Factor Structure and Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of the Tangney's Brief Self-Control Scale in Chinese Adolescents.

Self-control is an important trait for humans to perceive inner and outer perceptions while maintaining harmony with others in society. People with lower self-control are more likely to engage in undesired or irresponsible behavior. The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) is an effective scale with a brief set of items which can effectively measure the level of an individual's control abilities. So far, it has been widely used in many longitudinal studies. However, the factor structure of the scale remains controversial, and far fewer studies have examined the longitudinal measurement invariance of the BSCS. This study aimed to revise the BSCS and test its factor structure for use in Chinese adolescents. Three samples of adolescents (N = 1,330/1,000/600, 11-19 years of age) were used. The item-total correlation and inter-item correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the quality of items. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the principle component analysis (PCA) of the residuals were performed to test the factor structure of the BSCS. Three nested models were used to test the longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI) of the BSCS. Pearson correlation coefficient and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were conducted to test the criterion validity and internal consistency reliability, respectively. According to the CFA of different dimensional models of the BSCS, the results did not support the two-dimensional model, and poor factor loading was found for Item 12. Based on this, combined with lower item-total correlation and item-item correlations, Item 12 was eliminated. Based on results of the EFA with both Kaiser eigenvalues and minimum average partial correlations, only one factor of the revised 12-item BSCS was extracted to make the fit indices of the confirmatory factor analysis acceptable. Meanwhile, the results of principle component analysis of the residuals supported the unidimensional assumption. The fit indices of three nested models supported the longitudinal measurement invariance, indicating that this scale has the same meaning over time. The internal consistency coefficient of the BSCS-12 was 0.81 and the test-retest reliability was 0.70. Good concurrent validity was also demonstrated. Overall, these findings suggest that the revised 12-item Tangney's Brief Self-Control Scale has a one-dimensional structure and has good reliability and validity in Chinese adolescents.

Validity and Longitudinal Invariance of the 10-Item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) in Chinese Left-Behind and Non-Left-Behind Children.

The 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) is a self-report instrument widely used to assess resilience in particular demographics. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and measurement invariance (MI) of the CD-RISC-10 in Chinese left-behind children. A total of 968 children from three middle schools in Guizhou Province participated in this study, with the CD-RISC-10 used twice, at the base line time point and again after six months. The Ego-resilience Scale (ERS), and General Self-efficiency Scale (GSES-10) were also used as criteria-related validity instruments. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to examine the one-factor model and the MI with regards to gender and left-behind status, as well as the longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI). The study proved satisfactory reliability and validity of the CD-RISC-10, with good criterion validity with the ERS and GSES-10. CFA results showed that the satisfactory model fit for the one-factor structure was supported in all groups (e.g., CFI = .942, TLI = .925, RMSEA = .057). The strict MI was evident across genders, as well as both the left-behind and non-left-behind groups. Additionally, the LMI of the CD-RISC-10 was also adequately supported. Generally speaking, these findings demonstrate that the CD-RISC-10 can effectively measure the resilience level of left-behind children - boys as well as girls - in China.

The factor structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI-C) in a non-clinical sample of Chinese adolescents.

BACKGROUNDS: The Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) Inventory is a widely used self-report questionnaire which is designed to comprehensively evaluate the protective factors and negative risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors among adolescents. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Chinese version of the PANSI in a non-clinical sample of Chinese adolescents. METHODS: Participants (N = 1198) were Chinese middle school students aged 11-17 years (44.8% boys and 51.9% girls, 3.3% missing values) in Guizhou Province. All participants completed the Chinese version of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI-C), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSE), and the suicide probability scale (SPS). Cronbach's alpha coefficients, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson's correlations, and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis tests were conducted thereafter. RESULTS: The results showed that the Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the two subscales of the PANSI-positive suicide ideation and the PANSI-negative suicide ideation were .696 and .915, respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the fit of the two-factor model as the best fitting model [Chi-square goodness of fit = 703.859, p < .001, degrees of freedom = 76, comparative fit index = .919, Tucker-Lewis index = .903, standardized root mean square residual = .047, root mean square error of approximation (90% CI) = .083 (.077, .089)]. Positive suicide ideation had negative correlations with the SPS and positive correlations with the RSE, whereas the negative suicide ideation had positive correlations with the SPS and negative correlations with the RSE. All correlations were statistically significant (p < .001), demonstrating the criterion validity of the PANSI-C. Moreover, the strict measurement invariance of the PANSI-C was supported across gender, single-parent and non-single-parent households groups, and the strong measurement invariance was supported across age. LIMITATIONS: The feasibility of this study is limited to Chinese normal adolescents and lack of clinical samples. CONCLUSION: Empirical support for the reliability and validity of the PANSI-C was found. The PANSI-C instrument is found to be useful in assessing positive and negative suicide ideation in Chinese normal adolescents.

Rasch Analysis of Work-Family Conflict Scale Among Chinese Prison Police.

As a special group of police officer, prison police have to endure more work stress and have significant work-family conflict, which may lead to more physical and mental health problems and need to be noticed by the society. The Work-Family Conflict Scale (WFCS) is a brief self-report scale that measures the conflict that an individual experiences between their work and family roles and the extent they interfere with one another. However, there is limited data on the scale's psychometric properties. The aim of this study was to examine the dimensionality and reliability of the Chinese version of the WFCS. The study sample was made up of a total of 717 Chinese prison police (64.7% male, M = 41.73 years, SD = 8.30 years). The Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM) was used to determine the latent structure and estimate the quality of items and reliability of scale. The principle component analysis (PCA) showed that the assumption of unidimensionality was fulfilled. The infit and outfit mean square (MNSQ) statistics (0.84-1.47) were of a reasonable range, and point-measure correlations (0.64-0.79) indicted good model fit of each item. The item-person separation and reliability indices both met psychometric standards, illustrating good reliability. The person-item map indicated acceptable fit of items and persons, suggesting an alignment between persons and items. In addition, no evidence emerged of differential item functioning across different gender groups. Overall, the WFCS has good reliability and validity, and can be used to accurately evaluate the level of work-family conflict in Chinese prison police.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Resilience Scale (RS-14): Preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, resilience has received extensive attention in psychology. The 14-Item Resilience Scale (RS-14) has been developed as a newer and shorter version of the resilience scale and has been applied in Western countries. In Eastern cultures, however, and particularly among Chinese populations, its factor structure remains unverified. The purpose of this study is to realize the first evaluation of the psychometric characteristics of the Chinese version of the RS-14 in young adults from Mainland China. METHODS: The resilience scale, Connor-Davidson resilience scale, general health questionnaire 12, perceived stress scale 14, general self-efficacy scale and meaning in life questionnaire were used to investigate 1010 undergraduates (321 male college students, 689 female college students, aged 17-25 years; mean age = 20.27; SD = 1.572). We evaluated the item quality, latent structure, reliability, criterion validity and differential item functioning on the gender variable. RESULTS: Through the analysis methods of exploratory and confirmatory factor-analytic, the original single-factor model has been proven to be applicable within the Chinese population. Both an adequate construct validity and an excellent degree of reliability were reflected in the data. In addition, test-retest evinced good stability. The current study interrogates associations with external criteria, as well as providing evidence in support of the RS-14. CONCLUSION: To sum up, this study showed that the RS-14 is a reliable assessment for measuring resilience in China, and provides an alternative to the original scale.