Catalan and Hungarian validation of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ).

The goal of this study was to examine the cross-cultural validity and reliability of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) - a recently published instrument for assessing the Zuckerman's Alternative Five Factor Personality Model - in Catalan and Hungarian speaking populations. The samples consisted of 1,564 subjects from Catalonia and 1,647 from Hungary. Results showed a clear five-factor structure and acceptable alpha reliabilities of the ZKA-PQ in both countries. Facets alpha average was 80.35 and 74.10 for Catalans and Hungarians respectively. The factorial congruency coefficients indicated that both structures were equivalent, with a global value of .97. However, the robust structure obtained with EFA yielded poor fit indices in the subsequent CFA. Altogether, the psychometric findings were similar to those obtained in the original validation study carried out in Spanish and English populations. Main country differences were found only in Neuroticism factor, with Hungarians scoring significantly lower that Catalans. Nevertheless, country, sex and age explained only 18.6 % of Neuroticism variance (adjusted R squared = .186). Country differences had only medium effect size [F(1, 3188) = 292, p < .001, η2 = .084 1 ].

Pathological narcissism and depressive symptoms in psychiatric outpatients: mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between pathological narcissism (narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability), dysfunctional attitudes (perfectionism and dependency on other people), and depressive symptoms in psychiatric outpatients. METHOD: A sample of 234 adult psychiatric outpatients (57.3% male; mean age 44.39 years) completed the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale-Form A, and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales-21. RESULTS: Narcissistic vulnerability exhibited unique positive correlations with depressive symptoms, whereas narcissistic grandiosity showed substantially weaker correlations with depressive symptoms. Perfectionism partially mediated the relationship between narcissistic vulnerability and depressive symptoms. The mediating role of dependency was not confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Among adult psychiatric outpatients, narcissistic vulnerability is more strongly related to depressive symptoms than narcissistic grandiosity, and dysfunctional perfectionism represents one of the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria and the treatment of pathological narcissism.

The relationship between the big five personality dimensions and acute psychopathology: mediating and moderating effects of coping strategies.

BACKGROUND: Prior research suggests that the Big Five personality dimensions might be associated with coping strategies as well as acute psychopathology. The aim of the present study was to investigate direct and indirect associations between the Big Five personality traits, coping styles, and psychopathological variables. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects were 1140 adults from various institutions and regions in Hungary. A comprehensive test battery was administered including the Big Five Inventory (BFI), Psychological Immune System Inventory (PISI), and some subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Several moderation-mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS tool in SPSS to test for influence paths. RESULTS: Coping and personality variables jointly accounted for 40% to 50% of variance in psychopathology outcome. Personality dimensions of Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability had strongest predictive values. Emotional Stability had a more direct and unmediated effect, whereas Extraversion and Conscientiousness effects were mediated by the Approach and Self-regulation coping systems. In comparison to personality, coping style was generally a stronger predictor. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study might add to better understanding of complex pathways leading from broad personality dimensions to coping strategies and psychological (mal)adjustment.

Factorial and diagnostic validity of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) in Croatian primary health care.

The aim of this study was to examine the factorial and diagnostic validity of the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) in Croatian primary health care. Data were collected using a medical outpatient sample (N = 314). Reliability measured by internal consistency proved to be high. While the Velicer MAP Test showed that extraction of only one factor is satisfactory, confirmatory factor analysis indicated the best fit for a 3-factor structure model consisting of cognitive, affective and somatic dimensions. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis demonstrated the BDI-II to have a satisfactory diagnostic validity in differentiating between healthy and depressed individuals in this setting. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were high with an optimal cut-off score of 15/16. The implications of these findings are discussed regarding the use of the BDI-II as a screening instrument in primary health care settings.

Support systems for poor readers: empirical data from six EU member states.

This study surveyed and compared support systems for poor readers in six member states of the European Union (EU). The goal was to identify features of effective support systems. A large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted among mainstream teachers (n = 4,210) and remedial teachers (n = 2,395). Results indicate that the six support systems differed substantially, with effective support systems showing high performance on all variables measured. More specifically, effective support systems were characterized by (a) high levels of both teacher and student support and (b) frequent interactions between teachers and remedial teachers as well as between remedial teachers and diagnosticians. The high prevalence of poor reading ability in the current EU member states demonstrates that educational reforms are critically needed. The results of this study provide concrete starting points for improving support systems for poor readers.