ABSTRACT
The worry and anticipation of physical, psychological and personal losses centered on the aging process generate anxiety. This study analyzes the factorial structure, internal consistency and factorial invariance according to gender of the Lasher and Faulkender Anxiety about Aging Scale. The sample consisted of 706 Mexican adults. The factor structure of the questionnaire was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis. The analyses show a four-factor structure (fear of the elderly, psychological concerns, physical appearance and fear of loss) is viable and adequate for both the total sample (GFI .979; RMSEA .037; CFI .987) as for women (GFI .970; RMSEA .045; CFI .980) and men (GFI .919 and RMSEA .080; CFI .947). The four-factor structure, based on statistical and substantive criteria, has shown adequate reliability and validity fit indicators and can be considered a short and computerized version of the original version by Lasher and Faulkender. On the other hand, the factor structure, the factor loadings and the intercepts are considered invariant in the two populations studied (men and women); however, there are differences between the populations on the means of the physical appearance and fear of loss factors.(AU)
La preocupación y anticipación de pérdidas físicas, psíquicas y personales centradas en el proceso de envejecimiento generan ansiedad. El presente estudio analiza la estructura factorial, consistencia interna e invarianza factorial de acuerdo al sexo de la Escala de Ansiedad ante el Envejecimiento de Lasher y Faulkender. La muestra fue de 706 adultos mexicanos. La estructura factorial del cuestionario se analizó a través de análisis factoriales confirmatorios. Los análisis, muestran que una estructura de cuatro factores (miedo a las personas mayores, preocupaciones psicológicas, apariencia física y miedo a las pérdidas), es viable y adecuada tanto para la muestra total (GFI .979; RMSEA .037; CFI .987) como para las mujeres (GFI .970; RMSEA .045; CFI .980) y hombres (GFI .919 y RMSEA .080; CFI .947). La estructura de cuatro factores, atendiendo a criterios estadísticos y sustantivos, ha mostrado adecuados indicadores de ajuste de fiabilidad y validez y se puede considerar una versión corta e informatizada de la versión original de Lasher y Faulkender. Por otro lado, la estructura factorial, las cargas factoriales y los interceptos se consideran invariantes en las dos poblaciones estudiadas (hombres y mujeres); sin embargo, existen diferencias entre las poblaciones para las medias de los factores apariencia física y miedo a las pérdidas.(AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Test Anxiety Scale , Aging , Patient Health Questionnaire , Fear , Physical Appearance, Body , Anxiety , Stress, Psychological , Mexico , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The evaluation of quality of life may enable researchers to produce information that may improve health care and the quality of older people's lives. This research has two main goals: the first is to assess the psychometric properties of the SF-36 Health Questionnaire (construct validity and internal consistency), and the second, to calculate the factorial invariance of the questionnaire in two random, independent samples (i.e., cross-validation). The total sample consisted of 970 elderly subjects from the cities of Chihuahua and Monterrey, Mexico, with an average age of 71.18 (SD = 7.69). The factor structure of the SF-36 was analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The analyses show an adequate four-factor structure. The four-factor structure (Physical Function, Body Pain, Physical Role and Psychological Health) shows adequate reliability and validity indices. In addition, the results from the CFA analyses for the subsamples provide strong evidence of the stability of the four-factor structure. Future research should consider replicating the present findings in larger samples.
ABSTRACT
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread or restlessness and can develop into a weight-related disorder. The objective was to analyze the psychometric properties of the trait anxiety subscale of the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS), as well as the invariance in Mexican preadolescents. The sample consisted of 604 participants, 285 female and 319 male, whose ages ranged between 11 and 12 years (M = 11.37; SD = 0.48). The questionnaire's factor structure was analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses. The analyses show the viability and adequacy of a two-factor structure (weight and non-weight factors) both for the total sample and for the populations of male and female. The two-factor structure showed adequate reliability and validity fit indicators. The factor structure, the factor loadings and intercepts are considered invariant according to the variable sex; however, differences between female and male participants were found for levels of anxiety caused by physical appearance. In conclusion, the PASTAS can be considered a convenient instrument to assess the variables related to anxiety generated by one's physical appearance, as well as allowing more participants to be quickly assessed.
ABSTRACT
Body image is a mental representation that a person has, which could become a body dissatisfaction due to the pressure exerted by the culture, affecting several life stages specially in adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and factorial invariance of the questionnaire to assess body image dissatisfaction. The sample consisted of 552 Mexican teenagers, 259 female, and 293 male, with a mean age of 12.91 ± 0.96 years. Confirmatory Factor Analyses show that a five-factor structure is viable and adequate. The five-factor structure (perceptual, emotional distress, behavioral, proposal to change, and fear of gaining weight) show adequate fit indices and validity, even though the obtained model does not completely correspond to that proposed by the authors of the scale, it continues to endorse the multifactorial component of body dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the factorial structure, the factor loadings, and the intercepts are considered invariant in both populations; however, there are differences between the populations for the means of the perceptual, emotional distress, and fear of gaining weight factors. This study serves as a premise for future research on the study of instruments for measuring body image in populations with different personal and cultural factors.
ABSTRACT
We explored the home learning environments of 173 Mexican preschool children (aged 3-6 years) in relation to their numeracy performance. Parents indicated the frequency of their formal home numeracy and literacy activities, and their academic expectations for children's numeracy and literacy performance. Children completed measures of early numeracy skills. Mexican parent-child dyads from families with either high- or low-socioeconomic status (SES) participated. Low-SES parents (n = 99) reported higher numeracy expectations than high-SES parents (n = 74), but similar frequency of home numeracy activities. In contrast, high-SES parents reported higher frequency of literacy activities. Path analyses showed that operational (i.e., advanced) numeracy activities were positively related to children's numeracy skills in the high- but not in the low-SES group. These findings improve the understanding of the role of the home environment in different contexts and provide some insights into the sources of the variable patterns of relations between home learning activities and children's numeracy outcomes. They also suggest that SES is a critical factor to consider in research on children's home numeracy experiences.
ABSTRACT
El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo se relacionan las habilidades motrices gruesas y finas en preescolares, la frecuencia de actividades motrices reportadas por los padres y las creencias sobre el desarrollo motor en diferente Nivel SocioEconómico (NSE). Participaron 75 padres de familia y sus respectivos hijos de NSE bajo y alto. La frecuencia con que realizan actividades motrices con sus hijos y sus creencias sobre el desarrollo motor se registraron por medio de un cuestionario; las habilidades motrices se evaluaron con las sub-escales de motricidad fina y gruesa del Inventario de Desarrollo Battelle (BDI-2). En los resultados los padres afirmaron otorgar mayor importancia al desarrollo de la motricidad fina que al desarrollo de la motricidad gruesa. Los niños de NSE bajo obtuvieron una puntuación más alta en motricidad gruesa que sus pares de NSE alto, sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias entre las puntuaciones de motricidad fina entre ambos grupos. Concluimos que el desarrollo de las habilidades motrices en preescolar no parece estar asociado a las creencias de los padres ni a la frecuencia con que suelen realizar actividades motrices con sus hijos; sin embargo existen diferencias por NSE en el desempeño de los menores
The purpose of the present study is to analyze the relationship between preschoolers' gross and fine motor skills, parent reported frequency of motor activities, and parental beliefs about motor development in different socio-economic contexts. Seventy-five parents and their children from low and high socio-economic status participated in the study. The frequency with which parents engaged in motor activities with their children and their beliefs about motor development were assessed using a questionnaire; children's motor skills were assessed using the fine and gross motor skill subscales from the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2). Results show that parents report that they consider the development of fine- as more important than gross motor skills. Children from Low SES performed better on the gross motor skill assessment than their higher SES counterparts, however, performance did not differ by SES on the fine motor skill assessment. We conclude that the development of motor skills in preschool does not appear to be associated to parental beliefs or to parent reported frequency of motor activities; however, we did find differences by SES on children's performance
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child, Preschool , Adult , Motor Skills/physiology , Religion , Social Class , Child Development/physiology , 35172 , Surveys and Questionnaires , Data Analysis , ParentsABSTRACT
Preschoolers (n=62) completed tasks that tapped their knowledge of symbolic and non-symbolic exact quantities, their ability to translate among different representations of exact quantity (i.e., digits, number words, and non-symbolic quantities), and their non-symbolic, digit, and spoken number comparison skills (e.g., which is larger, 2 or 4?). As hypothesized, children's knowledge about non-symbolic exact quantities, spoken number words, and digits predicted their ability to map between symbolic and non-symbolic exact quantities. Further, their knowledge of the mappings between digits and non-symbolic quantities predicted symbolic number comparison (i.e., of spoken number words or written digits). Mappings between written digits and non-symbolic exact quantities developed later than the other mappings. These results support a model of early number knowledge in which integration across symbolic and non-symbolic representations of exact quantity underlies the development of children's number comparison skills.
Subject(s)
Child Development/physiology , Cognition/physiology , Mathematics , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Neuropsychological Tests , SymbolismABSTRACT
Individuals who do well in mathematics and science also often have good spatial skills. However, the predictive direction of links between spatial abilities and mathematical learning has not been firmly established, especially for young children. In the present research, we addressed this issue using a sample from a longitudinal data set that spanned 4 years and which includes measures of mathematical performance and various cognitive skills, including spatial ability. Children were tested once in each of 4 years (Time 1, 2, 3, and 4). At Time 3 and 4, 101 children (in Grades 2, 3, or 4 at Time 3) completed mathematical measures including (a) a number line task (0-1000), (b) arithmetic, and (c) number system knowledge. Measures of spatial ability were collected at Time 1, 2, or 3. As expected, spatial ability was correlated with all of the mathematical measures at Time 3 and 4, and predicted growth in number line performance from Time 3 to Time 4. However, spatial ability did not predict growth in either arithmetic or in number system knowledge. Path analyses were used to test whether number line performance at Time 3 was predictive of arithmetic and number system knowledge at Time 4 or whether the reverse patterns were dominant. Contrary to the prediction that the number line is an important causal construct that facilitates learning arithmetic, no evidence was found that number line performance predicted growth in calculation more than calculation predicted number line growth. However, number system knowledge at Time 3 was predictive of number line performance at Time 4, independently of spatial ability. These results provide useful information about which aspects of growth in mathematical performance are (and are not) related to spatial ability and clarify the relations between number line performance and measures of arithmetic and number system knowledge.
