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BACKGROUND: It is unknown how much variation in adult mental health problems is associated with differences between societal/cultural groups, over and above differences between individuals. METHODS: To test these relative contributions, a consortium of indigenous researchers collected Adult Self-Report (ASR) ratings from 16 906 18- to 59-year-olds in 28 societies that represented seven culture clusters identified in the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavioral Effectiveness study (e.g. Confucian, Anglo). The ASR is scored on 17 problem scales, plus a personal strengths scale. Hierarchical linear modeling estimated variance accounted for by individual differences (including measurement error), society, and culture cluster. Multi-level analyses of covariance tested age and gender effects. RESULTS: Across the 17 problem scales, the variance accounted for by individual differences ranged from 80.3% for DSM-oriented anxiety problems to 95.2% for DSM-oriented avoidant personality (mean = 90.7%); by society: 3.2% for DSM-oriented somatic problems to 8.0% for DSM-oriented anxiety problems (mean = 6.3%); and by culture cluster: 0.0% for DSM-oriented avoidant personality to 11.6% for DSM-oriented anxiety problems (mean = 3.0%). For strengths, individual differences accounted for 80.8% of variance, societal differences 10.5%, and cultural differences 8.7%. Age and gender had very small effects. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, adults' self-ratings of mental health problems and strengths were associated much more with individual differences than societal/cultural differences, although this varied across scales. These findings support cross-cultural use of standardized measures to assess mental health problems, but urge caution in assessment of personal strengths.

Communication tools (advertising, social media, etc.) are evolving to become increasingly more visual, driven largely by the commercial preferences of younger generations (e.g., millennials), creating promising opportunities in many areas, including research. Visuals provide an opportunity to make questionnaires and scales that are more engaging and in sync with the times. The challenge when adding visuals to questions includes choosing the best type of visual and the possibility that the changes alter the questions. Even those that are strictly visual can compromise the validity of questionnaires or scales. Visuals that include pictorial descriptions with text have been shown to be helpful and to maintain validity among those confronting communication disparities; although, studies have not specifically analized these issues among educated younger generations. The objective of this study was to analize, among college students, a pictorial and non–pictorial scale with the intent to compare psychometric properties and to study users’ preferences between the two scales. The two scale versions (pictorial vs. non pictorial) demonstrated comparable test-retest reliability and internal consistency, and performed in theoretically predicted ways. College students preferred the pictorial format versus the original text-only version and considered the pictorial format to be friendlier, clearer, and faster to complete. Pictorial descriptions added to questions might offer advantages versus other type of visuals because pictorial descriptions have been consistently shown to have a minimal effect on the psychometrics of scales, both in previous studies and in the present study. With the evolving progress of visual preferences for communication tools, using this strategy in questionnaires, surveys, and scales can offer a more up-to-date appearance to engage younger generations and possibly encourage participation in research studies, Las herramientas de comunicación (publicidad, medios sociales, etc.) han evolucionado hacia una comunicación visual debido en gran parte a la preferencia comercial de generaciones más jóvenes, brindando oportunidades muy prometedoras en diferentes campos incluyendo la investigación. Imágenes visuales proporcionan una oportunidad de hacer cuestionarios y escalas más atractivas y acordes con los tiempos. El reto al agregar imágenes a las preguntas incluye encontrar aquellas imágenes que son las más apropiadas, considerando que esos cambios pueden alterar a las preguntas. Imágenes que incluyen pictogramas con texto han mostrado mantener su validez al ser usadas por aquellos que afrontan disparidades en la comunicación; pero no se han estudiado entre generaciones de jóvenes con un nivel educativo mayor. El objetivo del estudio es analizar las propiedades psicométricas de una escala con y sin pictogramas al ser respondida por estudiantes universitarios y estudiar sus preferencias. Las dos versiones mostraron resultados comparables en la prueba de confiabilidad (test-re-test), consistencia interna, con un comportamiento predictivo como se predice en la teoría. Los estudiantes universitarios prefirieron el formato con pictogramas considerándolo amigable, más claro y fácil de completar. Los cuestionarios o escalas utilizando pictogramas, han mostrado ventajas al compararlos con aquellos que usan otro tipo de imágenes, pues de forma consistente muestran un mínimo efecto en la consistencia de las escalas de acuerdo a previos estudios y en el presente. Dado el progreso en las preferencias en las herramientas de comunicación, usando esta estrategia en cuestionarios, encuestas y escalas puede ofrecer una apariencia más acorde con la época y atraer a generaciones de jóvenes con la posibilidad de promover la participación en estudios

Communication tools (advertising, social media, etc.) are evolving to become increasingly more visual, driven largely by the commercial preferences of younger generations (e.g., millennials), creating promising opportunities in many areas, including research. Visuals provide an opportunity to make questionnairesand scales that are more engaging and in sync with the times. The challenge when adding visuals to questions includes choosing the best type of visual and the possibility that the changes alter the questions. Even those that are strictly visual can compromise the validity of questionnaires or scales. Visuals thatinclude pictorial descriptions with text have been shown to be helpful and to maintain validity among those confronting communication disparities; although, studies have not specifically analized these issues among educated younger generations. The objective of this study was to analize, among college students,a pictorial and non–pictorial scale with the intent to compare psychometric properties and to study users’ preferences between the two scales. The two scale versions (pictorial vs. non pictorial) demonstrated comparable test-retest reliability and internal consistency, and performed in theoretically predicted ways. College students preferred the pictorial format versus the original text-only version and considered the pictorial format to be friendlier, clearer, and faster to complete. Pictorial descriptions added to questions might offer advantages versus other type of visuals because pictorial descriptions have been consistently shown to have a minimal effect on the psychometrics of scales, both in previous studies and in the present study. With the evolving progress of visual preferences for communication tools, using this strategy in questionnaires, surveys, and scales can offer a more up-to-date appearance to engage younger generations and possibly encourage participation in research studies.ResumenLas herramientas de comunicación (publicida, Communication tools (advertising, social media, etc.) are evolving to become increasingly more visual, driven largely by the commercial preferences of younger generations (e.g., millennials), creating promising opportunities in many areas, including research. Visuals provide an opportunity to make questionnaires and scales that are more engaging and in sync with the times. The challenge when adding visuals to questions includes choosing the best type of visual and the possibility that the changes alter the questions. Even those that are strictly visual can compromise the validity of questionnaires or scales. Visuals that include pictorial descriptions with text have been shown to be helpful and to maintain validity among those confronting communication disparities; although, studies have not specifically analized these issues among educated younger generations. The objective of this study was to analize, among college students, a pictorial and non–pictorial scale with the intent to compare psychometric propeties and to study users’ preferences between the two scales. The two scale versions (pictorial vs. non pictorial) demonstrated comparable test-retest reliability and internal consistency, and performed in theoretically predicted ways. College students preferred the pictorial format versus the original text-only version and considered the pictorial format to be friendlier, clearer, and faster to complete. Pictorial descriptions added to questions might offer advantages versus other type of visuals because pictorial descriptions have been consistently shown to have a minimal effect on the psychometrics of scales, both in pevious studies and in the present study. With the evolving progress of visual preferences for communication tools, using this strategy in questionnaires, surveys, and scales can offer a more up-to-date appearance to engage younger generations and possibly encourage participation in research studies.

El aumento exponencial de las enfermedades crónico-degenerativas, que se han observado enMéxico en los últimos veinte años, amenaza reducir considerablemente en el futuro el número de años productivos de los empleados de todos los niveles jerárquicos. Ante la amenaza de que su fuerza laboral se vea afectada por el aumento en la prevalencia de enfermedades crónico-degenerativas, las corporaciones necesitan considerar la posibilidad de intervención. No se vislumbra detener la epidemia con medicinas o vacunas, sino con inéditas intervenciones y actores sin experiencia en el campo de la salud. Si las empresas deciden intervenir, podrían considerar estas actividades como un nuevo paradigma de la responsabilidad social corporativa.Es por esto que en este trabajo se plantea la necesidad de que las empresas puedan contribuir a prevenir las enfermedades crónico-degenerativas de sus empleados con actividades dentro de sus programas de responsabilidad social. Se discute también el perfi l del profesional quepodría ser el encargado de estos programas, así como la importancia de revisar y replicar estrategias de éxito y no repetir los mismos errores y la importancia de considerar el costo beneficio de las actividades programadas.

This study tested the multi-society generalizability of an eight-syndrome assessment model derived from factor analyses of American adults' self-ratings of 120 behavioral, emotional, and social problems. The Adult Self-Report (ASR; Achenbach and Rescorla 2003) was completed by 17,152 18-59-year-olds in 29 societies. Confirmatory factor analyses tested the fit of self-ratings in each sample to the eight-syndrome model. The primary model fit index (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) showed good model fit for all samples, while secondary indices showed acceptable to good fit. Only 5 (0.06%) of the 8,598 estimated parameters were outside the admissible parameter space. Confidence intervals indicated that sampling fluctuations could account for the deviant parameters. Results thus supported the tested model in societies differing widely in social, political, and economic systems, languages, ethnicities, religions, and geographical regions. Although other items, societies, and analytic methods might yield different results, the findings indicate that adults in very diverse societies were willing and able to rate themselves on the same standardized set of 120 problem items. Moreover, their self-ratings fit an eight-syndrome model previously derived from self-ratings by American adults. The support for the statistically derived syndrome model is consistent with previous findings for parent, teacher, and self-ratings of 11/2-18-year-olds in many societies. The ASR and its parallel collateral-report instrument, the Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL), may offer mental health professionals practical tools for the multi-informant assessment of clinical constructs of adult psychopathology that appear to be meaningful across diverse societies.