Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Personality Assessment Inventory: normative data and reliability.

Introduction: Originally published in the United States of America in 1991, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) has been translated and adapted to a growing number of countries, but Portugal had yet to study its adequacy to the Portuguese population. Methods: The current study aimed to investigate the Portuguese normative data, the predictive effect of sociodemographic variables on the PAI scores, and the reliability of the Portuguese version of the PAI. Additionally, results were compared with other international versions of the PAI. The sample was comprised of 900 participants (age: M = 43.13, SD = 14.28, range = 18-75), recruited from various regions of Portugal. Results: Findings showed that the Portuguese sample scored higher than the U.S. and other international versions of the PAI in most scales. Sociodemographic variables (e.g., gender, age, and educational level) were significant predictors on PAI scores. The internal consistency of the Portuguese sample revealed lower values on the validity scales, but adequate on the clinical, treatment, and interpersonal scales. Overall, the Portuguese PAI revealed adequate psychometric properties, with normative results often superior to other international versions of the inventory. Discussion: It is a crucial step into the Portuguese adaptation and validation of this instrument, a measure with considerable potential in clinical, forensic, and research contexts. This adaptation may lead to the growth and development of the psychological assessment field in Portugal, and the opportunity to develop future cross-cultural studies with other international versions of the PAI.

Personality assessment inventory (PAI) in forensic and correctional settings: A comprehensive review.

As Forensic Psychology continues to expand as an independent field, professionals regularly resort to psychological assessment tools to assess people involved within the justice system. The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a 344-item, self-report inventory that aims to provide meaningful information for diagnosis and clinical decision-making, specifically relating to psychopathology, personality, and psychosocial environment. Its applicability in forensic settings has been increasingly recognized on account of its benefits in comparison to other self-report inventories (e.g., MMPI-2, MCMI-III), since it includes scales that are relevant to forensic settings (e.g., violence risk levels, psychopathy, substance abuse), and the existence of profile distortion indicators is useful when dealing with highly defensive and/or malingering populations. The goal of this paper is to conduct a thorough review of the PAI's utility in forensic settings, by focusing on the relevant forensic constructs assessed by the PAI (e.g., personality disorders, psychosis, substance abuse, aggression, recidivism risk, and response distortion), as well as its application to offender and inmate populations, intimate partner violence contexts, family law cases, and forensic professionals. Overall, the PAI continues to gather international recognition and its relevance and usefulness in forensic settings is generally accepted and acknowledged.

Electrospray Deposition of PEDOT:PSS on Carbon Yarn Electrodes for Solid-State Flexible Supercapacitors.

The increasing demand for flexible electronic devices has risen due to the high interest in electronic textiles (e-textiles). Consequently, the urge to power e-textiles has sparked enormous interest in flexible energy storage devices. One-dimensional (1D) configuration supercapacitors are the most promising technology for textile applications, but often their production involves complex synthesis techniques and expensive materials. This work unveils the use of the novel electrospray deposition (ESD) technique for the deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). This deposition methodology on conductive carbon yarns creates flexible electrodes with a high surface area. The deposition conditions of PEDOT:PSS were optimized, and their influence on the electrochemical performance of a 1D symmetric supercapacitor with a cellulose-based gel as an electrolyte and a separator was evaluated. The tests herein reported show that these capacitors exhibited a high specific capacitance of 72 mF g-1, an excellent cyclability of more than 85% capacitance retention after 1500 cycles, and an outstanding capability of bending.