Validity Evidence of the Spanish Version of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale Using the Rasch Measurement Model.

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is the most cited instrument to measure dispositional mindfulness. However, some aspects of its validity are still under debate. We aimed to assess different sources of validity evidence (i.e., response processes, content, internal structure, reliability, and relations with external variables) of the MAAS scores in a sample of Spanish-speaking participants (N = 812) applying Rasch modeling. The items formed an essentially unidimensional structure, the item hierarchy was similar to that of previous comparable studies, the items were well targeted, and the ordering of persons along the construct was adequate. Moreover, measures were invariant across four age groups and three groups based on meditation practice, and correlated as expected with a variety of well-being variables. In sum, our findings supported the interpretation of MAAS scores as a measure of mindfulness in our sample of Spanish-speaking participants. Any other specific inference should be tested.

Reductions in experiential avoidance explain changes in anxiety, depression and well-being after a mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC) training.

OBJECTIVE: The mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC) protocol has shown efficacy in reducing mental illness symptoms and increasing well-being. However, little is known on how the positive outcomes are produced. This study explores how reductions in experiential avoidance following MSC training may explain changes in the participants' levels of anxiety, depression, and well-being. METHODS: The 8-week protocol-based MSC training was delivered to 50 participants, and pre- to post- intervention changes in anxiety, depression, and well-being were measured. A series of mediation models were conducted, with changes in self-compassion as predictor, changes in experiential avoidance as mediator, and changes in mental health and well-being as outcome variables. Point estimates and bootstrap-corrected 95% confidence intervals were calculated to analyse indirect effects through experiential avoidance, by means of structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULTS: Following MSC training, participants increased their levels of self-compassion, reduced experiential avoidance, and enhanced mental health (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms) and well-being scores. Increases in self-compassion were associated with decreases in experiential avoidance, which in turn were connected with changes in anxiety, depression, and well-being from pre- to post-training. The indirect path through changes in experiential avoidance represented moderate to large proportions of the total effects of self-compassion change-scores on anxiety, depression, and well-being change-scores. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing experiential avoidance and increasing psychological flexibility may be a key effect of MSC training linked to improvements of the participants' mental health and well-being scores. Self-compassion practices could exert effects on anxiety, depression and well-being mainly through promoting reductions in experiential avoidance.

Construct Validity of the Spanish Versions of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form and Condensed Form: Rasch Analysis of Responses in Oncology Outpatients.

CONTEXT: The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) is a self-rating instrument for the assessment of symptom distress in cancer patients. The Spanish version of the MSAS has recently been validated. However, we lack evidence of the internal construct validity of the shorter versions (short form [MSAS-SF] and condensed form [CMSAS]). In addition, rigorous testing of these scales with modern psychometric methods is needed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the internal construct validity and reliability of the Spanish versions of the MSAS-SF and CMSAS in oncology outpatients using Rasch analysis. METHODS: Data from a convenience sample of oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy (n = 306; mean age 60 years; 63% women) at a university hospital were analyzed. The Rasch unidimensional measurement model was used to examine response category functioning, item hierarchy, targeting, unidimensionality, reliability, and differential item functioning by age, gender, and marital status. RESULTS: The response category structure of the symptom distress items was improved by collapsing two categories. The scales were adequately targeted to the study patients, showed overall Rasch model fit (mean Infit MnSq ranged from 0.98 to 1.05), met criteria for unidimensionality, and the reliability of scores was good (person reliability > 0.80), except for the CMSAS prevalence scale. Only four items showed differential item functioning. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the Spanish versions of the MSAS-SF and CMSAS have adequate psychometric properties to evaluate symptom distress in oncology outpatients. Additional studies of the CMSAS are recommended.

Equidad en el apoyo social recíproco y satisfacción vital en personas mayores / Equity in the Reciprocal Social Support and Life Satisfaction in Older People

RESUMEN Se examinó la asociación entre equidad en el apoyo social y bienestar en personas mayores españolas (Rango 60-98, M = 74.04; DE = 7.75; N = 585). Se obtuvo información sobre variables sociodemográficas y de autonomía funcional, miembros activos de varias redes de apoyo, apoyo dado y recibido emocional e instrumental y satisfacción vital. La equidad caracteriza la mayoría de los intercambios de apoyo de los mayores con sus redes familiares y sociales. Los intercambios recíprocos equitativos y ser proveedor activo en el intercambio, se relacionan positivamente con la satisfacción vital en la vejez. La naturaleza del apoyo emocional o instrumental modifica esos resultados. La Teoría de la Equidad obtiene más evidencia empírica que la Teoría del Intercambio Social.

ABSTRACT The association between perceived equity in social support and wellbeing was examined in older people (Age 60-98, M = 74.11; SD = 7.92; N = 585). Data were from a study at Salamanca (Spain). Information was obtained about socio-demographic and functional autonomy variables, active members from several support networks, given and received support of instrumental and emotional type, and a life satisfaction index. The equity defines the majority of support exchanges that elderly maintain with their kin and non-kin networks. Balanced reciprocal exchanges, besides the capacity to be an active provider in exchange, are positively related to life satisfaction in old age. The nature of the emotional or instrumental support modifies these results. Equity Theory gets more empirical evidence than Social Exchange Theory.

Measurement of the severity of disability in community-dwelling adults and older adults: interval-level measures for accurate comparisons in large survey data sets.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) create a single metric of disability using Rasch modelling to be used for comparing disability severity levels across groups and countries, (2) test whether the interval-level measures were invariant across countries, sociodemographic and health variables and (3) examine the gains in precision using interval-level measures relative to ordinal scores when discriminating between groups known to differ in disability. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Data were drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), including comparable data across 16 countries and involving 58 489 community-dwelling adults aged 50+. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A single metric of disability composed of self-care and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and functional limitations. We examined the construct validity through the fit to the Rasch model and the know-groups method. Reliability was examined using person separation reliability. RESULTS: The single metric fulfilled the requirements of a strong hierarchical scale; was able to separate persons with different levels of disability; demonstrated invariance of the item hierarchy across countries; and was unbiased by age, gender and different health conditions. However, we found a blurred hierarchy of ADL and IADL tasks. Rasch-based measures yielded gains in relative precision (11-116%) in discriminating between groups with different medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Equal-interval measures, with person-invariance and item-invariance properties, provide epidemiologists and researchers with the opportunity to gain better insight into the hierarchical structure of functional disability, and yield more reliable and accurate estimates of disability across groups and countries. Interval-level measures of disability allow parametric statistical analysis to confidently examine the relationship between disability and continuous measures so frequent in health sciences (eg, cholesterol, blood pressure, C reactive protein).

Factorial Structure and Measurement Invariance of the PANAS in Spanish Older Adults.

Developmental theories suggest age-related changes in the structure of affect. Paradoxically, the internal structure of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) has not been tested in Spanish older adults by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) despite it is the most widely used measure of emotional well-being in later life. The aim of this study was to examine competing models of the internal structure of the Spanish version of the PANAS, its measurement invariance, reliability, and external validity. Participants were a representative sample of 585 community-dwelling people aged 60 and over, who also completed depression, loneliness and life satisfaction measures. Results showed that the orthogonal two-factor model with correlated errors (RMSEA = .057, 90% CI [.051, .063], SRMR = .084, CFI = .97, NNFI = .97) was the best fitting solution. Measurement invariance analyses confirmed that the two-independent factor structure can be used across young-old and very old people, as well as in both males and females. It showed good reliability (PA: α = .93, NA: α = .83), criterion, convergent and discriminant validity (p < .01). Our discussion highlights the role of age and culture in the experience and expression of emotions.

Factorial structure and measurement invariance of the PANAS in Spanish older adults

Developmental theories suggest age-related changes in the structure of affect. Paradoxically, the internal structure of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) has not been tested in Spanish older adults by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) despite it is the most widely used measure of emotional well-being in later life. The aim of this study was to examine competing models of the internal structure of the Spanish version of the PANAS, its measurement invariance, reliability, and external validity. Participants were a representative sample of 585 community-dwelling people aged 60 and over, who also completed depression, loneliness and life satisfaction measures. Results showed that the orthogonal two-factor model with correlated errors (RMSEA = .057, 90% CI [.051, .063], SRMR = .084, CFI = .97, NNFI = .97) was the best fitting solution. Measurement invariance analyses confirmed that the two-independent factor structure can be used across young-old and very old people, as well as in both males and females. It showed good reliability (PA: α = .93, NA: α = .83), criterion, convergent and discriminant validity (p < .01). Our discussion highlights the role of age and culture in the experience and expression of emotions (AU)

No disponible

Factor structure of the de Jong Gierveld loneliness scale in Spanish elderly adults / Estructura factorial de la escala de soledad de de Jong Gierveld en personas mayores españolas

Loneliness is an important component in the measurement of subjective well-being of elderly adults. The most influential instrument in Europe is the 11-item de Jong Gierveld loneliness scale (DJGLS; de Jong Gierveld and Kamphuis, 1985). The aim of this study was to examine, throughout factorial techniques, the internal structure the Spanish version of the DJGLS. Data were gathered from 328 community-dwelling elderly adults (M = 75.53, Range: 60-99 years). The factor analysis techniques revealed that the scale was essentially unidimensional (RMR = .088, AGFI = .970, NFI = .966). Reliability was .91. Neither substantive nor statistical reasons were found to consider the existence of a second factor. Our findings also revealed some psychometric problems in the measurement of the social and emotional aspects of loneliness. Emphasis is placed on the need to improve the scale and bear in mind the differences between collectivist and individualist cultures in the use of scales measuring well-being

La soledad es un importante componente en la medición del bienestar subjetivo de las personas mayores. El instrumento más influyente en Europa es la escala de soledad de 11 ítems de De Jong Gierveld (DJGLS; de Jong Gierveld y Kamphuis, 1985). El objetivo de esta investigación era examinar la estructura interna de la versión española de la DJGLS. La muestra estaba compuesta por 328 personas mayores (M = 75.53, Rango = 60-99 años) no institucionalizadas. Los análisis factoriales mostraron que la escala era esencialmente unidimensional (RMR = .088, AGFI = .97). La fiabilidad fue de .91. No se encontraron razones sustantivas ni estadísticas para considerar la existencia de un segundo factor. Nuestros resultados revelaron algunos problemas de los ítems para medir los aspectos sociales y emocionales de la soledad como factores distintos. Se re-salta la necesidad de mejorar la escala y de tener en cuenta las diferencias entre las culturas colectivistas e individualistas en el uso de los instrumentos que miden el bienestar

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Spanish version of the 11-item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale.

ABSTRACT Background: Loneliness has been associated with physical and mental health problems. It has also been considered a serious social problem that increases the use and costs of health services. The most widely used instrument in Europe for measuring loneliness is the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 11-item DJGLS by means of the Rasch model, and its convergent and discriminant validity. Methods: Participants were a representative sample of Spanish community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older. We evaluated sociodemographic variables, health, social support, social activity, and subjective well-being measures. Results: Person and item fit statistics, and standardized residual principal component analysis revealed that the DJGLS was essentially unidimensional. However, we found DIF across marital status and living arrangements. Moderate to high associations were found between loneliness and depression, self-rated loneliness, positive and negative emotions, and satisfaction with life. The DJGLS differentiated between well known-groups according to gender, marital status, living arrangements, health, structural and functional aspects of social networks, and social activity. Conclusions: The DJGLS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring loneliness in Spanish older adults. The addition of a few items in order to improve the measurement range is strongly recommended. Our findings are consistent with previous research indicating that loneliness is an important aspect of mental health and subjective well-being, and support the use of the scale to detect vulnerable population in old age.

Aging and social networks in Spain: the importance of pubs and churches.

We examined whether the social convoy model and socioemotional selectivity theory apply in collectivistic cultures by examining the contextual factors which are hypothesized to mediate age-related differences in social support in a collectivist European country. Five hundred Spanish community-dwelling older adults (Mean age = 74.78, SD = 7.76, range = 60-93) were interviewed to examine structural aspects of their social networks. We found that age showed highly complex relationships with network size and frequency of interaction, depending on the network circle and the mediation of cultural factors. Family structure was important for social relations in the inner circle, while pubs and churches were important for peripheral relations. Surprisingly, pub attendance was the most important variable for maintenance of social support of peripheral network members. In general, the results support the applicability of the social convoy and socioemotional selectivity constructs to social support among Spanish older adults.

Análisis de la Escala de Soledad de De Jong Gierveld mediante el modelo de Rasch / Analysis of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale Using the Rasch Model

Este trabajo examina mediante el modelo de Rasch las propiedades psi-cométricas de la adaptación española de la escala de Soledad de De Jong Gierveld. Participaron 614 personas (60-96 años) no institucionalizadas. También se midieron los afectos (PANAS) y la satisfacción con la vida. Los valores del ajuste al modelo y la precisión de las medidas de los ítems fueron elevados (0.99). La fiabilidad de las puntuaciones de las personas (0.69) y los ítems (0.77) fue baja. Los análisis factoriales confirmaron una estructura unidimensional. Algunos ítems mostraron un funcionamiento diferencial (FDI) asociado al sexo y a la forma de vida. Las garantías sobre la validez convergente/discriminante fueron moderadas. Los resultados deberían ser tomados en consideración para una revisión del instrumento.

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale by means of the Rasch model. Participants were 614 Spanish community-dwelling older adults (60-96 years). Convergent/divergent validity was examined by correlating the scale with both the PANAS scale and a satisfaction with life scale. Results showed that our data fit the model and that average item reliability were high (0.99), but average person reliability was low (0.69). Factorial analysis confirmed a unidimensional structure. Some items had a significant DIF for sex and living arrangements. The scale demonstrated moderate convergent/discriminant validity. These results should be taken into account for a revision of the instrument.

Percepción de autoeficacia en el afrontamiento de los problemas y su contribución en la satisfacción vital de las personas muy mayores / Perception of self-efficacy in coping with problems and its contribution to life satisfaction in very old people

Introducción y objetivos: la autoeficacia hace referencia a las creencias personales sobre la capacidad de organizar y comprometerse en acciones particulares para manejar una determinada situación. Dentro de un estudio más amplio sobre calidad de vida, hemos intentado conocer cómo es la percepción de autoeficacia en el manejo de los problemas y su contribución como modulador del estrés en la vejez avanzada. Sujetos y método: participaron 400 personas (75-104 años) no institucionalizadas de Salamanca. Medimos la percepción de autoeficacia presente y futura, además de variables sociodemográficas y de satisfacción con la vida (satisfaction with life scale; Diener et al, 1985). Resultados: la mayoría de las personas mayores de 75 años percibe como efectivo su manejo de los problemas actuales y futuros. Aparecen diferencias de edad (los de 75-84 años consideran su capacidad de afrontamiento presente y futura más efectiva que los mayores de 85 años) y de sexo (las mujeres muy mayores se perciben menos autoeficaces que los varones muy mayores). La percepción de autoeficacia futura predice la satisfacción vital de las personas muy mayores. Conclusiones: percibirse como autoeficaces en el manejo de los problemas futuros protege el bienestar de las personas muy mayores. Se comprueba el papel de la autoeficacia en el mantenimiento de la resistencia psicológica en la vejez avanzada

Introduction and objectives: self-efficacy refers to a personal belief in one's ability to organize and commit oneself to specific actions for dealing with a concrete situation. As part of a broader study on quality of life, we aimed to further our understanding of perception of self-efficacy in dealing with problems and its role as a stress modulator in advanced old age. Subjects and method: the study included 400 very elderly persons aged between 75 and 104 years from the city of Salamanca (Spain) who were residing in the community. We measured present and future perception of self-efficacy, sociodemographic variables and satisfaction with life --satisfaction with life scale-- (Diener et al, 1985). Results: most of those aged over 75 years perceived their handling of current and future problems to be effective. Differences were found according to age (those aged between 75 and 84 considered their present and future ability to cope to be more effective than those aged over 85) and according to gender (very old women perceived themselves to be less self-effective than very old men). The perception of future self-efficacy predicted satisfaction with life in very old people. Conclusions: the perception of self-efficacy in the handling of future problems protects the personal well-being of very old people. The results of the present study verify the role of self-efficacy in the maintenance of psychological resilience in advanced old age