazirliligi Orgutsel Guven Olcegi'nin Turk ornekleminde psikometrik ozellikleri gorgul olarak test edilmis gecerli ve guvenilir bir olcek oldugunu gostermektedir. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Sweden was hit hard in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with deaths per capita among the highest in Europe. The pandemic was a stressful time especially for healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. Various studies have evaluated whether nurses caring for these patients had higher levels of acute stress, but typically with measures that either used older DSM-IV criteria for Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) or general measures of acute stress. We recruited an online sample (N = 101) of nurses in Sweden from COVID-19 specialized units (ICU), Emergency (ER), and other units (Other), and asked them to answer questionnaires retrospectively to the peak of infections in Sweden. We aimed to evaluate: 1) the psychometric properties of the translation of the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire-II (SASRQ-II, which follows DSM-5 criteria for ASD) into Swedish, 2) whether nurses in COVID-19 units had experienced more acute stress than nurses in other units, and 3) the extent of potential acute stress disorder. The SASRQ-II evidenced good construct, convergent and divergent validity, and good reliability. It showed that ICU nurses reported significantly more acute stress than the other two groups, a difference that could not be accounted for by demographic or other variables. A retrospective diagnosis of ASD using the SASRQ-II suggested that 60% of nurses might have fulfilled ASD criteria, but no differences across groups were found. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Studies that have reported on the loneliness protective effect of pet ownership have recently been called into question owing to methodological drawbacks, including the use of inappropriate scales of measurement for loneliness in pet owner samples. It has also been recently demonstrated that pet interactions may only influence positive, not negative, human affect. In light of these recent advances, the current study aimed to create a new scale focusing on the inverse experience of loneliness: connectedness. An initial 24-item scale was developed using qualitative data collected from our previous study investigating the impact of pet ownership for Australians living alone during a government-enforced lockdown in response to COVID-19. Study 1 included 934 dog and cat owners who self-selected into the online study. Factor analyses revealed two distinct factors, and only items that loaded uniquely on one factor were retained. Study 2 included 526 dog and cat owners who self-selected into the online study, which confirmed the two-factor structure and established validity and reliability of the scale. The result was a 14-item Pet Owner Connectedness Scale (POCS) with two subscales: (i) owner-pet connection, and (ii) connectedness through pet. Hence, we present evidence for a new scale that can be used to measure the positive social states of connectedness that owners may gain from their pets. This may provide a good alternative to more traditional methods such as measuring the buffering effect pets have on negative social states such as loneliness. It may also offer a more robust method to measure the impact of pet interactions on their owners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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COVID-19 affected higher educational institutions around the world. This study focused on academics' perceptions and practices of online education based on their academic discipline and previous online education experience. The survey research design used and an e-survey was conducted in May 2020, during which the lockdown restrictions were rather tight in Turkey. The analyzes were carried out on the responses of 8,242 academics' using the omnibus chi-square test and t-tests. The results point out that academics' time allocation to preparation for courses, student counselling, and lectures are varying due to their academic disciplines. Generally, academics have a negative perception of online education though there is a difference between the experienced ones and others. In particular, academics with online education experience exhibited lower negative perceptions of online education than those lacking such experience. Maybe one of the most problematic parts of this transition process for academics is how to ensure the reliability of exams. Our results showed that even the academics with online education experience have a higher level of distrust towards educational measurement and evaluation methods.
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There is little evidence on cognitions that are associated with emotional and behavioral problems in preschoolers during stressful events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents the initial development and validation of a caregiver-report instrument, the Preschooler Stressor-related Thoughts and Worries (PSTW) scale, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, caregivers from two countries reported on their child's cognitions at baseline (T0) and three months later (T1;age 3-5 years;Australia: N = 559;United States: N = 346). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with the Australian sample at T0 and confirmed with the U.S. sample at T0. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a one-factor model including 10 items. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis failed to clearly support this structure (comparative fit index = .91, root mean square error of approximation = .11). Construct validity was supported by positive associations between PSTW scores and emotional and behavioral problems. Although the PSTW is a promising instrument to assess preschooler cognitions related to COVID-19, further investigation of its performance in other contexts (e.g., other countries, other stressful or traumatic events) is needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Throughout the history of higher education in the United States, parents and family members of college students have often found themselves as obsolete to the postsecondary experience. Minimal research has been dedicated to understanding the experience of parents and family members of college students until the millennial generation began their collegiate years (Harper et al., 2012;Wartman & Savage, 2008). In consideration of a new generation of college students (i.e., Gen Z) and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is crucial to illuminate the complexities of parent and family engagement in higher education and the needs of parents and families. Most recently, Kiyama and Harper (2018) proposed a Model of Parent Characteristics, Engagement, and Support based on their research. Harper et al. (2020) continued to investigate this model through qualitative methodologies and identified several constructs to better understand this complex phenomenon. Currently, no quantitative tools exist to measure Kiyama and Harper's (2018) model and accompanying construct. Thus, the goal of this study was to develop and initially validate the Parent and Family Engagement in Higher Education (PFEHE) measure as a quantitative research tool to complement Kiyama and Harper's (2018) model. This dissertation is the beginning of the ongoing and iterative process researchers need to develop and gather validity evidence for any measure (Bandalos, 2018;Kline, 2016). Strength of evidence supporting validity, reliability, and fairness were evaluated for the PFEHE measure. Evidence to support validity was based on test content, response processes, and internal structure and was mixed. Higher education and measurement experts and current family members of undergraduate college students assisted the development process resulting in a 54-item PFEHE measure. A wide recruitment effort garnered participation of more than 1,000 participants who completed the 54-item measure. After a thorough data screening process, 650 responses were viable to use for a variety of analyses. Approximately half of these responses were used in a series of exploratory factor analyses. These analyses further refined the PFEHE measure to 21 items representative of three constructs: family aspirational characteristics, family/student involvement and engagement, and family/university involvement and engagement. The other half of responses were used for a confirmatory factor analysis with the three factors and 21 items. Results of this analysis were less than favorable as no model fit indices met the minimum standards (DiStefano & Hess, 2005;Kline, 2016;McCoach et al., 2013). Strength of evidence based on reliability was gathered by calculating Cronbach's alpha separately for the two samples using the redefined 21-item measure. Reliability measures for each of the three scales across both samples ranged from .76 to .84, indicating moderately strong evidence. Finally, evidence to support fairness of the PFEHE measure was gathered initially from expert panel review. Additional evidence was gathered from cognitive interviews conducted with current parents and family members of undergraduate college students. Families were asked to recall the information needed to respond to each item and whether they would respond to each item honestly. Their responses guided the final wording for items and the inclusion of additional instructions for participants. Collectively, the strength of evidence supporting fairness was strong given the scope of this study. This study concludes with a discussion about the many opportunities the PFEHE measure could be used in future quantitative and qualitative research studies. The evidence reported in this study is promising for the PFEHE measure, and future research will aid in the evaluation of more evidence of validity, reliability, and fairness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Objective: After the COVID-19 outbreak, corona anxiety has become prevalent all over the world. To understand and treat this type of anxiety, researchers have examined its relationship with attentional bias, a phenomenon closely associated with other types of anxiety. The dot-probe task is a common instrument used for the evaluation of attentional bias. However, the psychometric properties of this instrument, when used for the assessment of attentional bias towards corona-related stimuli, are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 dot-probe task to see whether its application in COVID-19 studies is justified. Methods: A total of 362 Iranian adults completed the COVID-19 dot-probe task and Corona Anxiety Disease Scale (CADS), 146 of whom repeated this procedure after two weeks to provide test-retest data. Split-half reliability, the Cronbach alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient of test-retest scores, and associations between COVID-19 dot-probe task and CADS were calculated using SPSS v. 26. Results: The study results indicated that the standard version of the COVID-19 dot-probe task lacks internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity, whereas the response-based version of the instrument promotes all of these psychometric properties to an acceptable level. Conclusion: COVID-19 dot-probe task is a psychometrically sound instrument for evaluating corona-related attentional bias and investigating its role in the mechanism of corona anxiety, only if the response-based method of computation is used for calculating the measures of attentional bias. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Loneliness is a serious risk factor for healthy development and flourishing. Although loneliness has been revealed to play an important role in psychological health and well-being, little is known about moderating and mitigating mechanisms underlying this association, especially during adverse experiences (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). The current study purposed to explore whether subjective vitality mediated the association of loneliness with psychological adjustment and whether college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on students' adjustment in the context of loneliness. The study sample comprised 333 undergraduate students (69% female) from a public university in Turkey. They ranged in age between 19 and 41 years (M = 21.94, SD = 4.15). Findings from mediation analysis revealed that loneliness had a significant predictive effect on subjective vitality and psychological adjustment challenges. Subjective vitality also mediated the effect of loneliness on the psychological adjustment of college students. Further, college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on adjustment and had a protective effect on the association between loneliness and subjective vitality in college students. These results indicate that subjective vitality and college belongingness are important mechanisms that may help develop prevention and intervention strategies to foster students' psychological health and well-being in university settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Background: Regular monitoring of the pandemic's psychosocial impact could be conducted among the community but is limited through online media. This study aims to evaluate the self-rating questionnaire commonly used for online monitoring of the psycho-social implications of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The data were taken from the online assessment results of two groups, with a total of 765 participants. The instruments studied were Self-Rating Questionnaire (SRQ-20), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale- 10 (CESD-10), used in the online assessment. Data analysis used Rasch modeling and Winsteps applications. Validity and reliability were tested, and data were fit with the model, rating scale, and item fit analysis. Results: All the scales for outfit mean square (MnSq) were very close to the ideal value of 1.0, and the Chi-square test was significant. Item reliability was greater than 0.67, item separation was greater than 3, and Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.60;all the instruments were considered very good. The raw variance explained by measures for the SRQ-20, PTSD, and CESD-10 was 30.7%, 41.6%, and 47.6%, respectively. The unexplained eigen-value variances in the first contrast were 2.3, 1.6, and 2.0 for the SRQ-20, PTSD, and CESD-10, respectively. All items had positive point-measure correlations. Conclusion: The internal consistency of all the instruments was reliable. Data were fit to the model as the items were productive for measurement and had a reasonable prediction. All the scales are functionally one-dimensional. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Workplace loneliness leads to errors and poor performance. Health is one of the sectors with the most severe consequences. Workplace arrangements where doctors spend most of their time need to be balanced between patient-doctor privacy and the doctor's feeling of loneliness. However, previous studies have been discussed at the psychological level. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of workplace order as a physical and concrete variable on loneliness in business life. The conceptual workplace layout was developed as an operational scale, and validity and reliability analyses were conducted. As the research universe, doctors working in Van Province, who spent most of their time in a working environment and heavy patient traffic, were selected. As a result, it has been determined that the scale of workplace design developed is a valid and reliable scale that can be used in organizational behavior research, and workplace privacy dimension (workplace allocation) affects loneliness at work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Turkish) Isyeri yalnizliginin olumsuz etkilerine ragmen duzen ve mahremiyet bazi islerde vazgecilmez ikilidir. Bu celiskilerin en vahim sonuclarinin oldugu sektorlerin basinda saglik gelmektedir. Doktorlarin is yeri duzenlemelerinin hasta-doktor mahremiyeti ile doktorun yalnizlik duygusuna suruklenmemesi arasinda dengelenmesi gerekmektedir. Bu calismanin amaci fiziki ve somut bir degisken olarak is yeri duzenin, is yasaminda yalnizlik uzerine etkisinin incelenmesidir. Calismada kavramsal olarak ortaya konulan is yeri duzeni, isletimsel bir olcek olarak gelistirilmis, gecerlilik ve guvenirlik analizleri yapilmistir. Arastirma evreni olarak zamanlarinin cok buyuk bir bolumunu muayenehane ortaminda ve yogun bir hasta trafigi icerisinde geciren, ayrica gunumuzde pandemiye donusen Corona virusu nedeni ile neredeyse 7/24 calisan Van Ilinde gorev yapan doktorlar secilmistir. Arastirma sonucunda gelistirilen Is Yeri Duzeni olceginin orgutsel davranis arastirmalarinda kullanilabilecek gecerli ve guvenilir bir olcek oldugu, is yeri duzeni mahremiyet (calisma alani tahsisi) boyutunun is yasaminda yalnizlik uzerinde etkili oldugu tespit edilmistir. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 outbreak in the world has caused wide psychological effects and related concerns. Nonetheless, only a few studies have thus far evaluated the degree of fear of COVID-19, partially due to the lack of validated measures. This study was planned and conducted to study of the "Fear of COVID-19 Scale" adapted to Turkish culture which to measure level of fear of adult individuals Coronavirus Disease and developed by Ahorsu et al. (2020). In the study, over 18 years old adults has been achieved through a online questionnaire form who living in Turkey. 839 individuals were analyzed. In the first part of the questionnaire form, demographic features were questioned, and in the second part, Fear of COVID-19 Scale was applied. The scale is five-item Likert type consisting of 7 questions. Whether there is a correlation between the items that is a prerequisite for the study factor analysis was examined by Bartlett Sphericity Test (x2 = 2770.755, p< 0.001) and the adequacy of the sample size was examined by Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO = 0.926). Accordingly, the results show that the sample size is sufficient. The level of internal consistency between items of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was analyzed with item total correlations (>0.5) and Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficients (0.874). As a result of the analyzes, the adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale to Turkish is robust and can be used in research assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 among a Turkish adult population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Turkish) Kovid-19 salgini dunyada genis psikolojik etkilere ve iliskili sorunlara yol acmistir. Bununla birlikte bugune kadar cok az calisma, kismen valide edilmis calismalarin eksikligi nedeniyle salginin neden oldugu korkuyu degerlendirmistir. Bu arastirmada yetiskin bireylerin Kovid-19 salginina bagli korku duzeyini olcmek icin Ahorsu ve ark. (2020) tarafindan gelistirilen "Kovid-19 Korku Olcegi"nin gecerlik ve guvenirlik calismasinin yapilmasi ve Turk kulturune uyarlanmasi amaclanmistir. Turkiye'de yasayan 18 yas uzeri yetiskin bireylere online anket yoluyla ulasilmistir. Toplamda 839 bireyin verileri analiz edilmistir. Anketin ilk bolumunde demografik ozellikler sorgulanmis, ikinci bolumunde Kovid-19 Korku Olcegi uygulanmistir. Olcek yedi sorudan olusan 5'li Likert tiptedir. Calisma faktor analizinin on kosulu olan maddeler arasi korelasyon olup olmadigi Bartlett Kuresellik testi (x 2 =2770,755, p<0,001) ile orneklem buyuklugunun yeterliligi ise Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO=0,926) ile incelenmistir. Buna gore sonuclar orneklem buyuklugunun yeterli oldugunu gostermektedir. Kovid-19 Korku Olceginin maddeler arasinda ic tutarliliginin ne duzeyde oldugu madde toplam korelasyonlari (>0,5) ve Cronbach alpha ic tutarlilik katsayilari ile (0,874) incelenmis ve olcegin butunu Kovid-19 salginina bagli korku durumunu yansittigi belirlenmistir. Yapilmis analizler sonucunda yetiskin bireylerde Kovid-19 nedeniyle gelisen korku duzeyini olcmek icin uygundur ve bu olcegin Turkce formunun gecerli ve guvenilir oldugu saptanmistir. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Objective: The number of publications reporting anxiety and fear about the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) continues to grow;however, the psychometric tools available to assess a Turkish population are insufficient to measure the relevant mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and to analyze the validity and reliability in children and adolescents. Method: The study sample consisted of 381 children aged 10-18 years. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency analysis was used to evaluate the scale's reliability, and the criterion validity was assessed with the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale- Child (RCADS-C) subscale scores. The construct validity of the scale was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient calculated to determine the scale's reliability was alpha=0.88. The corrected total item test correlation values of the items varied between 0.63 and 0.68. Exploratory factor analysis determined that the factor load of the scale items was 0.73-0.77 and that there was only one factor with an eigenvalue >1. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fit indices were acceptable. Conclusion: These findings show that the Turkish version of the FCV-19S is a valid and reliable measurement tool for use with children and adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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This thesis aimed to explore the neural mechanisms of language processing in infants under 12 months of age by using EEG measures of speech processing. More specifically, I wanted to investigate if infants are able to engage in the auditory neural tracking of continuous speech and how this processing can be modulated by infant attention and different linguistic environments. Limited research has investigated this phenomenon of neural tracking in infants and the potential effects that this may have on later language development.Experiment 1 set the groundwork for the thesis by establishing a reliable method to measure cortical entrainment by 36 infants to the amplitude envelope of continuous speech. The results demonstrated that infants have entrainment to speech much like has been found in adults. Additionally, infants show a reliable elicitation of the Acoustic Change Complex (ACC). Follow up language assessments were conducted with these infants approximately two years later;however, no significant predictors of coherence on later language outcomes were found.The aim of Experiment 2 was to discover how neural entrainment can be modulated by infant attention. Twenty infants were measured on their ability to selectively attend to a target speaker while in the presence of a distractor of matching acoustic intensity. Coherence values were found for the target, the distractor and for the dual signal (both target and distractor together). Thus, it seems that infant attention may be fluctuating between the two speech signals leading to them entraining to both simultaneously. However, the results were not clear.Thus, Experiment 3 expanded on from Experiment 2. However, now EEG was recorded from 30 infants who listened to speech with no acoustic interference and speech-in-noise with a signal-to-noise ratio of 10dB. Additionally, it was investigated whether bilingualism has any potential effects on this process. Similar coherence values were observed when infants listened to speech in both conditions (quiet and noise), suggesting that infants successfully inhibited the disruptive effects of the masker. No effects of bilingualism on neural entrainment were present.For the fourth study we wanted to continue investigating infant auditory- neural entrainment when exposed to more varying levels of background noise. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic all testing was moved online. Thus, for Experiment 4 we developed a piece of online software (the memory card game) that could be used remotely. Seventy three children ranging from 4 to 12 years old participated in the online experiment in order to explore how the demands of a speech recognition task interact with masker type and language and how this changes with age during childhood. Results showed that performance on the memory card game improved with age but was not affected by masker type or language background. This improvement with age is most likely a result of improved speech perception capabilities.Overall, this thesis provides a reliable methodology for measuring neural entrainment in infants and a greater understanding of the mechanisms of speech processing in infancy and beyond. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Hope has been shown to be an important protective factor, with hypothesized origins in early childhood (Snyder, 2002). However, despite the established importance of hope, little research to date has examined its developmental origins. Specifically, a lack of appropriate instrumentation represents a significant barrier to detecting hope in children under the age of eight years old. The current study meets this need by examining the reliability and validity of a novel parent-report measure of hope in early childhood, titled the Parent Report of Child Hope (PRCH). The PRCH represents an initial step towards understanding individual differences in early childhood hope. The present study also sought to provide an understanding of the developmental influences on hope in early childhood using the PRCH. The PRCH was hypothesized to be a reliable and valid measure of hope in children younger than 8 years old. Specific Aims of the current study included, Aim 1: To provide evidence of the construct validity of the PRCH as an assessment of hope in young children, Aim 2: To provide evidence of the reliability and criterion-related validity of the Parent PRCH as an assessment of hope in young children, and Aim 3: To understand whether factors hypothesized to either contribute to or undermine hope development are predictors of hope, as well as agency and pathways thinking individually, in young children in order to provide a foundational understanding of hope development.Participants included 263 caregivers of children between the ages of 60 and 82 months. Parents completed online surveys containing the PRCH, an adapted, parent-report version of the Children's Hope Scale, and measures assessing child behaviors, social understanding, school readiness, and ego resilience. Parents also reported on the quality of their relationship with their child, their own level of depression, and the impact that COVID-19 has had on their family structure. The overall findings of the present study support the PRCH as a reliable and valid measure of hope in early childhood. The PRCH sufficiently captured individual differences in hope among young children and followed the expected two factor structure, confirming construct validity. The PRCH demonstrated good internal consistency and criterion-related validity. Child social understanding, parent-child closeness, and school readiness positively predicted PRCH scores. Parent-child conflict negatively predicted PRCH scores. Scores on the PRCH predicted ego resilience and prosocial behaviors in children. These findings are consistent with hope theory, which suggested that the developmental origins of hope could be measured in early childhood (Snyder, 2000). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)