The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), which is widely used to measure overgeneral autobiographical memory in individuals with depression and a trauma history. Its factor structure and internal consistency have not been explored in a clinical sample. This study examined the…

Before the developmental trajectory, outcomes, and related interventions of gratitude can be accurately and confidently studied among the youth, researchers must ensure that they have psychometrically sound measures of gratitude that are suitable for this population. Thus, considering that no known scales were specifically designed to measure…

We examined possible differences in the factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the basis of whether frequency or intensity symptom response formats were used to assess PTSD. Participants included 669 veterans recruited from an epidemiological study of four Veterans Affairs Medical Centers' primary care clinics in the…

This study represents an effort to better understand the latent structure of anxiety sensitivity (AS), as indexed by the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; S. Reiss, R. A. Peterson, M. Gursky, & R. J. McNally, 1986), by using taxometric and factor-analytic approaches in an integrative manner. Taxometric analyses indicated that AS has a…

The 160-item short form of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was developed for situations in which respondents complete only the 1st half of the test. The present study evaluates the adequacy and comparability of the full and short forms of the PAI in terms of a wide range of psychometric characteristics. In all, 421 participants…

A hierarchical factor model of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) (S. Reiss and others, 1986) was evaluated with 432 psychiatric outpatients and 32 people with no mental disorder. Results support a hierarchical factor structure of three lower order factors and one higher order factor. Implications for the assessment of anxiety sensitivity are…

The underlying structure of the Postconcussion Syndrome Questionnaire (PCS) was evaluated in a large sample of 1,116 medical and psychiatric patients. Balancing internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, and parsimony results in endorsement of the four-factor solution for the PCS for this sample. (SLD)

Examination of measurement invariance tests the assumption that the model underlying a set of test scores is directly comparable across groups. The observation of measurement invariance provides fundamental evidence for the inference that scores on a test afford equivalent measurement of the same psychological traits among diverse groups. Groups…

The concordance and factor structures of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression were evaluated with 259 outpatients being treated for depression. The two scales were significantly correlated and assessed similar rates of improvement at multiple assessment points, but emphasized different dimensions of…

Two instruments, one a self-report measure and one an informant assessment, were developed to assess the strength of a person's end goals and motivational sensitivities. Results of seven studies involving 2548 adults and adolescents support a 15-factor solution for each instrument, with solutions similar to each other. Implications for a model of…

Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the two-factor second-order structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (T. Achenbach, 1991) in a sample of 577 children with serious emotional disturbance. Results support Achenbach's proposed structure model and indicate that an overall score would be an appropriate measure of global…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) was factor analyzed with a sample of 106 deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Two factors emerged, labeled "Language Comprehension" and "Visual-Spatial Orientation." Implications and future directions for the assessment of deaf and hearing-impaired students are…

The goals of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are described, and procedural guidelines for each approach are summarized, emphasizing the use of factor analysis in developing and refining clinical measures. Recent examples of the use of factor analysis are reviewed and used to highlight controversies that can emerge. (SLD)

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the underlying structure of negative symptoms of schizophrenia as measured by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). CFA results from the assessment of 401 patients were largely supported by CFA results from a second assessment of 345 patients. (SLD)

The NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) is described as a measure of five factors of personality and its use in clinical assessment and treatment practice is reviewed. Data from 17 adult men and women show links between NEO-PI scales and other measures of psychopathology. (SLD)