Anxiety in Brief: Assessment of the Five-Item Trait Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in South Africa.

The current study examined the psychometric properties of a short form of the trait scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of students (n = 322) who completed the five-item version of the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, the nine-item version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. We used classical test theory and item response theory (Rasch and Mokken analyses) to examine the psychometric properties of a previously proposed five-item version of this scale. These approaches confirmed that the five-item measure of anxiety had satisfactory reliability and validity, and also confirmed that the five items comprised a unidimensional scale.

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in Long-Term Care Settings.

Fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the main psychological impacts of the actual pandemic, especially among the population groups with higher mortality rates. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) has been used in different scenarios to assess fear associated with COVID-19, but this has not been done frequently in people living in long-term care (LTC) settings. The present study is aimed at measuring the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the FCV-19S in residents in LTC settings, following both the classical test theory (CTT) and Rasch model frameworks. The participants (n = 447), aged 60 years or older, were asked to complete the FCV-19S and to report, among other issues, their levels of depression, resilience, emotional wellbeing and health-related quality of life with validated scales. The mean FCV-19S score was 18.36 (SD 8.28, range 7−35), with higher scores for women, participants with lower education (primary or less) and higher adherence to preventive measures (all, p < 0.05). The Cronbach's alpha for the FCV-19S was 0.94. After eliminating two items due to a lack of fit, the FCV-19S showed a good fit to the Rasch model (χ2 (20) = 30.24, p = 0.019, PSI = 0.87), with unidimensionality (binomial 95% CI 0.001 to 0.045) and item local independency. Question 5 showed differential item functioning by sex. The present study shows that the FCV-19S has satisfactory reliability and validity, which supports its use to effectively measure fear in older people living in LTC settings. This tool could help identify risk groups that may need specific health education and effective communication strategies to lower fear levels. This might have a beneficial impact on adherence to preventive measures.

Validation of the Mental Health Changes Indicators Scale against Rasch measurement theory

The Mental Health Changes Indicators Scale (MHCIS) is a brief instrument designed to assess changes in an individual's mental health that occur in response to a specific life event. Although adequate psychometric properties have been demonstrated for this instrument based on classical test theory, the MHCIS has not yet been validated against Rasch measurement theory (RMT). We applied RMT to examine the psychometric properties of the MHCIS using data from 807 Chinese university students. The nominated life event in this study was the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite modest violations of unidimensionality and misfit to the Rasch model, in general, the results supported the validity of the 10-item MHCIS. We recommend further exploration of the generalizability of these results in other populations and across a range of potentially adverse life events.

Malay Version of Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II): A Reliability and Validity Analysis in Non- Clinical Samples

INTRODUCTION: Experiential avoidance is a key psychological process variable that measures the level of neglect or avoidance of unpleasant personal psychological experiences. It is highly correlated with the psychological flexibility construct, and both of these are important components in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) has been used to measure both constructs and the Malay version of AAQ-II has been translated and validated in the clinical sample. Hence, this study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Malay version of AAQ-II in a non-clinical sample. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The participants were recruited from 3 campuses of Universiti Malaysia Sabah namely UMSLabuan International Campus (UMSKAL), Sandakan campus, and the main campus in Kota Kinabalu. Convenience sampling was employed and the snowball method was used to recruit participants. All participants answered online questionnaires, which consist of sociodemographic information as well as the Malay version of AAQ-II, Mindfulness Awareness and Attention Scale (MAAS), General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Balanced Index of Psychological Mindedness (BIPM). Both classical test theory and Rasch measurement theory were used to check the reliability and validity. RESULTS: There were 370 participants in this study. Malay version of AAQ-II demonstrated good psychometric properties with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.932, parallel reliability of 0.844, and satisfactory Rasch analysis. Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor model with 7-items. AAQ-II scores were positively correlated with depressive and anxiety scores, and lower levels of mindfulness and psychological mindedness, supporting the concurrent and convergent validity. CONCLUSION: Malay version of the AAQ-II has adequate reliability and validity in assessing psychological inflexibility in the non-clinical sample and hence could be a useful psychological instrument in assessing COVID-19 mental health effect. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia is the property of International Islamic University Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Examination of the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale among Adults Using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory12

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has impaired every aspect of life, especially causing much psychological damage?for instance, increasing the risk of suicide. Intense fear and anxiety are considered to play a central role in mental health problems. This study examined the psychological properties of the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) using classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Five hundred fifty participants aged 18?69?years and from across Japan completed questionnaires, including the Japanese FCV-19S, the Japanese Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-15 (DASS-15), and the Japanese version of the Kessler 6 (K6). CTT showed that each item of the Japanese FCV-19S had no ceiling and floor effect and was close to the normal distribution, and IRT revealed that each item had an appropriate parameter of discrimination and difficulty. Finally, the Japanese FCV-19S was shown to have an acceptable reliability and moderate good concurrent validity. Consequently, the Japanese FCV-19S has robust psychometric properties and can be useful for early detection of adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: A Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis.

A reliability generalization meta-analysis was carried out to estimate the average reliability of the seven-item, 5-point Likert-type Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), one of the most widespread scales developed around the COVID-19 pandemic. Different reliability coefficients from classical test theory and the Rasch Measurement Model were meta-analyzed, heterogeneity among the most reported reliability estimates was examined by searching for moderators, and a predictive model to estimate the expected reliability was proposed. At least one reliability estimate was available for a total of 44 independent samples out of 42 studies, being that Cronbach's alpha was most frequently reported. The coefficients exhibited pooled estimates ranging from .85 to .90. The moderator analyses led to a predictive model in which the standard deviation of scores explained 36.7% of the total variability among alpha coefficients. The FCV-19S has been shown to be consistently reliable regardless of the moderator variables examined.