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Background: Depression and anxiety symptoms among medical students are often a concern. The Patient Health Questionnaire-Four (PHQ-4), an important tool for depression and anxiety screening, is commonly used and easy to administer. This study aimed to assess and update the longitudinal measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese version. Methods: A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among healthcare students using the PHQ-4. Structural validity was based on one-factor, two-factor, and second-order factor models, construct validity was based on the Self-Rated Health Questionnaire (SRHQ), Sleep Quality Questionnaire (SQQ), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI), internal consistency, and test–retest reliability were based on structural consistency across three time points. Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that two-factor model was the best fit, and LMI was supported at three time points. Inter-factor, factor-total, and construct validity correlations of the PHQ-4 were acceptable. Additionally, Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and the intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated acceptable/moderate to excellent reliability of the PHQ-4. Conclusions: This study adds new longitudinal evidence that the Chinese version of the PHQ-4 has promising LMI and psychometric properties. Such data lends confidence to the routine and the expanded use of the PHQ-4 for routine screening of depression and anxiety in Chinese healthcare students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance (MI) of the Chinese version of the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire‐short (CERQ‐short) in cancer patients. Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 505 cancer patients from mainland China. In addition to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the CERQ‐short and the distress thermometer were included in the study measures. Results: Item analysis indicated a promising result. And the results of CFA indicated that the CERQ‐short demonstrated satisfactory factorial validity in cancer patients. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were between 0.663 and 0.910, while McDonald's omega coefficients were between 0.664 and 0.910. The CERQ‐short had sufficient convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity among cancer patients. Lastly, MI supported that the CERQ‐short demonstrated strong measurement equivalence across gender, residence and age. Conclusions: This study shows that the Chinese version of the CERQ‐short has convincing psychometric properties and MI, which supports its use in cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comprehensive data has shown that adolescents often suffer from depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, and are in a particularly fragile stage of psychological, physiological, and social development. Left-behind children in particular tend to have significantly higher, state anxiety and depression compared to non-left-behind children. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is an effective tool for evaluating depression, anxiety, and stress, and is used to measure levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in groups from a variety of backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness, reliability, and measurement invariance of the DASS-21 in Chinese left-behind children. Method: The test and re-test method was used (N = 676), and the exploratory structural equation model (Mplus v.8.3) used to verify basic measurement models. For measurement invariance, the configural, weak, strong, and strict models were tested. The reliability of the DASS-21 was also tested using the collected data. Results: Analysis results showed that the DASS-21 had a stable three-factor structure in the sample of left-behind children in China. The measurement invariance test showed that gender and time not only had strong invariance, but also strict invariance. The results of cross left and non-left invariance indicated a lack of strict invariance. Finally, the McDonald's omega coefficient of the DASS-21 total scale was 0.864, and the internal consistency of each subscale was also good. Conclusions: The DASS-21 is shown to be an effective and reliable tool for measuring depression, anxiety and stress in Chinese left-behind children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The involvement of quality of life as the UNAIDS fourth 90 target to monitor the global HIV response highlighted the development of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures to help address the holistic needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) beyond viral suppression. This study developed and tested preliminary measurement properties of a new patient-reported outcome (PROHIV-OLD) measure designed specifically to capture influences of HIV on patients aged 50 and older in China. Methods: Ninety-three older people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were interviewed to solicit items and two rounds of patient cognitive interviews were conducted to modify the content and wording of the initial items. A validation study was then conducted to refine the initial instrument and evaluate measurement properties. Patients were recruited between February 2021 and November 2021, and followed six months later after the first investigation. Classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) were used to select items using the baseline data. The follow-up data were used to evaluate the measurement properties of the final instrument. Results: A total of 600 patients were recruited at the baseline. Of the 485 patients who completed the follow-up investigation, 483 were included in the validation sample. The final scale of PROHIV-OLD contained 25 items describing five dimensions (physical symptoms, mental status, illness perception, family relationship, and treatment). All the PROHIV-OLD dimensions had satisfactory reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficient, McDonald's ω, and composite reliability of each dimension being all higher than 0.85. Most dimensions met the test-retest reliability standard except for the physical symptoms dimension (ICC = 0.64). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structural validity of the final scale, and the model fit index satisfied the criterion. The correlations between dimensions of PROHIV-OLD and MOS-HIV met hypotheses in general. Significant differences on scores of the PROHIV-OLD were found between demographic and clinical subgroups, supporting known-groups validity. Conclusions: The PROHIV-OLD was found to have good feasibility, reliability and validity for evaluating health outcome of Chinese older PLWHA. Other measurement properties such as responsiveness and interpretability will be further examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The notion of physical literacy is gaining interest from several countries as a potential mechanism for understanding the development of the physical self. This research endeavor represents an inaugural attempt to translate the Australian Physical Literacy Questionnaire for Children (PL-C Quest) into Chinese to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PL-C Quest to assess physical literacy among children in mainland China. Methods: The Beaton translation paradigm was used to carry out language translation, back-translation, cultural adaptation, and presurveys. Data were collected from 642 children aged 6-12 years, with a mean age of 9.71 years (SD 1.816), to test the reliability of the Chinese version of the PL-C Quest. Results: The PL-C Quest items translated well (6.187 ~ 15.499) and correlated well (0.441 ~ 0.622). The Chinese version of the PL-C Quest had good reliability, with retest reliability values ranging from 0.91 to 0.74, Cronbach's alpha from 0.65 to 0.894, and McDonald's ω from the Spearman-Brown Coefficient was 0.84. The validity results are acceptable because the CFI, IFI, and TLI values are above 0.8 and close to 0.9, but the model fit's chi-square degrees-of-freedom ratio of 2.299, the RMSEA of 0.05, which was less than 0.08. Discussion: After translation and cultural adaptation, the Chinese version of the PL-C Quest is a reliable measurement tool and can be used in the Chinese region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the standardized outcomes in nephrology–hemodialysis fatigue (SONG–HD fatigue) scale and to assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the SONG–HD fatigue (C-SONG–HD fatigue) scale. Methods: Forward and back translations were used to translate the SONG–HD fatigue scale into Chinese. We used the C-SONG–HD fatigue scale to survey Chinese patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in China. We examined the distribution of responses and floor and ceiling effects. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficient, intraclass coefficients, and Spearman correlations were used to assess internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, and convergent validity, respectively. Responsiveness was also evaluated. Results: In total, 489 participants across southeast China, northwest China, and central China completed the study. The C-SONG–HD fatigue scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.861, omega coefficient 0.916), test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.695), and convergent validity (Spearman correlation 0.691). The analysis of all first-time HD patients did not show notable responsiveness, and only patients with temporary vascular access had good responsiveness with an effect size (ES) of 0.54, a standardized response mean (SRM) of 0.85, and a standard error of measurement (SEM) of 0.77. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the SONG–HD fatigue scale showed satisfactory reliability and validity in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in China. It could be used as a tool to measure the fatigue of Chinese HD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Depression is a serious public health problem in coal miners that not only affects their physical health and quality of life but also leads to a decline in productivity and a high economic burden. The primary purpose of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. The secondary aim was to investigate the prevalence of depression among coal miners in Shanxi Province, China. Methods: Coal miners (3314, 86.60% men) were selected and evaluated with the CES-D from February 1 to April 30, 2021. The factor structure of the CES-D scale was analyzed using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Cronbach's α and McDonald's Ω were calculated to evaluate the internal consistency of the CES-D. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among coal miners was 54.68%. The EFA results suggested that a three-factor structure model with 18 items was the best fit, including Depressed Affect, Interpersonal Problems, and Retarded Activity, which accounted for 54.37% of the total variance. The CFA indicated that this factor structure fit the data adequately (χ2 = 217.408, df = 87, CMIN/DF = 2.49, RMSEA = 0.055, CFI = 0.969, TLI = 0.962, IFI = 0.969). Additionally, the overall Cronbach's α and McDonald's Ω of the CES-D were 0.949 and 0.950, respectively. The CES-D had an excellent reliability and validity in the present sample of coal miners. Conclusion: The three-factor structure of CES-D with 18 items can best fit the data from coal miners living in Shanxi Province. The reliability and validity of the CES-D were in line with the requirements of psychometric test. The scale is suitable for screening depression among coal miners in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A corporate brand name change is an important decision for managers. Leveraging the real-world case of an actual name change event, involving McDonald's China (from "McDonald's" to "Jin Gong Men"), the authors of this study collected store-level sales data to investigate whether the impact of the corporate brand name change on consumer demand differs across online and offline channels. Using regression models and counterfactual analysis, they find that the corporate brand name change exerted a positive impact on consumer demand, moderated by channel type, such that the positive corporate brand name change effect is stronger online than in offline channels. The study represents a pioneering attempt to bridge brand renaming literature and marketing channel literature to provide valuable guidance for corporate brand renaming practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) remains the most widely used scale for assessing female sexual function. However, while an adapted version of the FSFI has been proven to be suitable for Western sexual minority women, it has yet to be used in China. Aim This study aimed to validate the Mandarin Chinese version of the adapted FSFI among Chinese cisgender heterosexual women and sexual and gender minority women, and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The modified scoring method related to zero responses was examined, and structural validity, internal consistency, internal reliability, convergent validity, and known-group validity were evaluated. Outcomes The primary measure was the adapted FSFI, and the Positive Sexuality Scale and the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale–Short Form were used to test convergent validity. Results A total of 431 Chinese adult women were recruited, including 193 cisgender heterosexual women and 238 sexual and gender minority women. Confirmatory factor analysis using the original scores supported the original 6-factor model. Using both Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω, the results showed that the values of the total scale and 6 subscales were in the 0.76 to 0.98 and 0.83 to 0.98 ranges, respectively, indicating satisfactory reliability. Moderate-to-strong correlations among the total FSFI scores and positive sexuality and sexual satisfaction were found (r  = 0.32-0.71), supporting good convergent validity. Clinical Implications The adapted FSFI facilitates the use of more inclusive language in the clinical setting, allowing for a more comprehensive and unbiased assessment of sexual function in all women. Strengths and Limitations This study recruited both cisgender women of varied sexual orientations and gender minorities who were assigned female at birth, demonstrating that the adapted FSFI could be suitably applied to sexual minority populations. However, from a fully inclusive perspective of sex and gender, there is no research on how to accurately evaluate transgender women with female external genitalia or appropriately assess those with a female reproductive system but who do not self-identify as female. Therefore, more in-depth research is needed to further revise the FSFI for better use in the wider female population. Conclusion This Chinese version of the adapted FSFI has good psychometric properties and is a reliable and valid instrument to assess female sexual function. Furthermore, the modified scoring method could be an effective alternative among samples of sexually inactive women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aurora Battery is a corresponding test of successful intelligence. This study aims to examine the factorial structure of the Chinese version of Aurora Battery and to investigate its internal consistency and validity, as well as to discover the developmental features of Chinese students. A total number of 2007 students were recruited from 13 schools across eastern, central, and western China, ranging from 4th to 8th grade (mean age = 12.29 years) and among them, 43.9% are girls. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factorial structure. Among the tested models, a second-order factor model, in which the three ability factors serve as indicators of a general factor, provided an acceptable model fit to the data. Moreover, measurement invariance across gender and grades were supported, which suggests the mean scores of analytical, creative, and practical abilities are comparable in this research. The criterion-related validity analysis suggests that the battery and its three subscales have good criterion validity. The scale reliability analysis shows that the Cronbach's alpha and the McDonald's omega value of the whole test were.84 and.87, respectively, indicating the scale's internal reliability is good. For ability differences among grades, students' analytical and practical abilities increase across all grades, while creativity presents an upward trend from grade 4 to 6, followed by a downward trend from grade 6 to 7, and an increase from grade 7 to 8. Female students outperform male students on both analytical and creative ability, while with no obvious difference on practical abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are few studies on the intervention of the doctor–patient relationship (DPR) from patients' perspective, because of lacking appropriate measurement instruments for the effect of the patient interveqntion. Understanding the status of patients' literacy (the ability to initiatively obtain, read, and analyze health-related materials, make appropriate decisions, reduce risks of health-related problems) and developing the patients' literacy scale (PLS) align with the interests of patients, doctors, and researchers. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted in two stages: item building and item refinement. A total of 303 subjects were recruited from the outpatient hall in three hospitals with different levels in Hangzhou city, China. Twenty patients and seven experts determined the face and content validity, respectively. The construct validity, convergent, discriminant validity, and known-group validity of the scale were examined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA). Internal consistency, including Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's ω, split-half reliability, and composite reliability (CR), was also tested. Results: The EFA of PLS showed that Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy was 0.787, and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity showed a significance of p < 0.001. The extracted four-factor (patient activation, knowledge, attitudes, practice) model explained 61.266% of the total variance. For the overall PLS, the Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's ω and split-half reliability coefficient were 0.815, 0.838 and 0.720, respectively. The CFA showed the goodness of fit (RMSEA = 0.065, CMIN/DF = 1.635, GFI = 0.900, CFI = 0.905, TLI = 0.909). The CR of each factor in this scale was 0.740, 0.732, 0.630, and 0.749, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that the PLS was valid and reliable to measure the patients' literacy (PL). The 15-item PLS can help not only measure PL but also be used as a standard and advocacy target for patients' behavioral model which can further improve the DPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Active-empathic listening (AEL) is the active and emotional involvement of a listener that can take place in at least three key stages of the listening process. Bodie has developed and validated a self-reported, 11-item, three-factor active-empathic listening scale (AELS) in English with good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) to assess AEL abilities. Nevertheless, a Chinese version of the AELS had not been established and validated yet. Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the AELS. Methods: After translating the scale into the Chinese version, 834 college students completed the test. After 4 weeks, 206 participants were tested again on the Chinese AELS to examine retest reliability. The critical ratio method and the item-total correlations were used for the item analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the construct validity. The internal consistency of the scale was analyzed with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to examine the scale's retest reliability. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was used to examine the convergent validity. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Results: Each item of the Chinese AELS had a good discrimination, and the item-total correlation of each item ranged from 0.51 to 0.73. EFA extracted three factors with characteristic root values greater than 1, which could explain 70.72% of the total variance. CFA indicated an adequate fit of the three-factor model ($2/df = 2.250, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.055, the comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.971, the Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.959, and the goodness of fit index [GFI] = 0.959). The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (sensing: a = 0.79/& = 0.78, processing: a = 0.83/& = 0.83, responding: a = 0.79/& = 0.79, and AELS: a = 0.87/& = 0.87). Retest reliability of the scale at 4-week intervals by an ICC was 0.563. The Chinese AELS was significantly correlated with each dimension of IRI. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of the Chinese AELS met the basic psychometrics requirements. Therefore, the scale can be potentially used to assess the active empathic listening abilities of people in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is getting old before it gets rich. Among women of childbearing age, there seems to be little interest in having multiple children, and parenting stress may be one of the reasons. There are differences in the parenting stress felt by mothers with one child and those with two, but there is no questionnaire specifically aimed at the parenting stress felt by mothers of multiples in China. The purpose of the present study is to develop and verify a questionnaire specifically aimed at measuring the stress of two-child mothers in the Chinese context. We chose mothers as participants who were younger than 50 years old and their second child were younger than 18 years old as participants. The initial questionnaire was created after analyzing the results of 83 participants' open questionnaires and 16 participants' qualitative interviews. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted with 279 participants. The final questionnaire was created after conducting reliability and validity tests on the responses of 263 participants to 23 items on the questionnaire covering four factors: characteristics of mother, environmental factor, characteristics of child, and relationship between the two siblings. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model fit well (χ2/ df = 2.00, CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, SRMR = 0.06, RMSEA = 0.06). McDonald's omega coefficients and split-half reliability coefficients both ranged from 0.50 to 0.95. The questionnaire scores were significantly positively correlated with parental burnout, the regret of having a second child and parenting stress, and were significantly negatively correlated with the intention of having a third child and support for the three-child policy. Overall, the present study confirmed the reliability and validity of the parenting stress questionnaire for two-child mothers, which can be used to measure the parenting stress experienced by mothers of multiples in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use Word2vec to develop a financial sentiment dictionary from 3.1 million Chinese-language financial news articles. Our dictionary maps semantically similar words to a subset of human-expert generated financial sentiment words. In validation tests, our dictionary scores the sentiment of articles consistently with human reading of full articles. In return association tests, our dictionary outperforms and subsumes previous Chinese financial sentiment dictionaries, such as direct translations of Loughran and McDonald's (2011, Journal of Finance , 66, 35–65) English-language financial dictionary. We also generate a list of politically related positive words that is unique to China; we find that this list has a weaker association with returns than does the list of other positive words. We demonstrate that state media uses more politically related positive and fewer negative words, and exhibits a sentiment bias. This bias renders the state media's sentiment as less return-informative. Our findings demonstrate that dictionary-based sentiment analysis exhibits strong language and domain specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: After the outbreak of COVID-19, psychological hotlines functioned as a main channel of psychological assistance and required a large number of professionals to provide services. These hotlines mostly offered a single-use service with short session times and allowed callers to retain anonymity. They functioned as a psychological counseling service for stress experienced in the COVID-19 public health emergency. Hotline psychological counselors must meet special competency requirements. The selection and evaluation tools for recruiting hotline counselors need to be developed. Materials and Methods: The initial scale of competence for psychological hotline counselors was formed by expert evaluation based on theoretical constructs and by using the Delphi method. A link to the questionnaire was sent to a WeChat group of counselors from 36 major psychological hotlines in China in two stages. The questionnaire consisted of questions to elicit basic demographic information and the initial competence scale. In the first phase, 343 valid samples were used to perform exploratory factor analysis. In the second phase, 334 valid samples were used to perform confirmatory factor analysis. The status of the competence of psychological hotline counselors was also analyzed. Results: The factor structure of the Psychological Hotline Counselor Competence Scale was verified and defined in terms of skills, attitude, and knowledge. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale has good reliability and validity (χ2/df = 1.758, GFI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.96, NFI = 0.91, NNFI = 0.95). The McDonald's omega for each factor was calculated (ωF1 = 0.927, 95%CI [0.914, 0.940]; ωF2 = 0.958, 95%CI [0.951, 0.965]; ωF3 = 0.954, 95%CI [0.945, 0.961]). Meanwhile, it was found that the psychological hotline counselors' self-assessed competence had a high average score (n = 334). Conclusion: The Competence Scale for Psychological Hotline Counselors for Major Public Emergencies developed in this study has good reliability and validity, and can be a reliable tool for organizing psychological assistance and screening hotline psychological counselors during public emergencies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese translation of the modified online compulsive buying scale. A convenience sample of 539 Chinese university students were recruited in four major cities in China. The scale was translated from English to Chinese using forward-backward method. Performing a maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis revealed one factor consisting of 10 items, which was confirmed by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability, face validity, content validity, and construct validity of the scale were assessed. The Chinese version of the modified online compulsive buying scale showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =.909), and good construct reliability (composite reliability =.911, maximal reliability =.919, McDonald's omega =.910). Moreover, convergent validity of the scale was established (average variance extracted =.510). The validated instrument can be used in future studies to measure young consumers' online compulsive buying behavior in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A valid and efficient stress measure is important for clinical and community settings. The objectives of this study were to translate the English version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) into Chinese and to assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PSQ (C-PSQ). The C-PSQ evaluates subjective experiences of stress instead of a specific and objective status.Methods: Forward translations and back translations were used to translate the PSQ into Chinese. We used the C-PSQ to survey 2798 medical students and workers at three study sites in China from 2015 to 2017. Applying Rasch analysis (RA) and factor analysis (FA), we examined the measurement properties of the C-PSQ. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model for item fit, local dependence (LD), differential item functioning (DIF), unidimensionality, separation and reliability, response forms and person-item map. We first optimized the item selection in the Chinese version to maximize its psychometric quality. Second, we used cross-validation, by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), to determine the best fitting model in comparison to the different variants. Measurement invariance (MI) was tested using multi-group CFA across subgroups (medical students vs. medical workers). We evaluated validity of the C-PSQ using the criterion instruments, such as the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Short Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8) and the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). Reliability was assessed using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, Guttman's lambda-2, and McDonald's omegas) and reproducibility (test-retest correlation and intraclass correlation coefficient, [ICC]).Results: Infit and/or outfit values indicated that all items fitted the Rasch model. Three item pairs presented local dependency (residual correlations > 0.30). Ten items showed DIF. Dimensionality instruction suggested that eight items should be deleted. One item showed low discrimination. Thirteen items from the original PSQ were retained in the C-PSQ adaptation (i.e. C-PSQ-13). We tested and verified four feasible models to perform EFA. Built on the EFA models, the optimal CFA model included two first-order factors (i.e. constraint and imbalance) and a second-order factor (i.e., perceived stress). The first-order model had acceptable goodness of fit (Normed Chi-square = 8.489, TLI = 0.957, CFI = 0.965, WRMR = 1.637, RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.078 [0.072, 0.084]). The second-order model showed identical model fit. Person separation index (PSI) and person reliability (PR) were 2.42 and 0.85, respectively. Response forms were adequate, item difficulty matched respondents' ability levels, and unidimensionality was found in the two factors. Multi-group CFA showed validity of the optimal model. Concurrent validity of the C-PSQ-13 was 0.777, - 0.595 and 0.584 (Spearman correlation, P < 0.001, the same hereinafter) for the Chinese version of the PSS-10, SF-8, and GADS. For reliability analyses, internal consistency of the C-PSQ-13 was 0.878 (Cronbach's alpha), 0.880 (Guttman's lambda-2), and 0.880 (McDonald's omegas); test-retest correlation and ICC were 0.782 and 0.805 in a 2-day interval, respectively.Conclusion: The C-PSQ-13 shows good metric characteristics for most indicators, which could contribute to stress research given its validity and economy. This study also contributes to the evidence based regarding between-group factorial structure analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at property right protection in China and analyzes the country's institutional change. Although the Chinese government has improved property right protections, foreign investors property rights are still being expropriated. The author looks at Douglas North's theory of institutional change, which helps explain China's expropriations by the complex relationship between formal and informal institutional constraints that characterize the country. China's communist constitution prevents commercial laws from being completely implemented. Strategic motivation and the potential of China's market draws in multinational corporations despite its relation-based governance system.

Brands are powerful symbols that reflect not only the image with which marketers hope to imbue them but also the cultural milieu in which they are imbedded. If that milieu is in a state of flux, brands can come to represent some surprising ideas and values to which marketing efforts must be sensitive. In this research, the authors relate the nature of societal change, a common occurrence in many developing markets and especially China, to evaluation of a brand by a broad cross-section of urban Chinese consumers. Using the methodology of scenario completion, the authors reveal that the McDonald's brand is evaluated in the context of societal norms and values that are brought up in various usage situations. Brand evaluations can be inconsistent and often paradoxical depending on the context. The results suggest that marketers should be closely involved with the way their brand is interacting with cultural values in transitional markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The childbirth experience of women represents a significant aspect of quality care. Due to the lack of a reliable Chinese language tool for assessing childbirth experiences, examples must be adapted from other countries. The aim of this study was to translate an English version of the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) into Chinese and adapt this tool to the Chinese context. Methods: A questionnaire validation study was conducted. A forward-backward translation procedure involving the developer of the CEQ was conducted. The data were collected in postnatal wards at 50 birth facilities in 4 regions of Zhejiang Province, China. Women who gave birth vaginally at the investigated facilities during the study period completed an online questionnaire that included the Chinese version of the CEQ (CEQ-C), demographic information and clinical information. Psychometric analyses were performed to assess the internal and content consistency. After subdividing the sample into subsamples, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to examine the structural validity. Known-group comparisons were performed to assess the discriminant validity. Results: Overall, 1747 women participated in this study. The content validity index (CVI) of the CEQ was 0.92. Based on the comments of the experts combined with the statistical results, we removed 3 items related to pain, sense of control and sense of security and changed 3 items to different dimensions. The CFA supported the four dimensions of the CEQ-C (standard root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.037, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.036, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.966, and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.959). Cronbach's alpha of the CEQ-C was 0.88, and McDonald's omega value was 0.91. The duration of labor, delivery mode, parity, oxytocin augmentation, pain management, companionship, prenatal education and pain experienced exerted significant effects on the women's childbirth experiences. Conclusions: Although some items performed differently in our analysis comparing the English and Chinese versions of the CEQ, the CEQ-C is reliable and valid. Additionally, the CEQ-C is an easy-to-use and promising tool for measuring childbirth experiences among Chinese women in facility settings that can be used to improve the quality of intrapartum care. Efforts are needed to provide women with respectful, evidence-based intrapartum care to facilitate positive childbirth experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a truism that successful organizations of any type adapt and conform to the idiosyncracies of their target consumer groups as it is their customers that embody their raison d'etre. This is especially important for small businesses and entrepreneurial enterprises because they lack the requisite experiential treasure trove or elaborate corporate bureaucracies to accomplish this task typically available to established large firms. In fact, textbooks on international business are full of examples of business failures when consumer proclivities have been ignored by businesses. Informed by this admonition, this manuscript seeks to investigate the psyche of Chinese and Indian consumers of a global franchise system, McDonald's. It advances the premise of cultural convergence of Chinese and Indian consumers through the lenses of organizational socialization theory. We examine whether the franchise system's universal culture and the social values of egalitarianism and democratization enshrined in the system are linked to consumers' patronage of McDonald's in the world's two largest emerging markets. Using multivariate analysis of variance, we evaluate cross-country differences in perceptions of egalitarianism and democratization as well as patronage frequency. Both country-specific effects and cross-cultural effects are discussed, and managerial implications for franchisee-entrepreneurs in each country are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the brief Sleep-Associated Monitoring Index (SAMI-B), and examine its psychometric properties among pregnant women.Methods: This cross-sectional study conveniently recruited 665 pregnant women from two tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China; 110 completed a retest survey within two or three weeks after completing the baseline questionnaires. The scale was developed following established guidelines. Participants completed the SAMI-B, SAMI, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. Psychometric evaluation included reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability) and validity (construct, item and concurrent validity; and diagnostic accuracy).Results: The Chinese SAMI-B demonstrated uni-dimensionality construct, appropriate item fit and functioning; acceptable internal consistency (McDonald's ω = 0.917) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.736). It was significantly correlated with the SAMI (correlation coefficient = 0.765，P < 0.001) and other sleep-related measurements (correlation coefficients = 0.412-0.638, Ps < 0.001). The SAMI-B displayed a comparable area under the curve (0.739, 95% CI: 0.703-0.772) with the SAMI in detecting insomnia symptoms. The optimal cutoff point (18) presented a sensitivity of 0.765 and a specificity of 0.615 in distinguishing individuals with and without insomnia symptoms. After controlling for general information, the differences in the SAMI-B scores between those with or without insomnia symptoms remained significant (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.12-1.20).Conclusion: The SAMI-B may be an effective alternative for clinicians and researchers to screen or track vulnerable individuals for prenatal insomnia symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homogenization and diversification are major themes in studies of globalization and culture. McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) are often used as evidence to describe these two themes. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which homogenization and diversification occur in the television commercials for McDonald’s and KFC in China as well as the strategic models they adopt to manipulate the tension between homogenization and diversification. La Pastina and Straubhaar’s theory is used to map out two different strategic models: genre proximity and cultural proximity. The study finds that homogenization exceeds diversification in the commercials of McDonald’s and KFC as a whole. Comparatively, McDonald’s adopts genre proximity and KFC adopts cultural proximity. The adoption of different models offers a cultural explanation for KFC’s triumph in the competition with McDonald’s in the Chinese fast food market. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two decades ago the term "franchising" was not part of the Chinese language. Although in per capita and GDP terms the Chinese franchise sector is still at an early development stage, China is today the most franchised country in the world in terms of number of systems. Franchising as a method of business operation was introduced to China by the United States' fast food pioneers KFC and McDonald's in the late 1980s in an environment which was by then increasingly receptive to foreign investment and western concepts under Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms and open-door policies. A decade later, China's first rudimentary franchise law signaled the government's imprimatur on franchised distribution and led to its wide adoption by both public and private sector enterprises. Regulat- ory reforms pursuant to China's World Trade Organization accession in 2001 have liberated franchise sector entry for foreign franchisors and facilitated cross-border franchising. This paper outlines the history and the development of franchising in China, addresses the challenges and opportunities for both domestic and international franchise companies, and discusses the future development of the Chinese franchise sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose ? This paper aims to identify inter-linguistic and inter-cultural commonalities and differences between web sites targeting, respectively, English and Chinese viewers, and to examine within-language and within-culture variations of web sites for viewers in Greater China. Design/methodology/approach ? Two comparisons were made: among the home and subsidiary web sites of the same corporation, McDonald's (www.mcdonalds.com), and across web sites of five corporations within the aviation industry. Findings ? Corporate identity and positioning, corporate culture and citizenship are projected differently on the McDonald's web sites for the Anglo-American viewers and the Chinese viewers. Web sites written in the same language, Chinese, reveal within-language and within-culture variations in contents and style across different web sites in the fast food and aviation industries within Greater China. Research limitations/implications ? A more extensive research on different industries can be conducted to validate the preliminary findings of this research. Relevant conceptual resources can then be developed to explain the inter-linguistic and inter-cultural differences. Practical implications ? Findings from this comparative analysis help raise the corporate communicators' awareness of inter-linguistic and inter-cultural as well as within-language and within-culture variations when drafting contents for web sites targeting viewers of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Originality/value ? Comparative studies of global web sites targeting viewers of, respectively, English and Chinese groups, and within-language and within-culture variations in Greater China are still limited. The findings from this research serve as a basis for future investigation for effective bilingual corporate communication from the linguistic and cultural perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the view that foreign fast foods gobble up Chinese-style fast foods. Foreign fast foods are gobbling up the Chinese market with surprising speed, and the development of Chinese-style fast foods is drawing increasing attention in all quarters of society. Chinese ask with concern why Chinese-style fast foods cannot get "fast." In 1987 fast food firm Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. opened its first establishment in China near Qianmen--one of Beijing's downtown areas. To date, it has set up nearly ninety branch establishments in more than thirty cities in China and caters to more than one hundred thousand clients daily: it plans to have two hundred branch establishments in forty-five Chinese cities by the year 1998 and to increase its annual earnings to U.S.$300 million. In its footsteps came another fast food chain firm McDonald's Corp., which set up its first establishment in 1990 on Beijing's Wangfujing Street and catered to as many as two million clients in that very year. By the end of 1995, McDonald's had opened a total of sixty-two branch establishments in China and catered to fifteen million clients. Today there are nineteen McDonald's in Beijing and the company ambitiously plans to have thirty in Beijing by the end of this year, and one hundred by 2003.

The article focuses on foreign investments in China. The fast food restaurants McDonald's Corp. and Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. are both able to use every opportunity to expand their businesses and the ranks of establishments under their banners are growing by the day. Foreign capital has entered the Chinese film market somewhat later, compared with Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's. And, although the foreign-capital movie theaters have just begun to make their presence felt in the course of operations over the last couple of years, they have already displayed considerable aggressiveness. Everyone who has been to foreign capital movie theaters is assailed by feelings both of elation and anxiety-elation over the fact that movie theaters of a grade similar to those in other countries have finally appeared in the broad lands of China and anxiety over the looming threat that they present to existing movie theaters. The sight of these theaters' determination and confidence despite their awareness of the perils that face them cannot but make people visualize the fierce competition that will be taking place henceforth over market share.