The Perceived Weight Stigma Scale and Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire: Rasch analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and network analysis among Chinese adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the present study were to (i) re-evaluate and expand the psychometric properties of two weight stigma instruments-the Perceived Weight Stigma Scale (PWSS) and the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) among a large sample of adolescents using advanced psychometric methods and (ii) examine how the different types of weight stigma (i.e., PWSS and WSSQ) are associated with psychological distress. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: In September 2023, a cross-sectional survey utilising convenience sampling was used to recruit 9995 adolescents (mean age = 16.36 years [standard deviation = 0.78]; 57.8% males). They completed the PWSS, WSSQ, and a measure on psychological distress. The data were analysed using Rasch analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modelling (SEM), and network analysis. RESULTS: The CFA and Rasch model results showed acceptable psychometric properties regarding factor structure, factor loading, difficulty, and infit and outfit mean squares (except Items 4 and 7 of the PWSS). There was no substantial differential item functioning for any tested items across the sex and weight categories. The CFA and SEM results showed promising validity indices with significant associations between both weight stigma scales and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress). Network analysis showed inter-variable connectivity between nodes PWSS3 ("People act as if they are afraid of you") and WSSQF7 ("I feel insecure about others' opinions of me"). CONCLUSIONS: Both weight stigma scales had acceptable psychometric properties and were significantly associated with psychological distress, although each assessed different types of weight stigma. This suggests that researchers and clinicians can use these scales to reliably and validly assess weight stigmas among adolescents.

Parental involvement in school and school victimization in Taiwan: The mediating role of quality of student-teacher relationships.

A link between parental involvement in school and student victimization in school is often assumed, but empirical studies have shown inconsistent results. Research suggests that the quality of student-teacher relationships could potentially serve as a crucial mediating factor in the link between parental school involvement and student victimization in school. However, the proposition in question lacks sufficient empirical evidence to substantiate it. This paper examines how parental school involvement indirectly influences student victimization by peers and teachers in school mediated via the quality of student-teacher relationships. Additionally, it further investigates sex differences in the patterns of relationships among parental school involvement, quality of student-teacher relationships, and student victimization by peers and teachers in school. Data were derived from a nationally representative sample of 934 junior high school students and their parents/caregivers in Taiwan. The results revealed that parental school involvement had a nonsignificant direct association with school victimization by peers and teachers, but a significant indirect association with both types of school victimization mediated via the quality of student-teacher relationships. These findings are applicable to both boys and girls. To reduce school victimization, policies and intervention programs could consider promoting parental school involvement and the quality of student-teacher relationships.

Psychometric characteristics of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ): Arabic version.

Narcissists are characterized by confidence, fragility, a desire for social approval without showing interest in others, charm, self-assurance, arrogance, and aggression. This study assesses the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) among Algerian students (N = 714). Confirmatory factor and Rasch analyses were used. The NARQ consists of 18 items addressing six narcissism subscales under two main dimensions: rivalry and admiration. The results showed good saturation of the items on the six subscales and the three sub-scales on each of the two main dimensions, revealing a modest but positive correlation between rivalry and admiration. Moreover, the results of the Rasch model demonstrated that the scale aligns with the data, confirming the validity of the scale. This study offers valuable perspectives on assessing narcissism among Arabic populations and enhances our comprehension of the traits linked to narcissistic personalities.

Reliability generalization Meta-Analysis and psychometric review of the Gaming Disorder test (GDT): Evaluating internal consistency.

Gaming disorder (GD) is a growing public health issue requiring reliable screening and diagnostic tools. A commonly used tool for assessing GD is the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). The GDT assesses GD based on International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) criteria; however, its psychometric testing has been conducted across studies but yet snythesized. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize psychometric data regarding the GDT globally. Adhering to pre-registration, a comprehensive search across databases identified 17 eligible studies (n=22,000) in 14 languages reporting on the psychometric properties of the GDT, especially its Cronbach's alpha. The pooled Cronbach's alpha was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83-0.89), indicating excellent internal consistency. Although significant heterogeneity was observed (I2= 98.54%), prediction intervals suggested true outcomes likely shared a positive direction. No moderating effects were found regarding sample characteristics, study quality, or geographical location. The meta-analysis provides robust and quantitative evidence supporting the internal consistency of the GDT across diverse populations. Moreover, qualitative synthesis indicates that the GDT has strong psychometric properties without risk of bias across the analyzed studies, indicating the GDT's ability to assess GD globally. However, the heterogeneity suggests cautious interpretation of the reliability estimates.

The Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale: measurement invariance by weight status and race among undergraduate women.

BACKGROUND: Internalized weight bias is the belief in negative, weight-based stereotypes and the application of these stereotypes to oneself. These negative stereotypes have harmful impacts on people with overweight/obesity, and weight-based discrimination is well-documented across a variety of settings. Given poor outcomes associated with internalized weight bias, particularly among individuals with obesity, it is necessary to validate measures assessing internalized weight bias among diverse samples. The present study sets out to investigate measurement invariance properties across weight status (women with vs. without overweight/obesity) and race (White vs. Asian; White vs. bi- or multi-racial) of the Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS-M), an 11 item self-report measure. METHODS: Participants were 746 racially/ethnically diverse women across the weight spectrum (24.9% with overweight/obesity). Confirmatory factor analyses of the WBIS-M were initially performed among the full sample, and all sub-samples. Each model showed good to excellent descriptive model fit. Subsequent analyses examined factor loadings and item thresholds of the WBIS-M to assess metric, threshold, and scalar invariance. Invariance was determined by assessing changes in Comparative Fit Index (ΔCFI ≤ -0.010), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (ΔRMSEA ≤ 0.015), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residuals (ΔSRMR ≤ 0.030). RESULTS: Based on these previously established statistical cutoffs, the WBIS-M showed invariance across weight status and racial groups in the present sample. The current results lend support for use of the WBIS-M to measure internalized weight bias in women who do and do not have overweight/obesity, and among White, Asian, and bi- or multi-racial women. CONCLUSION: This may inform future studies that wish to utilize the WBIS-M, such as investigations of mean level differences in internalized weight bias. These findings may have clinical applications in the treatment and prevention of obesity, given the heightened levels of internalized weight bias and weight-based discrimination faced by individuals with higher body weights.

Validation and Measurement Invariance of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS) Among Thai Young Adults.

Examining ways of reducing physical inactivity has been at the forefront of public health research. Moreover, valid and reliable scales are needed to objectively assess physical activity (PA) avoidance. Previous research has shown that experiencing weight stigma and physical appearance-related concerns are associated with physical inactivity. However, there is currently no Thai instrument that assesses physical inactivity in relation to weight stigma. Therefore, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS). Thai university students (N = 612) recruited via convenience sampling completed an online survey using SurveyMonkey between September 2022 and January 2023. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multigroup CFA, and Pearson correlations (between TAPAS scores, age, body mass index, and time spent exercising) were used to analyze the data. The CFA showed robust psychometric properties for the Thai version of TAPAS regarding its unidimensional structure. The TAPAS was measurement invariant across sex, weight status, and daily hours of exercise. However, no significant Pearson correlations were found. In general, the results showed that the TAPAS is a good scale for assessing PA avoidance among Thai young adults across different sexes, weight status, and daily hours of exercise.

Evaluating the factor structure and measurement invariance of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale across multiple countries, languages, and gender identities.

The UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and the various psychometric instruments developed and validated based on this model are well established in clinical and research settings. However, evidence regarding the psychometric validity, reliability, and equivalence across multiple countries of residence, languages, or gender identities, including gender-diverse individuals, is lacking to date. Using data from the International Sex Survey (N = 82,243), confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance analyses were performed on the preestablished five-factor structure of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale to examine whether (a) psychometric validity and reliability and (b) psychometric equivalence hold across 34 country-of-residence-related, 22 language-related, and three gender-identity-related groups. The results of the present study extend the latter psychometric instrument's well-established relevance to 26 countries, 13 languages, and three gender identities. Most notably, psychometric validity and reliability were evidenced across nine novel translations included in the present study (i.e., Croatian, English, German, Hebrew, Korean, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese-Portugal, and Spanish-Latin American) and psychometric equivalence was evidenced across all three gender identities included in the present study (i.e., women, men, and gender-diverse individuals).

Development of parenting difficulties in infectious disease pandemic inventory.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to develop the Parenting Difficulties in Infectious Disease Pandemic Inventory (PDIDPI) for the assessment of parenting difficulties during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to examine its psychometric properties. METHODS: The 31-item PDIDPI was developed on the basis of the results of focus group interviews. An exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring was conducted to examine the PDIDPI factor structure. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach α values. The test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The concurrent validity was established by examining the correlations of the PDIDPI with Fear of COVID-19 Scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) scores. RESULTS: We determined that the PDIDPI has seven factors: infection, school and learning, life change, care burden, daily living, health care, and emotion and behavior. The PDIDPI also had good internal consistency (α = 0.685-0.929) and acceptable test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.404-0.794). Regarding concurrent validity, the overall PDIDPI and its seven factors were all significantly associated with depression, determined by the CESD (r = 0.223-0.370), but not all factors were significantly associated with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.082-0.203). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the psychometric properties of the PDIDPI, confirming its utility for evaluating the multifaceted challenges parents face in child management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese version of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport (TAPAS) scale: testing unidimensionality, measurement invariance, concurrent validity, and known-group validity among Taiwanese youths.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Psychosocial factors affect individuals' desire for physical activity. A newly developed instrument (Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport; TAPAS) has been designed to assess the avoidance of physical activity. Considering cultural differences could be decisive factors, the present study aimed to translate and validate the TAPAS into Chinese (Mandarin) for Taiwanese youths, and further cultural comparisons are expected. METHODS: Standard translation procedure (i.e., forward translation, back translation, and reconciliation) was used to translate the English TAPAS into the Chinese TAPAS. Following translation, 608 youths (mean [SD] age 29.10 [6.36] years; 333 [54.8%] women) participated in the study via a snowballing sampling method with an online survey. All participants completed the Chinese TAPAS and additional instruments assessing weight stigma and psychological distress. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the Chinese TAPAS and multigroup CFA to examine measurement invariance across gender (men vs. women) and weight status (overweight vs. non-overweight). Pearson correlations were used to examine the concurrent validity; independent t-tests between gender groups and weight status groups were used to examine the known-group validity. RESULTS: Consistent with the English version, the Chinese TAPAS was found to have a one-factor structure evidenced by CFA results. The structure was invariant across gender and weight status groups evidenced by multigroup CFA results. Concurrent validity was supported by significant associations with the related constructs assessed (r = 0.326 to 0.676; p < 0.001). Known-group validity was supported by the significant differences in TAPAS total scores between gender and weight status groups (p = 0.004 and < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.24 and 0.48). CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the TAPAS is a valid and reliable instrument assessing individuals' avoidance of physical activity and sports due to underlying psychosocial issues among Taiwanese youths. It is anticipated to be applied within a large Asian population, as well as cross-cultural comparisons, for further explorations in health, behavioral and epidemiological research and practice.

A comprehensive measure assessing different types of problematic use of the internet among Chinese adolescents: The Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11).

BACKGROUND: Problematic use of the internet (PUI) is prevalent, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Given the limited measures to assess specific types of PUI, which encompasses a broad spectrum of activities such as online gaming, social media use, pornography use, shopping, gambling, and web-streaming, Muller et al. (2022) developed the Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11) to comprehensively assess different types of PUI (i.e., gaming, shopping, social media use, gambling, and pornography use). The present study aimed to validate the Chinese ACSID-11 among adolescents incorporating cross-cultural adaptations. METHODS: Using forward-backward translation method, a culturally adapted version of the ACSID-11 was prepared. Then, a cross-sectional online survey was administered between September 8 and September 26, 2023. Adolescents, using a convenience sample (N = 11,492; mean age = 16.42 years [SD ± 0.91]; 59.1% male), were recruited from six schools to complete the translated ACSID-11, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) via an online platform. Pearson correlation coefficients assessed convergent/discriminant validity. Factor structure and measurement invariance were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega tested internal consistency. RESULTS: Associations between the ACSID-11 components and other scales supported convergent validity (i.e., ACSID-11 gaming scale with IGDS9-SF [0.37 ≤ r ≤ 0.41]; social networks use scale with BSMAS [0.24 ≤ r ≤ 0.31]) and discriminant validity (i.e., online gambling scale with BSMAS [0.16 ≤ r ≤ 0.19] and with SABAS [0.11 ≤ r ≤ 0.13]). A four-factor solution indicated good fit with comparative fit index (CFI) ranging from 0.982 to 0.958. The ACSID-11 was measurement invariant across sexes (∆CFI = -0.001 to 0.000) and different levels of related addictive behaviors (∆CFI = -0.001 to 0.000). Both Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega (0.63 to 0.97) were acceptable for both frequency and intensity of responses. CONCLUSIONS: The ACSID-11 is an appropriate scale to assess different kinds of PUI among Chinese adolescents and students. Psychometric assessment of the measure in other cultures and among clinical samples is recommended.

Psychometric properties of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale: A cross-cultural study in the Arab Maghreb countries.

BACKGROUND: The Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS) is designed to assess the trait of envy and evaluate individual differences in people's tendency to experience benign or malicious envy towards superior comparison standards. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the factor structure of the BeMaS in Arab culture through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and to ensure the measurement equivalence of the benign and malicious envy scale across three countries in the Arab Maghreb region (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco). METHODS: The study was conducted on a sample of 1047 students from various universities across three countries, Algeria (n = 401), Tunisia (n = 289), and Morocco (n = 357), and implemented a cross-sectional study design. The study involved individuals aged 18-64 (M = 22.00, SD = 4.79). Most were females (64.4 %, n = 674), with substantial male representation (35.6 %, n = 373). All participants completed the Arabic BeMaS. RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the Arabic BeMaS has a two-factor structure for the total sample and each subsample. However, some modifications were necessary in the Tunisian sample. The overall results suggest that the two-factor structure of the BeMaS is valid and reliable in the Arab context. At the same time, differences between the three groups suggest cultural differences despite similarities in language, geographic proximity, and shared customs and traditions. Additionally, the results highlight the need for further research into envy, particularly within Arabic culture. Religious and cultural traditions may significantly influence how envy is experienced and perceived, making such cultural differences important to investigate. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study contributes to our measurement of Envy in the Arab context by validating BeMaS and highlighting the importance of cultural factors in measuring and explaining envy. However, further research is needed to deepen our understanding of this complex emotion in different cultural and social contexts.

Burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic among nurses in Taiwan: the parental role effect on burnout.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical workers were concerned about the care of their children or family members and the impact of being separated from them. This increased stress could harm the relationship between nurses and patients. This study assessed how medical workers' parental role may affect burnout during such a high-stress period. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The client burnout (CB) scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire were used. Statistical methods such as the t-test, one-way ANOVA, and univariable/multiple linear regression were applied. RESULTS: A total of 612 nurses were included in this study. The likely risk factors of CB were identified and the parenthood effect was found to be associated with reduced CB. The parental role and leisure activity with family and friends on CB were found to have an impact. Engaging in leisure activity with family and playing the role of a parent diligently will help relieve nurses' burnout from frequent contact with patients and their families, thus lowering the risk of clinical burnout. CONCLUSION: The parental role, family/friends relationships, and a complex work environment associated with nurses' burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding allows us to re-examine the importance of family life and parent-child relationships in high-stress work environments.

Impact of COVID-19-Induced Academic Stress on Insomnia and Suicidal Ideation among Taiwanese Health Trainees and Junior Doctors.

BACKGROUND Clinical training for allied health trainees (AHTs) and postgraduate-year (PGY) doctors needed to go online during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which may have caused academic stress and consequent outcomes among this cohort. MATERIAL AND METHODS To evaluate academic-related stress, clinical confidence, psychological distress, and insomnia, an online survey-based study was conducted among Taiwanese AHTs and PGY doctors between July and December, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey included the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and self-designed questions. It was distributed using convenience sampling and snowball sampling and was completed by 522 participants. RESULTS Structural equational modelling showed that academic stress was negatively associated with clinical confidence (standardized coefficient [ß]=-0.382, p<0.001). Clinical confidence was negatively associated with psychological distress (ß=-0.397, p<0.001), which was associated with insomnia (ß=0.648, p<0.001). Additionally, clinical confidence and psychological distress were the significant mediators. Results indicated that higher academic stress was associated with higher level of insomnia via the mediation of clinical confidence and psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS Academic stress related to changes in clinical training may have led to insomnia among AHTs and PGY doctors during the pandemic. Factors to reduce academic stress should be investigated to promote good mental health while providing sufficient clinical training, especially during events that can cause increased stress (eg, epidemics, pandemics).

The effect of social support and resource support on emotional exhaustion, insomnia, and suicidal ideation among allied health trainees and post-graduate year doctors in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19-related stigmatization refers to COVID-19-related judgements by others that devalue the individual. Such stigmatization towards healthcare workers may cause psychological burden and negative consequences. Such stigmatization may have particularly overwhelmed allied health trainees (AHTs) and post-graduate year doctors (PGYDs) because they just started their medical career. Social support and resource support have been reported to benefit psychological health and reduce stigmatization. Therefore, the present study used a cross-sectional study design to investigate the association between perceived stigma, self-stigma, psychological distress, and negative outcomes (including emotional exhaustion, insomnia and suicidal ideation) among AHTs and PGYDs in Taiwan. METHODS: An online survey distributed between July and December, 2022 received 522 responses. Variables were assessed using the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Insomnia Severity Index and a series of self-designed questions to assess social support, resource support, perceived stigma, self-stigma, emotional exhaustion, and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling showed that perceived stigma was associated with self-stigma (standardized coefficient [ß] = 0.428, p < 0.001), and self-stigma was associated with psychological distress (ß = 0.197, p < 0.001), as well as being associated with emotional exhaustion, insomnia, and suicidal ideation (ß = 0.349, 0.556 and 0.212, all p-values < 0.001). While social support and resource support were negatively associated with perceived stigma (ß= - 0.175 and - 0.152, p < 0.01), additional associations were found between social support and emotional exhaustion (ß= - 0.093, p < 0.001), as well as between resource support and insomnia (ß= - 0.120, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that COVID-19 related stigmatization was correlated to the detrimental consequences of emotional exhaustion, insomnia and suicidal ideation. Clear paths regarding the associations of social support and resource support with the three negative associations were found as the possible solutions. Strategies to reduce the stigmatization and these negative outcomes, or improve the psychological health will benefit AHTs and PGYDs in maintaining a healthy mental status.

Agreement between quality of life assessed using family proxy and child self-reports among children with hematologic malignancy.

Evidence-based literature recognizes that the different degrees of agreement between a child self-report and a proxy-report depend on the characteristics of the domains, the child's age and illness, the proxy's own perspective on QoL, and family attendance during the child's hospitalization. This study aims to determine the degree of agreement between proxy-reports and child self-reports on quality of life (QoL) for children with hematologic malignancy ranging in age from 5 to 18 years who are undergoing treatment. We retrieved clinical QoL data from a study titled "Dynamic change in QoL for Vietnamese children with hematologic malignancy" from April 2021 to December 2022. To evaluate the magnitude of agreement between self-reports and proxy-reports, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for 259 pairs of measurements were quantified. Using independent t tests, the mean differences between self-reports and proxy-reports were tested. Moderate agreement was consistent through all age groups for five subscales, including physical, psychosocial, pain, nausea, and procedural anxiety (ICCs ranged from 0.53 to 0.74). The weakest agreement appeared in two groups, subjects aged 5-7 years and 13-18 years on six domains (school, treatment anxiety, worry, cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication) (-0.01 to 0.49). Child self-rating was consistently higher than that of proxies for the physical, emotional, and nausea domains among children aged 5-7 years and for procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, and cognitive problems among children aged 8-12 years.    Conclusion: The agreement level of self-reports and proxy-reports was differently distributed by child age and the PedsQL domains. The proxy children agreement on QoL among children with hematologic malignancy was divergent according to the different age groups, which could potentially be explained by proxy-child bonding at different stages of childhood development. Our recommendation for future studies is to explore children's age as a potential factor influencing proxy agreement on QoL among children with cancer. What is Known: • Children and their proxies may think differently about quality of life (QoL). • Comparing two sources of data (i.e., child and proxy) on aspects of QoL can help identify the discrepancies between children's perceptions of their QoL and their parents' perceptions. This can be useful in terms of identifying potential areas for improvement or concern and may also be helpful in making decisions about treatment and care. What is New: • Our study results demonstrated that proxies who comprised children aged 5-7 years or 13-18 years reported differently among domains that cannot be expressed verbally or with body language, including cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication. • Children generally perceived their QoL to be better than their proxies. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of children's QoL may require the consideration of multiple sources of data from various perspectives.

Assessing intrinsic capacity in Taiwan: Initial psychometric properties of the Integrated Care for Older People Screening Tool for Taiwanese (ICOPES-TW).

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the concept of intrinsic capacity (comprising composite physical and mental capacity) which aligns with their concepts of healthy aging and functional ability. Consequently, the WHO promotes the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework as guidance for geriatric care. Consequently, each government should have a screening tool corresponding to ICOPE framework to promote geriatric care. The present study examined the initial psychometric properties of the Taiwan version of ICOPE (i.e., ICOPES-TW). METHODS: Older people (n = 1235; mean age = 72.63 years; 634 females [51.3%]) were approached by well-trained interviewers for participation. A number of measures were administered including the ICOPES-TW, WHOQOL-AGE (assessing quality of life [QoL]), Clinical Frailty Scale (assessing frailty), Barthel Index (assessing basic activity of daily living [BADL]), and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (assessing instrumental activity of daily living [IADL]). RESULTS: The ICOPES-TW had a two-factor structure (body functionality [eigenvalue = 1.932] and life adaptation [eigenvalue = 1.170]) as indicated by the results of exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency of the ICOPES-TW was low (Cronbach's α = 0.55 [entire ICOPES-TW], 0.45 (body functionality factor), and 0.52 (life adaptation factor). ICOPES-TW scores were significantly (i) positively correlated with age (r = 0.321), IADL (r = 0.313), and frailty (r = 0.601), and (ii) negatively correlated with QoL (r=-0.447), and BADL (r=-0.447), with all p-values < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The ICOPES-TW could be a useful screening tool for healthcare providers to quickly evaluate intrinsic capacity for Taiwanese older people given that it has moderate to strong associations with age, BADL, IADL, QoL, and frailty.

Drawing as a window to emotion with insights from tech-transformed participant images.

This study delves into expressing primary emotions anger, happiness, sadness, and fear through drawings. Moving beyond the well-researched color-emotion link, it explores under-examined aspects like spatial concepts and drawing styles. Employing Python and OpenCV for objective analysis, we make a breakthrough by converting subjective perceptions into measurable data through 728 digital images from 182 university students. For the prominent color chosen for each emotion, the majority of participants chose red for anger (73.11%), yellow for happiness (17.8%), blue for sadness (51.1%), and black for fear (40.7%). Happiness led with the highest saturation (68.52%) and brightness (75.44%) percentages, while fear recorded the lowest in both categories (47.33% saturation, 48.78% brightness). Fear, however, topped in color fill percentage (35.49%), with happiness at the lowest (25.14%). Tangible imagery prevailed (71.43-83.52%), with abstract styles peaking in fear representations (28.57%). Facial expressions were a common element (41.76-49.45%). The study achieved an 81.3% predictive accuracy for anger, higher than the 71.3% overall average. Future research can build on these results by improving technological methods to quantify more aspects of drawing content. Investigating a more comprehensive array of emotions and examining factors influencing emotional drawing styles will further our understanding of visual-emotional communication.

Clinimetric Properties of the "FIND-NEEDS" to Screen Geriatric Conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is used to thoroughly assess and identify complex healthcare problems among older adults. However, administration of CGA is time-consuming and labor intensive. A simple screening tool with the mnemonic "FIND-NEEDS" was developed to quickly identify common geriatric conditions. The present study was to evaluate the clinimetric properties of the FIND-NEEDS. METHODS: The participants comprised first-visiting older adults aged 65 years and above (and who were able to communicate by themselves or with the help of a caregiver) who were assessed (October to December, 2021) using the FIND-NEEDS and CGA at geriatric outpatient clinics of a tertiary, referred medical center. The FIND-NEEDS was examined for its criterion-related validity and compared with the CGA results. Two types of scoring (summed score and binary score) of FIND-NEEDS and CGA were analyzed using Spearman correlation, sensitivity and specificity, and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The mean age of the 114 outpatients was 78.3 ± 7.6 years, and 79 (69.3%) were female. The internal consistency was excellent when using all FIND-NEEDS items, and was acceptable when using domain scores. Exploratory factor analysis showed that most of the FIND-NEEDS domain scores had factor loadings higher than 0.3. Intercorrelations of binary scores between domains of FIND-NEEDS and CGA showed most domains were moderately correlated. The overall correlation of summed scores between FIND-NEEDS and CGA was high. The FIND-NEEDS summed score was moderately correlated with CGA score (r = 0.494; p < 0.001), and the binary score showed excellent correlation (r = 0.944; p < 0.001). When using the CGA score as the gold standard, the FIND-NEEDS showed excellent AUC (0.950), sensitivity (1.00), and specificity (0.90). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the FIND-NEEDS had acceptable clinimetric properties to screen for geriatric problems among older adults. Further in-depth assessment and care plan can then be conducted afterwards.