Psychological assessment
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Psychological assessment · Sep 2010
Factorial validity of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present scale among bereaved older adults.
The Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present scale (TRIG-Present) is one of the most widely used grief measures; however, researchers have only empirically examined the validity and underlying factor structure of TRIG-Present scores in a few studies. Hence, in the present investigation, we sought to examine the factorial validity of the TRIG-Present (those scores that index current grief) among 2 samples of bereaved older adults--a community-dwelling sample of 162 individuals who experienced a diverse set of losses in terms of relationship to the deceased and time since loss, and a recently widowed sample of 212 individuals who were assessed at 2-months and 12-months postloss. ⋯ Additionally, this 3-factor model exhibited significant invariance from 2-months to 12-months postloss in the recently widowed sample. Analyses examining the convergent validity of these 3 factors also suggest that this conceptualization of the TRIG-Present could have practical advantages and potentially influence the way in which clinicians and/or researchers assess grief and evaluate bereavement interventions.
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Psychological assessment · Sep 2009
Scientific advances in the diagnosis of psychopathology: introduction to the special section.
Work is currently underway on the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Each new version of the manual reflects, in part, the progress in the understanding of psychopathology that has been accomplished since the previous version. ⋯ Recent advances in the description of psychopathology have been dramatic, and there is an emerging consensus that fundamental changes to the diagnostic process are necessary to capture the validity and the utility of the description that is currently available in the field. The articles in this special section play 2 roles: They describe the fundamental changes that are necessary, and they provide a stepping stone for the next wave of advances in psychological assessment research.
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Psychological assessment · Sep 2008
Developmental changes in depressive cognitions: a longitudinal evaluation of the Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children.
As part of a longitudinal study, the Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (CTI-C; N. J. Kaslow, K. ⋯ Tsai, 1992) as well as other measures of cognitive style and depressive symptoms were administered annually to 3 cohorts of children starting in Grades 2, 4, and 6. Developmentally based analyses revealed 4 things: (a) The factor structure of the CTI-C changed over the course of middle childhood and then stabilized in early adolescence; (b) the CTI-C correlated significantly with measures of depression, self-perceived competence, self-worth, perceived controllability, and perceived contingency, but not with measures of attributional style; (c) 1-year stability correlations increased substantially from Grade 2 to Grade 8; and (d) the CTI-C did not generally predict self-reported depressive symptoms 1 year later. Implications emerge regarding developmental changes in the structure of children's depressive cognitions.
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Psychological assessment · Mar 2008
The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth as a predictor of recidivism in a United Kingdom cohort of adolescent offenders with conduct disorder.
This prospective study examined the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in 99 male adolescents who were assessed in custody and followed up 12 months post release. Outcome data on recidivism were based on official Home Office records. ⋯ The predictive validity of the SAVRY Risk Total and the SAVRY Risk Rating was moderate for both violent and general recidivism, but both showed incremental validity in predicting outcomes compared with the PCL: YV. Data are discussed in relation to the limited published international literature.
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Psychological assessment · Mar 2006
Comparative StudyComparison of factor structure models for the Beck Depression Inventory--II.
Factor analyses of the Beck Depression Inventory--II (A. T. Beck, R. ⋯ Communalities associated with the General Depression factor ranged from 71% to 82%. Cognitive and Somatic group factors were indicative of intropunitiveness and fatigue. It was concluded that the general-factor model gives an acceptable empirical explanation of item covariance structure and offers a conceptual interpretation that is well suited to clinical practice and research.