Assessing Family Outcomes: Psychometric Evaluation of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale

There is currently a lack of reliable scales with which to assess the construct of family quality of life, particularly for families who have children with disabilities. The current work presents 2 studies, including a total of 488 families with children with disabilities, which were conducted to complete the development of a scale to assess family quality of life. The measure was refined through confirmatory factor analyses into 25 items that assess 5 domains of Family Quality of Life: Family Interaction, Parenting, Emotional Well‐Being, Physical/Material Well‐Being, and Disability‐Related Support. Each subscale was found to be unidimensional and internally consistent. An initial examination of test‐retest reliability and convergent validity is also presented. Implications for future research, scale use, and policy are discussed.     

A Critical Evaluation of the Web‐Based Version of the Career Key

The authors assessed the reliability and validity of the Web‐based version of the Career Key (L. K. Jones, 1997). Ninety‐nine undergraduates completed the Web‐based version of the Career Key and the Self‐Directed Search‐Form R (J. L. Holland, 1994) in counterbalanced order and completed a second Career Key administration 2 weeks after completing the first test administration. Test—retest reliability ranged between .75 and .84 With the exception of the Conventional scale (.47), all concurrent validity coefficients were at or above .65.     

Group Career Construction Counseling: A Mixed‐Methods Intervention Study With High School Students

This study investigated the value of group career construction counseling in a high school context. The author used purposive sampling to select participants who had sought career counseling. A mixed‐methods intervention study design was also used. Participants (N = 57) completed the Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale–South Africa (CAAS‐SA) before the 1st and after the 2nd intervention. The Career Interest Profile and the Maree Career Matrix were used to facilitate the intervention, and the CAAS‐SA was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that the boys’ and the girls’ career adaptability had improved meaningfully on all of the CAAS‐SA subscales. No gender‐based differences were found. However, differences were detected between both the boys’ and the girls’ pre‐ and posttest Control and Confidence subscale scores. The findings demonstrate the value of career construction counseling in group settings. More longitudinal research with diverse participants is needed.     

Construction and Initial Validation of the Planned Happenstance Career Inventory

This study was conducted to develop and initially evaluate the psychometric properties of the Planned Happenstance Career Inventory (PHCI), which aims to assess skill in using chance events to develop career opportunities. After item generation and exploratory factor analysis, 130 original items were reduced to 25 items across 5 factors (5 items for each corresponding factor). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the validity of this 5‐factor structure, and the goodness of fit showed an adequate fit to the observed data for both women and men. Results showed that PHCI subscales correlated moderately and in expected directions with career preparation, career decision‐making self‐efficacy, and career stress. These findings suggest that the PHCI, which assesses 5 dimensions of career‐related planned happenstance skill, shows promise as a useful tool for facilitating understanding of the influence of chance events on career choice behavior.     

Assessing Efficacy and Importance of Career Counseling Competencies

The authors examined self‐efficacy and perceived importance of several career counseling competencies among counselors in school settings (N = 567). The social cognitive career theory was used as a conceptual framework. Participants completed a modified version of the Career Counseling Self‐Efficacy Scale (CCSES) that also included an importance rating. A principal components analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the modified CCSES and to determine the generalizabilty of the original CCSES findings to practicing school counselors. In addition, counselors' importance ratings were compared to those of a panel of counselor educators and career guidance consultants.     

Factorial Invariance of the Indecision Scale of the Career Decision Scale: A Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Results of a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (N= 686) indicated factorial invariance of a 3‐factor model of the Indecision scale of the Career Decision Scale (CDS; Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976 ). Differential item function was not observed when ΔCFI (comparative fit index) was used for comparison of models, thus indicating strong measurement invariance across gender. Men had significantly greater latent means for all 3 dimensions of career indecision. Given the multidimensional structure, use of the CDS may provide an initial step to help practitioners identify possible factors that are responsible for a client's career indecision. Clients may need assistance for initiating a career search, information to help them identify career possibilities for a chosen major, or detailed information concerning several possible careers that are under consideration.     

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Gambling Motivation Scale (C-GMS)

The French items of the Gambling Motivation Scale (GMS) were first developed and validated by Chantal and colleagues in 1994. The scale then became one of the most widely used motivational scales in the gambling literature of the West. The present study recruited 932 Chinese university students in order to validate the Chinese version of the Gambling Motivation Scale (C-GMS). The results of a confirmatory factor analysis of the Chinese data supported the 7-factor model as proposed by Chantal et al. (Soc Leis 17:189–212, 1994). This study also found a second-order model with three major factors, which corresponded to three types of gambling motivation including self-determined motivation (for knowledge, for accomplishment, for stimulation, and due to identified regulation), non self-determined motivation (due to introjected regulation and external regulation), and amotivation. All subscales demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, and showed significant correlations with gambling correlates such as problem gambling symptoms and gambling intention. In sum, the C-GMS showed adequate psychometric properties and can be extended for use with Chinese populations.     

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS-C)

Gambling cognitions have constantly been associated with the development and maintenance of problem gambling. Despite researchers reporting high rates of gambling and problem gambling among the Chinese, little is known about the role of gambling cognitions among Chinese individuals (Raylu & Oei, 2004a). This is partly because there is a lack of validated instruments to assess gambling cognitions in this population. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine and validate the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale-Chinese version (GRCS-C), which was based on the 23-item Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS; Raylu & Oei, 2004b). Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) using 422 Chinese participants (166 Male, 256 Female; Mean age = 32.28 years) from the general community (221 living in Australia and 201 living in Taiwan) confirmed that a five-factor model was a good fit for the data. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the overall scale was .95, and ranged from .83 to .89 for the five factors. Concurrent, discriminant, and predictive validities of the GRCS (Chinese version) were also good suggesting that the GRCS-C is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing gambling cognitions among non-clinical Chinese samples.     

The Planned Happenstance Career Inventory: A Cross‐Cultural Comparison

This study examined the measurement invariance and latent mean difference of an English version (J. H. Lee et al., 2017) of the Planned Happenstance Career Inventory (PHCI; B. Kim, Jung, et al., 2014) across cultures. Participants were 262 American and 291 South Korean undergraduates. Measurement invariance results indicated that the 5‐factor structure was adequate for both groups and that conditions for configural, metric, and partial intercept invariance were met. Latent mean analysis was used to compare the mean scores of the PHCI skills (curiosity, flexibility, persistence, optimism, and risk taking). The latent means of curiosity, flexibility, persistence, and optimism were higher among South Korean undergraduates, but no significant difference was found regarding risk taking. Career counselors should consider differences in planned happenstance perceptions across cultures to provide better career guidance. Future studies are needed to verify the distinctive nature of flexibility by replicating the factor structure of the PHCI with other samples.     

The brief sexual attitudes scale

The measurement of sexual attitudes is important, and ease of scale usability is one key aspect of measurement. This paper details three studies conducted to develop a briefer and thus more efficient version of the multidimensional Sexual Attitudes Scale (43 items). The first two studies (I and II) employed existing data sets to develop a 23-item version of the Sexual Attitudes Scale, using exploratory factor analysis in Study I and confirmatory factor analysis in Study II. The same four subscales of Permissiveness, Birth Control (formerly called Sexual Practices), Communion, and Instrumentality were retained in the 23-item measure, called the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale. Study III was a prospective data collection using only the 23 items composing the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale. The four subscales were hypothesized to correlate with a number of relationship measures in predictable ways. Results indicated that the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale is a reliable and valid measure of the four sexual attitudes, and has strong psychometric properties. It should be effective and efficient for both research and clinical uses.     

Psychometric evaluation of the inventory of Gambling Motives,Attitudes and Behaviours (GMAB) among Chinese gamblers

The present study aims to evaluate and refine the Inventory of Gambling Motives, Attitudes and Behaviours (GMAB) specifically designed to assess gambling-related cognitions and behaviours of Chinese gamblers with a random sample of 697 Chinese adults in Macao who were interviewed by telephone. Confirmatory factor analysis generally replicated the basic factor structure of the three domains of GMAB although the removal of several items with low factor loading or cross-loading was suggested. Moreover, the findings supported the addition of another motivational subscale, socialization. The revised version has six subscales of motives (self-worth, monetary gains, sensation seeking, boredom alleviation, learning and socialization), four of attitudes (fate and luck, negative consequences of gambling, techniques and superstition), and five of behaviours (impaired control, gambling involvement, arousal reaction, superstitious behaviour and controlled gambling). The psychometric properties of the revised GMAB (GMAB-R) were demonstrated to be satisfactory.     

Counseling for Career Decision‐Making Difficulties: Measures and Methods

Career indecision may be the primary reason people go to career counselors. Much effort has been exerted to identify and investigate the causes of clients' career decision‐making difficulties. With the aim of facilitating clients' career decision making, the use of career indecision assessments can promote the effectiveness and efficiency of face‐to‐face career counseling. The authors review three evidence‐based, cost‐free assessments derived from decision theory: the Career Decision‐Making Difficulties Questionnaire, the Emotional and Personality‐Related Career Decision‐Making Difficulties questionnaire, and the Career Decision‐Making Profile questionnaire. The unique features of these assessments are described, and the ways they can contribute to facilitating career decision making in career counseling are explored with a case study example.     

The Gambling Cognitions Inventory: scale development and psychometric validation with problem and pathological gamblers

Cognitive distortions are typically identified as an important etiological factor in pathological gambling. The Gambling Cognitions Inventory (GCI) developed by Holub (2003) is examined in this study using a sample of 710 pathological gamblers collected in four Canadian studies. Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the initial 40-item scale and suggested a 33-item scale. The sample was split into two groups to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Scree plots and parallel analysis suggested a two-factor scale. The scale developed by exploratory factor analysis on the first sample was supported by confirmatory factor analysis on the second sample (CFI>0.95; RMSEA < 0.05). The two factors indicated a Skill and Attitude subscale and a Luck and Chance subscale. Analysis conducted within each of the four studies showed good internal reliability for the scale (range of α = 0.91–0.95) and subscales (α = 0.77–0.92). The scale and subscales correlated with gambling severity measures as well as other measures of gambling cognitions including the Gambling Attitudes and Beliefs Scale and the Gambling Beliefs Questionnaire. The results of the study indicate that the GCI is a psychometrically strong scale and may be beneficial in directing cognitive therapy to the most problematic cognitions.     

Reducing Adolescent Career Indecision: The ASVAB Career Exploration Program

An independent evaluation of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Career Exploration Program was conducted using nationally representative samples of high school students. The sample consisted of current ASVAB Program participants (n = 255) and two control groups of nonparticipants (n = 233, n = 189). A pretest‐posttest design showed that participation in the ASVAB Program increased career exploration knowledge and reduced diffusion and approach‐approach forms of career indecision, as assessed by the Career Decision Scale (S. Osipow, 1986).     

The sexuality scale: An instrument to measure sexual‐esteem,sexual‐depression,and sexual‐preoccupation

This article describes the development of the Sexuality Scale, an instrument designed to measure three aspects of human sexuality: sexual‐esteem, defined as positive regard for and confidence in the capacity to experience one's sexuality in a satisfying and enjoyable way; sexual‐depression, defined as the experience of feelings of depression regarding one's sex life; and sexual‐preoccupation, defined as the tendency to think about sex to an excessive degree. The procedure involved (a) item construction, selection and subsequent validation through item analysis; and (b) a factor analysis of the items on the Sexuality Scale and the establishment of factorial validity. The results indicated that the three subscales were psychometrically sound, that males reported more sexual‐preoccupation than did females, and that the three subscales have unique intercorrelation patterns. The exploratory nature of these findings are discussed.     

Spanish version of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS): results from two samples of female university students / Versión española de la Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS): resultados correspondientes a dos muestras de estudiantes universitarias

Self-objectification happens when people internalize a view of themselves as an object or collection of body parts. Two studies were conducted to validate the Spanish version of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS). This scale assesses self-objectification through three components: body surveillance, body shame and appearance control beliefs in women. In Study 1 and Study 2, 218 and 201 female undergraduate students, respectively, responded to the Spanish version of this scale and other related measures. In Study 2, they also reported on their emotions after being exposed to an objectifying scenario. The three subscales of the Spanish version of the OBCS showed acceptable indices of internal consistency (ranging between α = .68 to .84), and the confirmatory factor analysis showed a three-factor solution to be the most appropriate. Adequate convergent validity was found with respect to the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (SOQ) and other variables such as self-esteem, other-directedness, hostile sexism and enjoyment of sexualization. These findings suggest that the Spanish version of the OBCS is a satisfactory measure of college women’s self-objectification.     

Using Multidimensional Career Decision Instruments to Assess Career Decidedness and Implementation

Multidimensional measures of career indecision have been constructed to aid in the differential diagnosis of career problems. This study examined the relative efficacy of individual scale scores on the Career Factors Inventory (CFI) and two calculations of the Career Deciion Scale (CDS-A and CDS-B) in predicting career decidedness and career implementation. Results from separate simultaneous regression analyses indicated that different scales of the CFI and the CDS-B made unique contributions to the prediction of career decidedness and implementation. On the other hand, only one predominant scale emerged in the CDS-A regression analyses. Results supported the use of individual subscales to identify antecedents of career indecision.     

The Family Unpredictability Scale: Reliability and Validity

We developed the Family Unpredictability Scale (FUS) to better understand the factors that underlie the presence and consequences of family dysfunction. Familial unpredictability is defined as a lack of consistency in family behaviors and regulatory systems. Family researchers and therapists generated and evaluated items, which were self‐administered by married parents who had children aged 2 to 18 (N= 314 ). Principal‐components analysis yielded four subscales (discipline, nurturance, meals, and money; 22 items total) that were internally consistent; confirmatory factor analysis based on a separate subsample yielded an adequate preliminary representation of this factor structure. The FUS related significantly to known measures of family and individual functioning but not to social desirability. The present study provides preliminary reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity for this new multidimensional, self‐report assessment of family unpredictability. Research and clinical implications are discussed.     

Spanish version of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature scale / Versión española de la escala de Empatía Disposicional hacia la Naturaleza

The Dispositional Empathy with Nature scale (DEN) — dispositional tendency to understand and share the emotional experience of the natural world — offers a methodological tool for the study of the affective component of environmental concern. In this paper, the factor structure of the Spanish version of the DEN scale is tested (N = 394). The originally proposed one-factor structure is found using exploratory factor analysis — FACTOR program — with Unweighted Least Squares procedure and optimal implementation of parallel analysis (GFI = .99), along with high internal consistency (α = .93). The Spanish DEN scale shows moderate correlations between environmental concern measures (r = .36 – .44, p < .01) and low-to-moderate correlations with dispositional empathy with humans (r = .30 – .42, p < .05), indicating the distinctiveness of the scale. The Spanish version of the DEN scale is an adequate and reliable instrument for the measurement of empathic tendencies towards nature. Some recommendations regarding its future use are made.     

Adaptation and validation of the Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial (GMQ-F) in a sample of French-speaking gamblers

Previous research has identified specific gambling motives and linked them with both healthy and disordered gambling. The Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ) is currently the most widely used measure for these motives. The present study aimed to offer a French validation of the latest version of this scale, the GMQ-Financial (GMQ-F), which measures four distinct motives (enhancement, social, coping, financial). The French GMQ-F was completed by 278 gamblers from the community and 22 treatment-seeking pathological gamblers, along with scales assessing gambling cognitions, impulsivity, disordered gambling symptoms and psychopathological symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the expected four-factor model. The GMQ-F subscales have good internal reliability. Validity of the GMQ-F is supported by specific correlations with the other constructs measured. Pathological gamblers differed from gamblers from the community on all but one (social) of the GMQ-F subscales. The French GMQ-F presents good psychometric properties and constitutes a reliable instrument for measuring gambling motives in research and clinical practice.