Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the health care providers' pain and impairment relationship scale (HC-PAIRS) in health professionals and university students from Chile and Colombia.

Background: Chronic back pain is a frequent and disabling health problem. There is evidence that ignorance and erroneous beliefs about chronic low back pain among health professionals interfere in the treatment of people who suffer from it. The Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) has been one of the most used scale to assess these misbeliefs, but no studies have been reported in Latin America. Method: We studied the factorial structure of the HC-PAIRS in health personnel and health sciences university students in two Latin American countries: Colombia (n = 930) and Chile (n = 190). Spain's data was taken of the original study of the Spanish version of the HC-PAIRS (171 Physiotherapy students). Additionally, the measurement invariance of this scale among Chile, Colombia and Spain was evaluated by calculating three nested models: configural, metric and scalar. We used a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in both Latin American samples, with Maximum Likelihood Robust (MLR) estimation to estimate the parameters. For the final model in each sample, reliability was assessed with the Composite Reliability (CR) index, and to obtain the proportion of variance explained by the scale the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was calculated. Results: The one-factor solution shows an acceptable fit in both countries after deleting items 1, 6, and 14. For the resulting scale, the CR value is adequate, but the AVE is low. There is scalar invariance between Chile and Colombia, but not between these two countries and Spain. Conclusions: HC-PAIRS is useful for detecting misconceptions about the relationship between chronic low back pain that would cause health personnel to give wrong recommendations to patients. However, it has psychometric weaknesses, and it is advisable to obtain other evidence of validity.

Using machine learning to analyze mental health in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic: an opinion study from university students in Mexico.

In times of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been detected that some students are unable to dedicate enough time to their education. They present signs of frustration and even apathy towards dropping out of school. In addition, feelings of fear, anxiety, desperation, and depression are now present because society has not yet been able to adapt to the new way of living. Therefore, this article analyzes the feelings that university students of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla present when using long distance education tools during COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. The results suggest that isolation, because of the pandemic situation, generated high levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, there are connections between feelings generated by lockdown and school performance while using e-learning platforms. The findings of this research reflect the students' feelings, useful information that could lead to the development and implementation of pedagogical strategies that allow improving the students' academic performance results.

The peer mental health stigmatization scale-revised (PMHSS-R): Psychometric properties and cross-cultural factorial invariance in university students in Ireland and Argentina.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to assess the psychometric quality of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale - Revised (PMHSS-R), by examining its factorial structure among young adults in Ireland and Argentina. METHOD: A total of 429 participants aged between 18 and 25 years old were recruited (n = 187 Ireland, n = 242 Argentina). The PMHSS-R was completed by Irish participants and was translated, pilot-studied, and subsequently completed by Argentinian participants. RESULTS: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis demonstrated optimal factor loadings for an eight-item solution and acceptable internal consistency for both scale dimensions in the Argentinian sample. Satisfactory levels of partial scalar invariance were achieved between countries, indicating that the scale measures mental health stigma consistently across cultures. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the PMHSS-R as a cross-culturally valid and reliable psychometric instrument to evaluate interventions targeting stigma. In conclusion, the PMHSS-R can be used in cross-cultural research to compare levels of mental health stigma and investigate the interplay between stigma and other psychologically relevant constructs between different countries and cultural contexts.

Blood levels of metallic chemical element exposure patterns and associated factors in a population living in an Industrial District in Brazil.

AIM: to estimate the level of metallic chemical elements in the population living in the Steel company vicinity in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and estimate the association between exposure to the Steel company and the blood metals concentrations patterns. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 463 individuals aged 18+ years old residing 1+ years in the Steel company vicinity. Mg, Be, Co, Ba, Ni, Cd, Al, and Pb were assessed in blood by DRC-ICP-MS. Metallic chemical element concentration patterns were obtained by exploratory factor analysis in the studied population. Exposure was set as the distance (Km) from each participant's residence to the Steel company in Santa Cruz, georeferenced by GPS. The outcome was set as the positive factor loadings in the factor analysis, including Mg and Be (Factor-1), Co, Ba, and Ni (Factor-2), Cd, Al, and Pb (Factor-4). Crude and adjusted OR, and their respective 95 %CI, were estimated to explore associations between independent variables and the exposures to metallic elements positively associated with the factors using polychotomous logistic regression. RESULTS: A reduction of 19 % was found between each km distance from the residence and the Steel company and P50 concentration of Cd, Al, and Pb (ORP50=0.81; 95 %CI:0.67-0.97), after adjusting by age, sex, and smoking. No statistically significant associations were observed for the distance from residences and the Steel company, after adjusting for age, gender, having a domestic vegetable garden and chewing gum for Mg and Be concentrations (Factor-1) (ORP50=0.84; 95 %CI:0.70-1.01; ORP75=1.10; 95 %CI:0.91-1.34); nor for Co, Ba and Ni (Factor-2) blood concentrations(ORP50=1.10; 95 %CI:0.91-1.33; ORP75=1.03; 95 %CI:0.84-1.26), in the adjusted analysis. CONCLUSIONS: For each Km distance from residences to the Steel company, a 19 % reduction in the risk of Cd, Al, and Pb blood concentration was observed in the population living in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Exploring food and beverage pairing from a cross-cultural projective mapping.

Culture is a well-known driver of food choices, and therefore, it could also impact food pairing preferences. Food pairing has been studied from different approaches; however, little cross-cultural research has been done. This work explored food and beverage pairing using projective mapping (PM) to create maps of food-beverage combinations. Four countries (Mexico, Argentina, France, and Norway), thirty foods, and six beverages were selected. PM was carried out through an online study in each country. Participants were asked to map foods together with beverages following the instruction that foods and beverages closer together represented a good combination. The coordinates of each product were analyzed through Multiple Factorial Analyses (MFA) by countries. The first four factors of each MFA were used to perform RV coefficients to test similarities in food-beverage pairings between the countries. Finally, a k-means clustering was performed on the beverage coordinates of each MFA. PM provided maps representing food and beverage pairings for each country in which the proximity between food-beverages represented a good combination according to consumers. RV coefficients between countries were low, showing that food-beverage pairings were not similar across countries, evidencing the cultural effect in food-drink combinations. Results from the k-means clustering showed some similarities and differences between countries. In general, the food-beverage pairing was effectively explored with PM, from which several differences and similarities were found within cultures.

Psychometric Properties of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III in Latin American University Dental Students.

OBJECTIVE: The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III) is a self-report instrument that enables the assessment of the dimensions of adaptability and cohesion within a family, establishing whether or not that family is functional and classifying it according to categories within those dimensions. The objective of this research was to determine the psychometric properties of this instrument using a sample of dental students from 5 Latin American countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The FACES III was administered to a sample of 2888 university dental students from Colombia (35.3%), Chile (34.6%), the Dominican Republic (19%), Argentina (6%), and El Salvador (5.1%). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the scale, comparing 3 models proposed in the Latin American literature, establishing a multigroup analysis to examine invariance among countries. RESULTS: The results revealed a structure composed of 2 dimensions: cohesion and adaptability. These dimensions showed adequate structure and internal consistency. The invariance of the measurement model in the participating countries was confirmed. CONCLUSION: In general, this study offers evidence of the adequacy of the psychometric properties of FACES III in Colombian, Chilean, Dominican, Argentine, and Salvadoran dental students.

Employability and career beliefs inventory: a brief version for unemployed persons.

BACKGROUND: Considering that beliefs may be assessed and changed, inventories measuring employability and career beliefs may be of utmost importance for career interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study introduces the psychometric properties of a brief version of the Employability and Career Beliefs Inventory (ECBI) in a sample of unemployed persons. METHODS AND RESULTS: Altogether, 2023 unemployed persons aged from 18 to 66 years old and living in Southern Portugal participated in an online survey. The ECBI's original internal structure was tested and did not fit the data. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented, and a three-factor solution was retained. The three factors discriminate three types of beliefs named growth, pessimism, and flexibility. Measurement invariance models identified scalar equivalence across gender and educational degree, and metric invariance across age. All items fit the graded response model's parameters. The growth and flexibility subscales were less effective in the assessment of low latent trait levels, whereas the opposite was observed with the pessimism subscale. Internal consistency is good yet discrimination between factors is questionable. Correlations to career decision-making self-efficacy evidence validity based on the relations to other constructs. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations, the brief version of the ECBI proposed in this study is ready for further use and development among unemployed persons.

Análisis psicométrico de la escala de evaluación de la percepción del teletrabajo femenino durante situaciones de confinamiento familiar: el caso del COVID-19 / Psychometric analysis of the female teleworking perception scale during situations of family confinement: the case of COVID-19 / Análise psicométrico e validade da escala de percepção do teletrabalho feminino em situações de confinamento familiar: o caso da COVID-19

El estudio examina las características psicométricas de una escala que mide la percepción sobre el teletrabajo femenino en la población chilena en situación de confinamiento familiar, construida durante la pandemia por COVID-19. El cuestionario explora la interacción entre los ámbitos del trabajo y la familia, centrándose específicamente en la salud mental, las actitudes hacia el teletrabajo femenino, las dinámicas familiares relacionadas con el teletrabajo femenino y las dinámicas laborales en el contexto del teletrabajo femenino durante la pandemia. Los resultados indican una fuerte coherencia interna tanto para la escala global como para sus cuatro dimensiones diferenciadas: Salud Mental, ámbito laboral, teletrabajo femenino y ámbito familiar. El análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) revela índices de ajuste favorables gl = 17; p<0.183; x 2 /gl = 22.211; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.983; RMSEA = 0.052 para los 12 ítems en las cuatro dimensiones, alineándose bien con la estructura teórica respaldando los fundamentos del constructo balance trabajo/familia.

The study examines the psychometric characteristics of a scale that measures the perception of female teleworking in the Chilean population in a situation of family confinement, built during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire explores the interaction between the spheres of work and family, specifically focusing on mental health, attitudes towards female teleworking, family dynamics related to female teleworking, and work dynamics in the context of female teleworking during the pandemic. The results indicate strong internal coherence both for the global scale and for its four differentiated dimensions: Mental Health, work environment, female teleworking and family environment. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) reveals favorable adjustment indices df = 17; p<0.183; χ 2 /df = 22.211; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.983; RMSEA = 0.052 for the 12 items in the four dimensions, aligning well with the theoretical structure supporting the foundations of the work/family balance construct.

O estudo examina as características psicométricas de uma escala que mede as percepções do teletrabalho feminino na população chilena em confinamento familiar, construída durante a pandemia da COVID-19. O questionário explora a interação entre os domínios do trabalho e da família, concentrando-se especificamente na saúde mental, nas atitudes em relação ao teletrabalho feminino, na dinâmica familiar relacionada ao teletrabalho feminino e na dinâmica do trabalho no contexto do teletrabalho feminino durante a pandemia. Os resultados indicam uma forte consistência interna tanto para a escala geral quanto para suas quatro dimensões distintas: saúde mental, ambiente de trabalho, teletrabalho feminino e ambiente familiar. A análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) revela índices de ajuste favoráveis gl = 17; p<0,183; χ 2 /gl = 22,211; CFI = 0,995; NNFI = 0,983; RMSEA = 0,052 para os 12 itens nas quatro dimensões, alinhando-se bem com a estrutura teórica que sustenta os fundamentos do conceito de equilíbrio entre trabalho e família.

Validation of the questionnaire to measure Chilean teachers' perception of school violence and coexistence management (VI+GEC).

In this article, we present the development and validation of a psychometric scale that measures the teacher's perception in the Chilean school system with respect to elements of school violence and coexistence management. The novelty lies in the incorporation of factors that address violence from teachers to students, from students to teachers and coexistence management. A total of 1072 teachers from the Northern, Central, Southern and Metropolitan macro-zones of Chile participated, with ages between 22 and 76 years (M=44.56; SD=10.52) and from 1 to 54 years of work (M=17.14; SD=10.38). 76.3% identify with the female gender and 23.7% with the male gender. Of the teachers, 78.4% worked mainly in the classroom and the rest performed managerial or administrative functions outside the classroom in the school. The school violence and coexistence management questionnaire for teachers (VI+GEC) was used. The validity of the scale was demonstrated by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, convergent validity analysis and discriminant validity. Reliability was demonstrated by means of McDonald's omega coefficient in all the factors of the scale. An analysis with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) found a mean, and statistically significant influence of the perception of coexistence management on the perception of school violence. The findings are discussed in terms of previous research on school violence and coexistence management.

The underlying structure of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5): a general factor of personality psychopathology.

BACKGROUND: The psychopathology of personality is currently undergoing a paradigm shift from a categorical to a dimensional approach. This work aimed to study the underlying structure of pathological personality traits of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). For this purpose, the internal structure of a version of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) was examined by a confirmatory factor analysis. This version assesses the five higher-order pathological personality domains (negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism) and the 25 lower-order pathological personality facets through a reduced number of items. Four alternative models were compared: five-factor oblique; second-order (five first-order factors and one second-order factor); bifactor (five specific factors and a general factor), and one-factor. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: We worked with an Argentinean sample of N = 525 subjects from the general population who answered the Argentine version of the PID-5. RESULTS: The five-factor model was slightly superior to the second order model, and the bifactor model presented the best fit. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, while preliminary, suggest that the PID-5 facets could reflect five specific pathological personality traits (which correspond to AMPD domains) but also a general factor (which would reflect a general propensity for psychopathology).

Clinical empathy in a medium and high-risk Brazilian unit.

BACKGROUND: Clinical empathy is an essential part of healthcare, and patient-centered care models require clinical empathy to be established. Despite this, little is known about its measurement in the neonatal scenario. RESEARCH AIM: To measure clinical empathy in health professionals who work with medium and high-risk neonates and build a construct of this empathy. RESEARCH DESIGN: Single-center survey study. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals questionnaire was applied to health professionals who work in an intensive care unit and a medium-risk unit, in Brazil. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and a factor analysis model, to build the construct of empathy. Overall empathy was calculated, and the domains' punctuations were analyzed and compared to the maximum punctuation possible. The study followed the STROBE checklist. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. All participants signed the informed consent form. Participants' confidentiality and anonymity were protected. FINDINGS: Median empathy was 117 (IQR 113-124). The domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes had lower scores and represented 77.6% of the maximum punctuation possible. The factor analysis included three factors named Understanding, Experiences, and Treatment, and Emotional Relationships, explaining 64.3% of the overall variance. The domain Walking in the Patient's Shoes was not included in the model. CONCLUSIONS: In this scenario, clinical empathy should improve. There is a need to improve the domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes, in this case, the neonate, and provide more empathic care to them.

Prodromal questionnaire (PQ-16) dimensionality among Colombian adolescent school students.

AIMS: The study aimed to determine the dimensionality of the Spanish version of the PQ-16 among Colombian adolescent school students. METHODS: A validation study was designed with the participation of 334 Colombian adolescent students aged between 13 and 17 (M = 15.2, SD = 1.1); 171 (52.1%) were girls, and 163 (47.9%) were boys, 229 (68.6%) were ninth-grade students and 105 (31.4%) were tenth-grade students. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, internal consistency was calculated with the Kuder-Richardson and McDonald's omega tests, and correlation with suicide ideation was computed with the Kendall correlation (r). RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the PQ-16 adequately fit a unidimensional structure: RMSEA = 0.05 (90%CI 0.04-0.06), CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, SRMR = 0.05, chi-squared = 193.18 (df = 102, p < 0.001) and normalized chi-squared = 1.89. This factor presented high internal consistency: Kuder-Richardson test and McDonald's omega of 0.83. The correlation between the PQ-16 and suicide ideation was r = 0.45 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The PQ-16 is a one-dimensional tool with high internal consistency and correlation with suicide ideation among schooled adolescents. Further research should explore the PQ-16 performance against a structured clinical interview.

Evaluación de la consistencia interna y dimensionalidad de la Escala de Capital Social Cognitivo en adultos colombianos

Introducción: durante las últimas dos décadas, el concepto de capital social se ha utilizado con creciente frecuencia en las ciencias de la salud debido a las relaciones directas e indirectas entre el capital social y la salud física y mental de las poblaciones. Por tanto, es necesario construir un instrumento para cuantificar este concepto con seguridad y confiabilidad. Objetivo: analizar la consistencia interna y dimensionalidad de una escala de siete ítems para medir el capital social en adultos de la población general de Colombia. Metodología: se realizó un estudio de validación en línea, que incluyó una muestra de 700 adultos de entre 18 y 76 años, el 68 % eran mujeres. Los participantes completaron una escala de siete ítems llamada Escala de Capital Social Cognitivo (ECSC). El alfa de Cronbach y el omega de McDonald se calcularon para probar la consistencia interna. Se realizaron análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios para explorar la dimensionalidad de la ECSC. Resultados: la ECSC presentó una consistencia interna baja (alfa de Cronbach de 0,56 y omega de McDonald de 0,59) y pobre dimensionalidad. Seguidamente, se probó una versión de cinco ítems (ECSC-5). La ECSC-5 mostró una alta consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach de 0,79 y omega de McDonald de 0,80) y una estructura unidimensional con indicadores de bondad de ajuste aceptables. Discusión: la ECSC-5 presenta alta consistencia interna y una estructura unidimensional para medir el capital cognitivo social en adultos colombianos. Se recomienda la ECSC-5 para la medición del capital social en la población general colombiana. Futuras investigaciones deben corroborar estos hallazgos en aplicaciones de lápiz y papel y explorar otros indicadores de confiabilidad y validez.

Introduction: During the last two decades, the concept of social capital has been used increasingly frequently in health sciences due to the direct and indirect relationships between social capital and populations' physical and mental health. Therefore, it is necessary to build an instrument to quantify this concept confidently and reliably. Objective: The study aimed to internal consistency and dimensionality of a seven-item scale to measure social capital in Colombia's general population of adults. Methods: An online validation study included a sample of 700 adults aged between 18 and 76 years; 68% were females. Participants completed a seven-item scale called the Cognitive Social Capital Scale (CSCS). Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega were computed to test internal consistency. The authors explore the internal consistency and dimensionality of the CSCS. Results: The CSCS presented a low internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.56 and McDonald's omega of 0.59) and poor dimensionality. Then, the researchers tested a five-item version (CSCS-5). The CSCS-5 showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.79 and McDonald's omega of 0.80) and a one-dimension structure with acceptable goodness-of-fit indicators. Discussion: The CSCS-5 presents high internal consistency and a one-dimensional structure to measure cognitive capital social in the Colombian sample. Authors can recommend measuring social capital in the general Colombian population. Further research should corroborate this pencil and paper application findings and explore other reliability and validity indicators.

Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale-Brazil (VTDS-BR): Validation Based on Internal Consistency, Reliability, and Accuracy.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale for the Brazilian Portuguese (VTDS-BR), based on internal consistency, reliability, and accuracy. METHODS: The participants were 431 adults of both sexes, divided in two groups: dysphonia (DG) and vocally healthy (VHG). We built a digital database with personal, professional information and the item-by-item VTDS-BR responses of the participants. We applied Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis; confirmatory factor analysis; Item Response Theory (IRT) using the Samejima model; and ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve analysis to obtain the VTDS-BR cut-off point. RESULTS: The VTDS-BR has an eight-item structure and two factors: vocal hyperfunction without phonotraumatic injury and with phonotraumatic injury. Each item is evaluated based on two facets related to frequency and intensity, with a Likert scale response key. There are four possible answers: never, sometimes, often, and always for frequency and none, mild, moderate, and intense for intensity. We applied an IRT model, which allowed the identification of which items are more related to dysphonia, based on higher values in the parameters discrimination (a) and difficulty (b), which contributed to the calculation of each participant's aptitude for the development of voice problems, by means of a score. The cut-off value was determined using the ROC curve, in which values greater than - 1.432 indicate a higher probability of voice alterations. CONCLUSION: VTDS-BR went through the stages of validation of internal consistency, reliability, and accuracy. It presents an 8-item, two-factor, and two-facet structure to assess frequency and intensity of vocal tract discomfort symptoms. VTDS-BR is suitable for clinical use or in screening activities, as it is quick to apply and its interpretation is indicative of people with and without phonotraumatic injury.

Factorial analysis of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Work Ability Index, reproducibility and validity of the single item and the short version for online application.

BACKGROUND: The Work Ability Index (WAI) assesses work demands, health status, and physical and mental resources. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the measurement properties of the WAI, single-item work ability score (WAS), and short version for online applications. METHODS: One hundred three workers completed the 3 versions of the WAI and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire. The reproducibility and construct validity of the 3 versions of the WAI and their concurrent validity with the PSS-10 were tested. Statistical tests were performed with IBM® SPSS 28.0. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the WAI, WAS, and WAI short version ranged from good to excellent. The WAI and WAI short version showed excellent internal consistency. The construct validity of the WAS was moderate and positive and it was excellent and positive for the WAI short version. Concurrent validity of the WAI, WAS, and WAI short version was moderate and negative, and item mental resources were strong and negative. Factor analysis reached an acceptable level for all indexes (≥ 0.90). The analysis with two factors reached an acceptable level for all indexes (≥ 0.90) and was the best model. CONCLUSION: The reliability and construct and concurrent validity of the various versions of the WAI were strong to excellent in online applications. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a new grouping of items for the WAI Brazilian version. However, it is necessary to be careful in the choice due to the distribution model of items in health domains and aspects of work.

Best practices for your confirmatory factor analysis: A JASP and lavaan tutorial.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is a fundamental method for evaluating the internal structural validity of measurement instruments. In most CFA applications, the measurement model serves as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. To select the appropriate model, prior validity evidence is crucial, and items are typically assessed on an ordinal scale, which has been used in the applied social sciences. However, textbooks on structural equation modeling (SEM) often overlook this specific case, focusing on applications estimable using maximum likelihood (ML) instead. Unfortunately, several popular commercial SEM software packages lack suitable solutions for handling this 'typical CFA', leading to confusion and suboptimal decision-making when conducting CFA in this context. This article conceptually contributes to this ongoing discussion by presenting a set of guidelines for conducting a typical CFA, drawing from recent empirical research. We provide a practical contribution by introducing and developing a tutorial example within the JASP and lavaan software platforms. Supplementary materials such as videos, files, and scripts are freely available.

Attitudes in music practice: a survey exploring the self-regulated learning processes of advanced Brazilian and Portuguese musicians.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the Self-Regulated Learning behaviors of advanced Brazilian and Portuguese musicians and how these processes vary in terms of gender, nationality, musical instrument, quantity of practice, expertise, and professional experience. Methods: 300 participants fully completed the 22-item questionnaire "Attitudes in music practice". The sample comprised of 54.3% males, 44.0% females, and 1% non-binary; 0.7% did not respond. 68.0% (n = 204) were Brazilian, and 32.0% (n = 96) were Portuguese. The mean age was 32.70 years old (SD = 11.261), the mode was 22 years old, with a range of 18 to 66 years. Data analysis procedure included exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency, independent sample t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi-square tests. Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis generated three factors: Practice Organization, Personal Resources, and External Resources. The results report there are no differences in SRL scores in terms of gender, nationality, and musical instrument. However, One-way ANOVA test results convey differences in SRL scores and the quantity of practice and expertise with those musicians who reported practicing for longer periods scoring more highly than participants who declared spending less time on daily practice. Discussion: The results for the expertise variables suggest that more experienced and older musicians scored higher in Personal Resources and lower in External Resources indicating that, as musicians gain in experience, their metacognitive processes become more evident than the social factors of their performance.

Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in chronic neck pain patients (TSK-neck): structural and construct validity and reliability in a Brazilian population.

BACKGROUND: To date, there are no studies in the literature that define the internal structure of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) in patients with chronic neck pain based on factorial analysis. As such, we aimed to verify and identify the best structure of the Brazilian version of the TSK in patients with chronic neck pain. METHODS: We included Brazilian participants aged ≥18 years, both sexes, with self-reported neck pain for more than 3 months and pain intensity ≥3 on the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Dimensionality and number of TSK items were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We tested the following internal structures: structure 1 (1 domain and 17 items), structure 2 (1 domain and 11 items), structure 3 (2 domains and 11 items), and structure 4 (2 domains and 9 items). We used the Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale (PCTS) and the NPRS for construct validity. In addition, we assessed test-retest reliability for the seven-day interval using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1), Cronbach's alpha to assess internal consistency, and ceiling and floor effects. RESULTS: The study sample included of 335 patients. Most were women (77.6%), young adults (~ 34 years), single (48.4%), with complete primary education (57.3%), physically inactive (66.6%), with a mean pain duration of 46 months and a mean pain intensity of ~ 5 points on the NPRS. Redundancy was found in the following items: item 1 with item 2 (modification indices = 21.419) and item 13 with item 15 (modification indices = 13.641). Subsequently, based on these paired analyses, the items with the lowest factor loadings (items 2 and 15) were excluded. As such, TSK structure 4 was composed of two domains ("somatic focus" and "activity avoidance") and 9 items, which showed adequate fit indices and lower AIC and SABIC values. We observed significant values (p < 0.05) with a correlation magnitude greater than 0.142 to 0.657 between the two domains of the TSK-neck and the other instruments (PCTS and NPRS). We found excellent reliability (ICC2,1 ≥ 0.96) and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥0.98) of the TSK-neck. Finally, ceiling and floor effects were not observed. CONCLUSION: The TSK-neck structure with two domains (somatic focus and activity avoidance) and nine items is the most appropriate for patients with chronic neck pain.

Family functioning in students of health sciences in four Latin American countries: a study of the structure and factorial invariance of the FACES III scale. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Psychometric studies of the FACES III scale in Spanish-speaking countries show a lack of agreement on the factorial structure of the scale. In addition, most of the studies have only performed exploratory analyses of its factorial structure. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to confirm the structure and factorial invariance of the FACES III scale in nursing and obstetric students from Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico. METHODS: A total of 3303 students from the four countries participated in this study (Colombia = 1559, Chile = 1224, Peru = 215, Mexico = 305). RESULTS: The results of the study showed that the Bi-factor model presents the best-fit indexes to the data from Colombia, Chile, and Mexico, but not from Peru. In addition, it was found that this model showed evidence of being strictly invariant among the three countries in the sequence of the invariance models proposed: metric invariance (ΔRMSEA = .000), scalar (ΔRMSEA = .008), and strict (ΔRMSEA = .008). The bi-factor model also showed adequate reliability indexes in the three countries. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the FACES III scale shows adequate psychometric performance under a bi-factor model in nursing and obstetric students from Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. The lack of fit of the model in Peru could be associated with the small sample size.

Analysis of the dimensional structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in undergraduate students at a public university in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of mental health-related problems has increased in recent years, especially among young adults, such as university students. Several measurement instruments have been developed to identify individuals at risk for depression, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). However, different dimensional structures of the PHQ-9 can make it difficult to interpret and compare research results. To analyze the dimensional structure and convergent validity of the PHQ-9 in university students. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study developed with 3163 students enrolled in different courses at a university in southern Brazil. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to identify the most parsimonious and best-fitting model. Convergent validity was verified through the significant relationship (p < 0.05) between theoretically related constructs (sleep quality, alcohol consumption, and physical activity practice). RESULTS: The EFA resulted in two models (unidimensional and two-dimensional), with better indices for the two-dimensional model. In the CFA, both the unidimensional and the two-dimensional models presented satisfactory fit indices that were higher for the unidimensional model. LIMITATIONS: The analysis of convergent validity is limited by the absence of a gold standard for comparison. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided support for the unidimensional structure of the PHQ-9, with adequate convergent validity, among university students.