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This study constructed a questionnaire, named "Lifestyle Change in Regard to Problematic Internet Use (LC-PIU)," for helping school psychologists detect early indications of PIU-related lifestyle changes in university populations. Our focus is on all university students who use the Internet, not users who already show dependent symptoms. The lifestyles that we concerned include physical/social activities and dietary/sleep patterns that are notable consequences of excessive Internet use (Lam et al., 2009; Choi et al., 2009). With 708 university students recruited in 2009 (Time 1), we tested the factor structure of LC-PIU and determined the concurrent and cross-year predictive utilities with the same participants in 2010 (Time 2). The 2009-sample was randomly split into two independent subsamples for calibration and validation using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The calibration and validation results, along with convergent and discriminant tests, confirmed that the LC-PIU is composed of five distinct subscales: problematic Internet use, physical activity change, social activity change, dietary pattern change, and sleep pattern change. All Time-1 LC-PIU subscores were positively correlated with depression, loneliness, and weekly Internet use at Time 1 and Time 2. Only a negative correlation was found between gender and social activity change at Time 1 and Time 2. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Marsh and Koller (2004) combined the reciprocal-effects model and the internal/external frame-of-reference model into a unified model of relationships between academic self-concept and achievement. However, this model has only been examined with German adolescents. We decided to test this model with two-wave data drawn from a national survey of Taiwanese students. We found that reciprocal effects exist for both math and Chinese for the high-school students. However, the causal relationship of academic self-concepts and achievement for pre-adolescents seems to vary depending on school subject. Moreover, the causal effects from academic achievement decline with age, whereas those from academic self-concepts increase with age, suggesting a developmental trend. The negative cross-domain effect from prior achievement to subsequent academic self-concept is not strong in the unified model. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

A scale measuring quality of life (QOL) is important in adolescent research. Using the graded response model (GRM), this study evaluates the psychometric properties of the satisfaction ratings of the Quality of Life Profile Adolescent Version (QOLPAV). Data for 1,392 adolescents were used to check IRT assumptions such as unidimensionality and local item dependence (LID). The goodness of fit of the GRM to the data and the item characteristic curves were evaluated. The reliability and validity analyses included item/test information, Cronbach's alpha, and convergent and discriminant validity. Differential item functioning (DIF) procedures were also performed to detect item bias. The results provide evidence that the items sufficiently measured one single dimension. Few pairs of questions were flagged as LID due to content or wording similarity. Five items did not fit the GRM, and 4 were low in item discrimination. The findings also suggest that the assessment had appropriate reliability and validity. The DIF impact on the assessment score was considered minor. Because QOLPAV includes a respondent's perceived importance of various life aspects, a short form that only considers important life aspects in the overall QOL estimation for each respondent becomes feasible within the framework of IRT. Future studies focusing on the development of a QOL overall index using the items from QOLPAV are recommended.

Background: Marsh's internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model depicts the relationship between achievement and self-concept in specific academic domains. Few efforts have been made to examine concurrent relationships among cognitive ability, achievement, and academic self-concept (ASC) within an I/E model framework. Aim: To simultaneously examine the influences of domain-specific cognitive ability and grades on domain self-concept in an extended I/E model, including the indirect effect of domain-specific cognitive ability on domain self-concept via grades. Sample: Tenth grade respondents (628 male, 452 female) to a national adolescent survey conducted in Taiwan. Method: Respondents completed surveys designed to measure maths and verbal aptitudes. Data on Maths and Chinese class grades and self-concepts were also collected. Results: Statistically significant and positive path coefficients were found between cognitive ability and self-concept in the same domain (direct effect) and between these two constructs via grades (indirect effect). The cross-domain effects of either ability or grades on ASC were negatively significant. Conclusions: Taiwanese 10th graders tend to evaluate their ASCs based on a mix of ability and achievement, with achievement as a mediator exceeding ability as a predictor. In addition, the cross-domain effects suggest that Taiwanese students are likely to view Maths and verbal abilities and achievements as distinctly different.

This study examined structure and predictive utility of the 2 x 2 achievement goal model among Taiwan pre-university school students (ages 10 to 16) who learned Chinese language arts. The confirmatory factor analyses of Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Chinese version provided good fitting between the factorial and dimensional structures with the data. The mastery-avoidance goals are distinctive perceived by Taiwan students but do not mediate between self-efficacy and Chinese performance while other three achievement goals are effective mediators. When examining the mediating effects of the dimensional goal structure, the approach-avoidance factors along the valence dimension seemed to be more successful than the mastery-performance factors along the definition dimension. Taken together, our data strongly supports that AGQ-C is a reliable and valid measure for the 2 x 2 achievement goals. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Background: Childbirth may pose many challenges to the psychological well-being of marriage-based immigrant mothers in interracial marriages, who must negotiate bi-dimensional acculturation – adaptation to the host culture and maintenance of her own heritage culture. We examined the temporal relationships between bi-dimensional acculturation and depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 1 year postpartum among marriage-based immigrant mothers in Taiwan using the cross-lagged structural equation modeling. Methods: This study recruited 310 immigrant mothers, who were examined in the second and third trimesters, and again at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postpartum from March 2013 to December 2015. Depressive symptoms and bi-dimensional acculturation were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Marriage-Based Immigrant Women, respectively. Results: The study found that adaptation to the host culture followed a downward linear trajectory, while maintenance of the mother's own heritage culture followed an upward linear trajectory from pregnancy to 1 year postpartum. All but one cross-lagged path between bi-dimensional acculturation and depressive symptoms was statistically insignificant, though almost all cross-sectional associations were significant. Adaptation to host culture was negatively associated with depressive symptoms at all time points. The association between maintenance of heritage culture and depressive symptoms reversed from positive to negative after 6 months postpartum. Conclusions: Adaptation to the host culture and maintenance of the mother's heritage culture differed in their associations with maternal depressive symptoms. Health professionals should assist immigrant mothers in adapting to the host culture while supporting their heritage culture in the childbearing period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal control beliefs appear to be important factors in recovery from alcoholism. However, no instrument for assessing drinking-related locus of control has been developed in Taiwan. After translating the drinking-related locus-of-control scale (DRIE) into Chinese, we examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the DRIE in alcohol-dependent patients. A total sample of 161 alcohol-dependent patients received treatment for alcoholism in psychiatric hospital outpatient and inpatient units. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on three-factor, two-factor, and one-factor measurement models of the DRIE based on prior studies. The results indicated that the one-factor model of the DRIE provided goodness of fit to the data in this study. The Chinese version of the DRIE has been demonstrated to be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of locus-of-control beliefs in alcohol-dependent patients. Keywords: Alcohol dependence; Confirmatory factor analyses; External control; Internal control; Locus of control

This study investigates the impacts of publicity exposure and recruiting advertisement sequence on freshmen's job search attraction to organizations and their job decisions. The current research uses a two-factor experiment design, publicity (positive vs. negative) and recruiting ads (detailed vs. general), and recruits 415 undergraduates (seniors are the majority). Results indicate that negative publicity has greater effect on applicant attraction than positive publicity. The perceived truthfulness of sequential intervening recruiting advertisement rules the reaction to job ad, then further impacts on organizational attractiveness and job pursuit intention. With negative publicity exposure, higher specificity of recruiting advertisement has more significant mitigation effects than lower specificity. This work discusses implications and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]