The current investigation is post-hoc in nature and is nested in a larger research project, which aimed to explore and compare the personality characteristics, coping mechanisms and psychological well-being of South African and Swedish police trainees. The purpose of this particular study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a sample of South African Police trainees. A literature review highlighted that the TCI has the potential to be applied across various cultures without the risk of any ethnic or gender bias; this characteristic is attributed to the theoretical model underlying the TCI, which assumes that personality consists of seven universal factors, which manifest in an invariant manner across all humans. Despite this, the majority of international research focussing on the TCI version nine has been undertaken with primarily European populations and Eastern populations. Research exploring the construct equivalence, factor structure and the level of instrument bias of the TCI in any African is virtually non-existent. The current study endeavoured to address the aforementioned knowledge gap by exploring the psychometric properties of the TCI in a multi-cultural South African sample. The primary goal of the research endeavour was to explore whether the TCI can in the future be established as a valid and reliable personality assessment measure in a multi-cultural context like South Africa. Literature indicates that in the current South African psychometric context personality measures should adhere to the stipulations of the employment equity act (EEA), which especially in its amended form requires fair and just measurement. Studies such as this one can be used to adjudicate whether the TCI has the potential to be used as a fair and reliable measure, which does not violate the stipulation of the employment equity act. In this way the measure may contribute to provide evidence which can be used to make fair, just and reliable decisions not only in the South African Police Service, but also within the general public. A quantitative investigation was conducted using analysis base on Item Response Theory, specifically the Rasch model, which is considered more accurate than Classical Test Theory in assessing the psychometric functioning of dichotomous personality assessment measures. The analyses rendered information with which the researcher was able to evaluate the validity, reliability, levels of gender and cultural bias, as well as the factors rendered by the TCI. The research sample was a convenient one, comprising 1144 police trainees whom completed a test-battery of four tests, which included the TCI. The results derived from this investigation show that the primary TCI scales each measured a single factor, the presence of these factors among the current sample provide some support for the universality of the TCI; however most of these scales showed a high level of bias when measuring their respective constructs across ethnic and gender groups. The results also pointed out that numerous items and sub-scales possess a considerable level of ethnic and gender bias. There was also no attempt made to investigate the reasons underlying bias, bias may yield important information about cross-cultural differences and can also be seen as a phenomenon that requires explanation (Poortinga and Van der Flier, 1989), which means that the study created a launch pad for future investigations to explore the sources of bias. These findings have stern implications for the larger research project, as it might decrease the validity of findings derived from comparing scores across groups within the current sample, and to a lesser degree if the performance of the current sample is compared to that of the Swedish sample. It can also be argued that another implication of the study’s findings is that the information derived from the TCI cannot legally be used to make clinical or selection decisions based partially on the personality profile of individuals; however the convenient nature of the sample limits the generalizability of the investigation’s findings. This means that additional research is first required before the legitimacy of the use of the TCI in a South African context can be evaluated. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Background: Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) report increased levels of mental health problems, specifically symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are very common. They have often experienced multiple trauma events and additional stressors related to migration, acculturation and family separation. High-quality measurements of PTSD symptoms that are brief and easy to administer among URM are therefore needed. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES-8) when used in a population of URM. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency and test-retest agreement were analyzed using data from two previous studies; one Norwegian longitudinal study of URM mental health including 284 participants and 104 participants from a Swedish intervention study. Results: CRIES-8 in this population showed questionable levels of internal consistency and moderate test-retest agreement. The two-factor model of Intrusion and Avoidance was confirmed to have god model fit in this study, while the one-factor model of PTSD had poor model fit. Three items related to Avoidance (2,5 & 8) were found to have a large proportion of error in the one factor model. Conclusion: When CRIES-8 are used in studies of PTSD among URM the reliability and validity seems lower than previously found in other contexts. Especially the items related to avoidance seem potentially problematic in this context. It is recommended that researchers and clinicians are cautious when interpreting CRIES-8 scores when used with URM.

The aim of this thesis is to construct a generativity scale and verify its psychometric properties within the Czech environment. We focus on both the theoretical foundations of generativity as well as the tools of its measurement. While these measures already exist, they do not sufficiently correspond with the context of the Czech environment. The constructed scale focuses on 7 areas of generativity and is based on some already existing tools, namely the LGS and GBC. Furthermore, using a content analysis of 150 interviews of participants between the ages of 50 and 60 years and considering the already existing tools, we created a 31-item scale which we further reduced to 24 items in the traditional item analysis. The overall achieved Cronbach's α value of 0.803 with a 95% confidence interval (0.766-0.835) is satisfactory. We conclude that the thesis has fulfilled the requirements of a pilot study and provides opportunities for subsequent research.

The Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) is a self-report questionnaire for assessing parental attitudes to child weight and parental feeding practices. revious evaluations of its psychometric properties were conducted primarily with small to medium-sized samples ( N < 500) and a small range of children's age. The present study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the CFQ in a large German community sample and, for the first time, to establish normative data. Within the population-based LIFE Child study, the CFQ was administered to N - 982 mothers of 2- to 13-year-old children. Psychometric analyses on item statistics and internal consistency were conducted. Using structural equation modeling, four empirically-based factorial models of the CFQ were evaluated, and measurement invariance across child age groups and sex was examined. Age-specific norms for the CFQ subscales were computed. Item statistics were highly favorable for the majority of items, but floor and ceiling effects were found for 14 of 31 items. Internal consistency of the CFQ subscales ranged from acceptable to excellent (0.71< a < 0.91), except for the subscale Perceived Responsibility (a - 0.65). Regarding factorial validity, an eight-factor model with the newly created Reward subscale provided the best fit to the data. This model was factorial invariant across child sex and adjacent age groups. Maternal and child weight status showed large effects on CFQ subscale scores. The analyses established good psychometric properties for the German version of the CFQ and confirmed an eight-factor model. The provided norms allow for the comparison of individual parental feeding practices and change over time. The CFQ's sensitivity to change and longitudinal associations of parental feeding practices and child weight status warrant further research.

Burnout is a prevalent problem in South Africa, affecting individuals and organisations in various industries. The study of burnout in South Africa is important in order to solve the burnout problem. Valid and reliable measurement instruments are necessary to conduct studies on burnout. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was developed as a result of criticism against the most popular burnout measure, namely the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory measures burnout in terms of three factors, namely personal burnout, work-related burnout and client-related burnout. Although the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory is a unique tool for the measurement of burnout, very little attention has been paid to determining the psychometric properties of this instrument. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory can be used as a valid and reliable measure for burnout in South Africa. The research methodology followed a quantitative survey research approach. A non-probability snowball sample of 215 respondents completed the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Data obtained was used to conduct an exploratory factor analysis and internal reliability analysis. The study proved that the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory can be used in South Africa to measure two factors with high internal reliabilities, namely exhaustion (á=0.935) and client-related burnout (á=0.913). It is recommended that additional items based on withdrawal should be added to the work-related burnout scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Such additional items might possibly lead to confirmation of the original three-factor model in a South African context. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Poor long-term kidney transplant outcomes are a significant problem in the U.S. Interventions must focus on preserving allograft function by managing modifiable risk factors. An instrument capable of identifying problems with post-kidney transplant self-management behaviors may enable the design and testing of self-management interventions. This study’s purpose was to test the psychometric properties of the new Kidney Transplant Self-Management Scale (KT–SM). The Zimmerman framework adapted for kidney transplant self-management guided the cross-sectional study. A total of 153 kidney recipients recruited from Facebook® completed the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease (SEMCD), Patient Activation Measure (PAM), Kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ), and KT–SM Scale instruments via a REDCap® survey. Most participants were female (65%), White (81.7%), and middle-aged (M = 46.7; SD = 12.4 years) with a history of dialysis (73%) and received a kidney transplant an average of 6.58 years previous (SD = 6.7). Exploratory factor analysis results supported the 16-item KT–SM Scale as a multidimensional scale with five domains with loadings ranging between .39 and .89: medication adherence, protecting kidney, cardiovascular risk reduction, ownership, and skin cancer prevention. Internal consistency reliability for the total scale (Cronbach’s α = .84) and five domains ranged from .71 to .83. The total and domains were positively correlated, ranging from r = .51 to .76, p = .01. Criterion-related validity was evidenced by significant correlations of KT–SM and domains with SEMCD (r =.22 to .53, p = .01), PAM (r = .31 to .52, p = .01), and the overall KTQ (r = .20 to .32, p = .01) except for one KT–SM domain: protecting kidney. Construct validity was evaluated using multivariate regression analysis. The linear combination of age, patient activation, and self-efficacy explained 45% of the variance in KT–SM behaviors; 47% of the variance in KTQ (measuring quality of life) was predicted by age, comorbidity, and self-efficacy. These findings provide beginning evidence of reliability and validity for the newly developed KT–SM scale. Instruments like this may provide a means to capture the self-management behaviors of the kidney transplant population, which is critical for future work on interventions.

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