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Health literacy is important for health behavior engagement. Therefore, it is important to have a good instrument assessing health literacy with a theoretical framework. The present study aimed to examine the measurement invariance and differential item functioning (DIF) of a newly developed health literacy instrument; that is, the Health Literacy Instrument for Adults (HELIA). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch models were used to examine the data collected from a large Iranian sample (N = 9678; 67.3% females; mean age = 36.44 years). All the participants completed the HELIA. CFA was used to examine if the HELIA had a five-factor structure (including reading, access to information, understanding, appraisal, and decision making/behavioral intention factors) and multigroup CFA to examine if the five-factor structure of HELIA was invariant across gender, educational level, accommodation, and age subgroups. Rasch models were used to examine whether each factor of HELIA was unidimensional and DIF contrast in Rasch to examine if the HELIA items were interpreted similarly across the aforementioned subgroups. The CFA results supported the five-factor structure of HELIA, and the Rasch models verified that each HELIA factor is unidimensional. Additionally, multigroup CFA supported the measurement invariance of HELIA across the following subgroups: male vs. female; highly educated vs. poorly educated; city residents vs. suburban residents; and younger age vs. older age. The DIF contrasts in the Rasch models additionally showed that there are no substantial DIF items in the HELIA across aforementioned subgroups. Therefore, the HELIA is a feasible and comprehensive instrument assessing health literacy across different populations in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In online environments, fear of missing out (FoMO) is where individuals become constantly preoccupied with what others are doing online and feel unable to log off in case they miss something. FoMO is a concept associated with the use of online social media (OSM; e.g., Facebook use, Instagram use) and various scales have been developed to assess the concept. One such scale is the Online Fear of Missing Out (On-FoMO) Inventory. The present study translated the On-FoMO Inventory into Turkish and its main aim was to test the validity and reliability of the scale. The secondary aim was to investigate the relationships between FoMO, social media addiction, smartphone addiction, and life satisfaction. Methods: A total of 419 participants (289 females and 130 males, mean age = 25.43 years, SD = 6.37) completed a self-report questionnaire including the On-FoMO Inventory, Fear of Missing Out Scale, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. In the adaptation process of the On-FoMO Inventory, confirmatory factor analysis, concurrent validity, and reliability analyses were performed. Results: The four-factor structure of the On-FoMO Inventory was confirmed and the Turkish version of the scale demonstrated good reliability. Online FoMO was positively related to social media addiction and smartphone addiction, and negatively related to life satisfaction. Conclusion: The results showed that the Turkish version of the On-FoMO Inventory has strong psychometric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The percentage of individuals who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 was 53% worldwide, 62% in Asia, and 11% in Africa at the time of writing (February 9, 2022). In addition to administrative issues, vaccine hesitancy is an important factor contributing to the relatively low rate of vaccination. The Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) was developed to assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptance levels. However, it has only been tested among Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, and Ghanaian populations (Chen et al, 2021; Fan et al, 2021; Yeh et al, 2021). Therefore, the present study examined the construct validity and measurement invariance of the MoVac-COVID19S among individuals from five countries (ie, Taiwan, mainland China, India, Ghana, and Afghanistan). Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional survey study recruited 6053 participants across five countries who completed the survey between January and March 2021. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) fit indices were used to examine factor structure and measurement invariance across the five countries. Results: The fit indices of the CFA were relatively good across the countries except for the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Moreover, the four-factor structure (either nine or 12 items) had a better fit than the one-factor structure. However, the four-factor model using nine MoVac-COVID19S items was the only model that had measurement invariance support for both factor loadings and item intercepts across the five countries. Conclusion: The present study confirmed that the MoVac-COVID19S has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used to assess an individual's willingness to get COVID-19 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study tested the construct validity (i.e., factor structure) of the Persian Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) on a sample of male prisoners. Methods: All the participants (mean±SD age = 39.44±7.94 years) completed three scales—the Persian MAAS, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis with differential item functioning (DIF) were applied to examine the construct validity of the MAAS. Specifically, the DIF was tested across different insomnia status (using ISI with a cutoff of 15), psychiatric well-being status (using GHQ-12 with a cutoff of 12), and age (using mean age of 39.44 as the cutoff). Results: The CFA results showed a single factor solution for the Persian MAAS. The Rasch results showed all MAAS items fit in the construct (infit mean square [MnSq] = 0.72 to 1.41; outfit MnSq = 0.74 to 1.39) without displaying DIF items (DIF contrast = -0.34 to 0.31 for insomnia condition; -0.22 to 0.25 for psychiatric well-being; -0.26 to 0.29 for age). Conclusions: The Persian version of the MAAS is, therefore, a valid instrument to measure mindfulness among Iranian male prisoners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objective: There are inadequate screening instruments for assessing specific internet-related addictions among mainland Chinese primary school students. Therefore, the present study validated the psychometric properties of three simplified Chinese online-related addictive behavior instruments among mainland Chinese primary school students. Method: Fourth to sixth graders (n = 1108; 48.3% males; mean [SD] age = 10.37 years [0.95]) completed the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scales-Short Form (IGDS-SF9), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) in a classroom. The factorial structures and the unidimensionality of the three scales were examined using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). Measurement invariance of the three scales was examined using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFAs) across gender. Results: The findings demonstrated that the three scales (Cronbach's α = 0.73 to 0.84) had unidimensional structure as supported by satisfactory fit indices (comparative fit index = 0.98 to 1.00). The MGCFA findings indicated that the unidimensional structures of the three scales were invariant across gender. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the three simplified Chinese scales (IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS) are valid instruments for assessing online-related addictive behaviors among mainland Chinese primary school students irrespective of their gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the psychometric properties of the 9-Item Shared Decision- Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) and the 9-Item Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire--Physician version (SDM-Q-Doc) using comprehensive and thorough psychometric methods in an oncology setting. Methods: Cancer survivors (n = 1783; 928 [52.05%] males) and physicians (n=154; 121 [78.58%] males) participated in this study. Each cancer survivor completed the SDM-Q-9. Physicians completed the SDM-Q-Doc for each of their cancer patient. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch model were used to test the psychometric properties of SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc. Results: SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc demonstrated unidimensional structure in CFA and Rasch model. In addition, the measurement invariance was supported for both SDM-Q-9 and SDM-QDoc across sex using the multigroup CFA. Rash analysis indicates no differential item functioning (DIF)across sex for all the SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc items. SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc were moderately correlated (r = 0.41; P < 0.001). Conclusion: SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc are valid instruments to assess shared decision making in the oncology setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 7-item Gaming Addiction Scale (GAS) is a brief instrument based on DSM criteria to assess gaming addiction. Although the psychometric properties of the GAS have been tested using classical test theory, its psychometric properties have never been tested using modern test theory (e.g., Rasch analysis). The present study used a large adolescent sample in Iran to test the psychometric properties of the Persian GAS through both classical test and modern test theories. Adolescents (n = 4442; mean age = 15.3 years; 50.3% males) were recruited from Qazvin, Iran. In addition to the GAS, all of them completed the following instruments: the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS-SF9), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a generic quality of life instrument. Two weeks later, all participants completed the GAS again. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were used to test the unidimensionality of the GAS. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to test the test-retest reliability, and a regression model was used to test the criterion-related validity of the GAS. Both CFA and Rasch analysis supported the unidimensionality of the GAS. Pearson correlations coefficients showed satisfactory test-retest reliability of the GAS (r = 0.78 to 0.86), and the regression model demonstrated the criterion-related validity of the GAS (β = 0.31 with IGDS-SF9; 0.41 with PSQI). Based on the results, the Persian GAS is a reliable and valid instrument for healthcare providers to assess the level of gaming addiction among Persian-speaking adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with diabetes mellitus is often poorer than in those with other chronic medical conditions. Appropriate disease specific measures are needed to measure HRQoL in these patients. This study sought to validate a culturally adapted version of the Diabetes-Mellitus Specific Quality of Life (DMQoL) questionnaire module in Persian. Concurrent validity of the scale was assessed by the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) questionnaire. Convergent and discriminative validity of the DMQoL was determined using a brief version of World Health Organization's Quality of Life Scale Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS), and Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS). Construct validity was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Rasch analysis was also performed to examine the unidimensionality of the DMQoL. Known-group method was used to examine the ability of the scale to differentiate between different categories of patients. A sample of 824 patients (512 females) with diabetes mellitus was recruited from diabetic care centers located in Qazvin, Iran. The mean age of participants was 54.1 (SD 6.3) and 27% were smokers. All items loaded on a single factor (factor loadings ≥ 0.6) and internal consistency of the scale was acceptable (α = 0.89). Significant associations were found between the scale and DQOL, indicating concurrent validity (p < 0.001). The DMQoL was able to differentiate subgroups of patients with hypertension, HbA1c, cholesterol, and diabetic diet. All items were appropriate with regard to difficulty level and confirmatory factor analysis verified the scale's single dimension (CFI = 0.927; RMSEA = 0.067). Persian DMQoL is a reliable and valid measure of HRQoL in a Persian-speaking population with type II diabetes. Further assessment is needed to confirm the psychometric properties of the scale in other cultures and languages. Future studies are needed to determine the sensitivity of the scale to change over time in response to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), a six-item self-report scale that is a brief and effective psychometric instrument for assessing at-risk social media addiction on the Internet. However, its psychometric properties in Persian have never been examined and no studies have applied Rasch analysis for the psychometric testing. This study aimed to verify the construct validity of the Persian BSMAS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch models among 2,676 Iranian adolescents. Methods: In addition to construct validity, measurement invariance in CFA and differential item functioning (DIF) in Rasch analysis across gender were tested for in the Persian BSMAS. Results: Both CFA [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.993; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.989; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.057; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.039] and Rasch (infit MnSq = 0.88-1.28; outfit MnSq = 0.86-1.22) confirmed the unidimensionality of the BSMAS. Moreover, measurement invariance was supported in multigroup CFA including metric invariance (ΔCFI = -0.001; ΔSRMR = 0.003; ΔRMSEA = -0.005) and scalar invariance (ΔCFI = -0.002; ΔSRMR = 0.005; ΔRMSEA = 0.001) across gender. No item displayed DIF (DIF contrast = -0.48 to 0.24) in Rasch across gender. Conclusions: Given the Persian BSMAS was unidimensional, it is concluded that the instrument can be used to assess how an adolescent is addicted to social media on the Internet. Moreover, users of the instrument may comfortably compare the sum scores of the BSMAS across gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short Form (IGDS-SF9) is brief and effective to evaluate Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) severity. Although its scores show promising psychometric properties, less is known about whether different groups of gamers interpret the items similarly. This study aimed to verify the construct validity of the Persian IGDS-SF9 and examine the scores in relation to gender and hours spent online gaming among 2,363 Iranian adolescents. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were used to examine the construct validity of the IGDS-SF9. The effects of gender and time spent online gaming per week were investigated by multigroup CFA and Rasch differential item functioning (DIF). Results: The unidimensionality of the IGDS-SF9 was supported in both CFA and Rasch. However, Item 4 ( fail to control or cease gaming activities) displayed DIF (DIF contrast = 0.55) slightly over the recommended cutoff in Rasch but was invariant in multigroup CFA across gender. Items 4 (DIF contrast = -0.67) and 9 (jeopardize or lose an important thing because of gaming activity; DIF contrast = 0.61) displayed DIF in Rasch and were non-invariant in multigroup CFA across time spent online gaming. Conclusions: Given the Persian IGDS-SF9 was unidimensional, it is concluded that the instrument can be used to assess IGD severity. However, users of the instrument are cautioned concerning the comparisons of the sum scores of the IGDS-SF9 across gender and across adolescents spending different amounts of time online gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The problems of mood disorders are critical in people with epilepsy. Therefore, there is a need to validate a useful tool for the population. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) has been used on the population, and showed that it is a satisfactory screening tool. However, more evidence on its construct validity is needed.Method: A total of 1041 people with epilepsy were recruited in this study, and each completed the HADS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were used to understand the construct validity of the HADS. In addition, internal consistency was tested using Cronbachs' α, person separation reliability, and item separation reliability. Ordering of the response descriptors and the differential item functioning (DIF) were examined using the Rasch models.Results: The HADS showed that 55.3% of our participants had anxiety; 56.0% had depression based on its cutoffs. CFA and Rasch analyses both showed the satisfactory construct validity of the HADS; the internal consistency was also acceptable (α=0.82 in anxiety and 0.79 in depression; person separation reliability=0.82 in anxiety and 0.73 in depression; item separation reliability=0.98 in anxiety and 0.91 in depression). The difficulties of the four-point Likert scale used in the HADS were monotonically increased, which indicates no disordering response categories. No DIF items across male and female patients and across types of epilepsy were displayed in the HADS.Conclusions: The HADS has promising psychometric properties on construct validity in people with epilepsy. Moreover, the additive item score is supported for calculating the cutoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: The objective of this study was to translate and validate an Iranian version of the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) questionnaire in an Iranian population of males and females with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: A total of 503 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from nine diabetes clinics across several Iranian cities. A standard backward and forward translation procedure was used to convert the English version of the DQOL into the Iranian language (Persian). Internal consistency, convergent validity, known group comparison, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and factorial invariance were applied for the assessment of psychometric properties of the translated version. Results: The translated version of the DQOL showed adequate internal consistency reliabilities for all subscales (Cronbach's α >0.70). CFA confirmed the underlying domain structure to be the same as for the original English version, therefore supporting the factorial validity of the translated questionnaire. In addition, questionnaire responsiveness showed good sensitivity to interventions. Conclusions: In conclusion, the translated Iranian version of DQOL has shown high internal reliability and good construct validity, and can potentially be applied as an assessment tool for health-related quality of life in patients with diabetes. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2012.00217.x, 2012) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to translate the EORTC quality of life questionnaire for brain cancer, the QLQ-BN20, into Persian, and to evaluate its psychometric properties when used among brain cancer patients in Iran. Methods: A standard backward and forward translation procedure was used to generate the Persian language version of the QLQ-BN20. The QLQ-BN20 was administered together with the QLQ-C30 to 194 patients diagnosed with primary brain cancer. Multitrait scaling and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate the hypothesized scale structure of the questionnaire. Internal consistency reliability was estimated with Cronbach's alpha. The ability of the QLQ-BN20 to distinguish between patient subgroups formed on the basis of performance status and cognitive status was evaluated, as was the responsiveness of the questionnaire to changes in performance status over time. Results: Multitrait scaling and CFA results confirmed the hypothesized scale structure. The measurement model was consistent across men and women. Internal consistency reliability of the multi-item scales ranged from 0.74 to 0.89. The QLQ-BN20 distinguished clearly between patients with relatively good versus poor performance and cognitive status, and changes in scores over time reflected changes observed in performance status ratings. Conclusions: These results support the validity and reliability of the QLQ-BN20 for use among Iranian patients diagnosed with primary brain cancer. Future studies should examine the psychometrics of the questionnaire when used in patients with brain metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on human life continue to be serious. To control the spread of COVID-19, the production of effective vaccines is likely to be one of the best solutions. However, vaccination hesitancy may decrease individuals' willingness to get vaccinated. The Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S) was recently developed to help healthcare professionals and researchers better understand vaccination acceptance. The present study examined whether DrVac-COVID19S is measurement invariant across different subgroups (Taiwanese vs. mainland Chinese university students; males vs. females; and health-related program majors vs. non-health-related program majors). Taiwanese (n = 761; mean age = 25.51 years; standard deviation (SD) = 6.42; 63.5% females) and mainland Chinese university students (n = 3145; mean age = 20.72 years; SD = 2.06; 50.2% females) were recruited using an online survey between 5 January and 21 February 2021. Factor structure and measurement invariance of the two DrVac-COVID19S scales (nine-item and 12-item) were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The findings indicated that the DrVac-COVID19S had a four-factor structure and was measurement invariant across the subgroups. The DrVac-COVID19S's four-factor structure was supported by the CFA results is a practical and valid instrument to quickly capture university students' willingness to get COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, the DrVac-COVID19S can be used to compare university students' underlying reasons to get COVID-19 vaccination among different subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The psychosocial consequences of obesity are important but often underrated. The Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) and Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) scales used to measure weight-related bias have little psychometric information, especially in East Asian contexts. The objective of this study was to use rigorous statistical methods to demonstrate the psychometric properties of these two instruments in Hong Kong and Taiwanese college students.Methods: A convenience sample of 707 students was recruited from the universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Several competing confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to confirm the factorial structure of the ATOP and BAOP. The best fit models for the ATOP and BAOP were chosen for the examination of the measurement invariance across subcultures. We then compared configurable models with or without loading and/or intercept constrained before correlating the latent constructs between the best models for the ATOP and BAOP.Results: The comparison in multiple CFAs found that the model with one factor and two correlated-wording-method factors outperformed the other models for both the ATOP and BOAP. However, the internal consistency was suboptimal (ATOP: α = .56 to .80; BTOP: α = .57 to .65) and the measurement invariance was somewhat unsupported among the Hong Kong and Taiwan samples. Moreover, after controlling wording effects, the latent construct of the ATOP was moderately associated with that of BAOP (r = .356; p < .001).Conclusion: Chinese versions of the ATOP and BAOP can be treated as a unidimensional factor for use in Hong Kong and Taiwan university students. However, further refinements of both instruments may be needed before using them to capture the social attitudes and beliefs toward obesity individuals, which is expected to advance our understanding of weight-related bias in East Asian contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the Ukraine-Russia war in 2022 led to fear, worry and anxiety among individuals, mostly in the immediate neighboring countries of Ukraine. The purpose of the present study was to develop the fear of war scale (FOWARS), aiming to fill the gap in the literature that currently is scarce in valid assessment tools for measuring the fear of war. The sample of the study consisted of N = 1131 participants (n = 670 for group A, for EFA and n = 461 for group B, for CFA). Hungarian speaking participants, mainly from Romania and Hungary. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) evinced a two-factor model of the newly developed scale, and the final version fulfilled the criteria of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The 13-items FOWARS has robust psychometric properties and proves to be appropriate for a fear of war assessment in the general population. The phenomenon is measured by two factors, namely experiential and physiological dimensions of fear. The scale is available in the present paper in two languages: English and Hungarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current article presents the factor structure of the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) in a Polish-Christian sample. The DSES is a scale that attempts to measure a person's perception of transcendent experiences in daily life. It covers the following constructs: awe, gratitude, mercy, a sense of connection with the transcendent, and compassionate love. Most validation studies on the DSES show the scale loadings on a single factor, although different populations can show different factor loadings. The study aims to verify the factor structure of the DSES results and to test the psychometric properties of its Polish version. The results of exploratory factor analysis conducted on a sample of 246 individuals and confirmatory factor analysis performed in a sample of 738 participants supported the single-factor model, which includes all 16 items of the DSES. Therefore, it was concluded that qualitatively different spiritual experiences have one common and integrated core with a homogeneous structure. Very high values of internal consistency measures indicate the excellent reliability of the Polish version of the DSES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that there is limited evidence concerning the psychometric properties of DASS-21 when applied to primary school students, the present study undertook a comprehensive exploration of the psychometric evidence supporting the use of the DASS-21 within this demographic. The research comprised three studies. In Study 1, the basic psychometric properties of internal consistency and construct validity were examined. A total of 3138 primary school students from three provinces in mainland China participated. The internal reliability of the overall scale was 0.93, and for all the subscales, it was higher than 0.80. Construct validity was partially supported. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses upheld the factorial validity of the original three-factor structure. While convergent validity was established, the results showed unsatisfactory discriminant validity. The bifactor model showed that DASS-21 raw scores predominantly indicated the general factor, evidenced by the high explained common variance and omega-hierarchical values. However, the contributions from the three specific factors were minimal, with their omega hierarchical values all below 0.15. In Study 2, a longitudinal design was adopted, tracking 1366 primary school students from Southwest China over a three-month interval. The results further confirmed that the DASS-21 exhibited scalar time-invariance. The latent mean analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the latent means of depression, anxiety, and stress between Time 1 and Time 2. In Study 3, which included 364 college students and 483 enterprise workers, the results demonstrated that the DASS-21 had measurement invariance across different populations. The latent mean analysis further confirmed that, in terms of the latent mean of all three subscales, both college students and enterprise workers had significantly higher scores than primary school students. Overall, the findings indicated that the DASS-21 is a suitable tool for screening schoolchildren for general psychological distress, but it is not suitable for discerning distinct negative mood state disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]