Revisiting the five-facet structure of mindfulness

The current study aimed to replicate the development of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in a sample of 399 undergraduate students. We factor analyzed the Mindful Attention and Awareness Questionnaire (MAAS), the Freiburg Mindfulness Scale, the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMQ), the Cognitive Affective Mindfulness Scale Revised (CAMS-R), and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), but also extended the analysis by including a conceptually related measure, the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS), and a conceptually unrelated measure, the Langer Mindfulness Scale (LMS). Overall, we found a partial replication of the five-factor structure, with the exception of non-reacting and non-judging which formed a single factor. The PHLMS items loaded as expected with theoretically related factors, whereas the LMS items emerged as separate factor. Finally, we found a new factor that was mostly defined by negatively worded items indicating possible item wording artifacts within the FFMQ. Our conceptual validation study indicates that some facets of the FFMQ can be recovered, but item wording factors may threaten the stability of these facets. Additionally, measures such as the LMS appear to measure not only theoretically, but also empirically different constructs

The development and validation of the Addiction-like Eating Behaviour Scale

Background: Overeating and obesity are frequently attributed to an addiction to food. However, there is currently a lack of evidence to support the idea that certain foods contain any specific addictive substance. An alternative approach is to focus on dimensions of observable behaviour, which may underpin a behavioural addiction to eating. To facilitate this, it is necessary to develop a tool to quantify addiction-like eating behaviour, which is not based on the clinical criteria for substance dependence. The current study provides initial validation of the Addiction-like Eating Behaviour Scale (AEBS). Methods: English speaking male and female participants (N=511) from a community sample completed the AEBS, alongside a range of other health- and eating-related questionnaires including the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and Binge Eating Scale (BES). Participants also provided their height and weight to enable calculation of body mass index (BMI). Finally, to assess test–retest reliability, an additional 70 participants completed the AEBS twice, 2 weeks apart. Results: Principle components analysis revealed that a two-factor structure best accounted for the data. Factor 1 consisted of items that referred to appetitive drive, whereas factor two consisted of items that referred to dietary control practices. Both subscales demonstrated good internal reliability and test–retest reliability, and a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor scale structure. AEBS scores correlated positively with body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001) and other self-report measures of overeating. Importantly, the AEBS significantly predicted variance in BMI above that accounted for by both the YFAS and BES (P=0.027). Conclusions: The AEBS provides a valid and reliable tool to quantify the behavioural features of a potential ‘eating addiction’. In doing so, the AEBS overcomes many limitations associated with applying substance-dependence criteria to eating

Cluster Analysis of Symptoms Among Patients with Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders

Introduction Some musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity are not readily classified. The study objective was to determine if there were symptom patterns in self-identified repetitive strain injury (RSI) patients. Methods Members (n = 700) of the Dutch RSI Patients Association filled out a detailed symptom questionnaire. Factor analysis followed by cluster analysis grouped correlated symptoms. Results Eight clusters, based largely on symptom severity and quality were formulated. All but one cluster showed diffuse symptoms; the exception was characterized by bilateral symptoms of stiffness and aching pain in the shoulder/neck. Conclusions Case definitions which localize upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders to a specific anatomical area may be incomplete. Future clustering studies should rely on both signs and symptoms. Data could be collected from health care providers prospectively to determine the possible prognostic value of the identified clusters with respect to natural history, chronicity, and return to work

Risky business: factor analysis of survey data – assessing the probability of incorrect dimensionalisation

This paper undertakes a systematic assessment of the extent to which factor analysis the correct number of latent dimensions (factors) when applied to ordered categorical survey items (so-called Likert items). We simulate 2400 data sets of uni-dimensional Likert items that vary systematically over a range of conditions such as the underlying population distribution, the number of items, the level of random error, and characteristics of items and item-sets. Each of these datasets is factor analysed in a variety of ways that are frequently used in the extant literature, or that are recommended in current methodological texts. These include exploratory factor retention heuristics such as Kaiser’s criterion, Parallel Analysis and a non-graphical scree test, and (for exploratory and confirmatory analyses) evaluations of model fit. These analyses are conducted on the basis of Pearson and polychoric correlations.We find that, irrespective of the particular mode of analysis, factor analysis applied to ordered-categorical survey data very often leads to over-dimensionalisation. The magnitude of this risk depends on the specific way in which factor analysis is conducted, the number of items, the properties of the set of items, and the underlying population distribution. The paper concludes with a discussion of the consequences of overdimensionalisation, and a brief mention of alternative modes of analysis that are much less prone to such problems

Teoria da resposta ao item aplicada ao Inventário de Depressão Beck Item response theory applied to the Beck Depression Inventory

O Inventário de Depressão Beck (BDI), uma escala que mede o traço latente de intensidade de sintomas depressivos, pode ser avaliado através da Teoria da Resposta ao Item (TRI). Este estudo utilizou o modelo TRI de Resposta Gradual na avaliação da intensidade de sintomas depressivos de 4.025 indivíduos que responderam ao BDI, de modo a explorar eficientemente a informação disponível nos diferentes aspectos possibilitados pelo uso desta metodologia. O ajuste foi efetuado no software PARSCALE. Foram identificados 13 itens do BDI nos quais pelo menos uma categoria de resposta não tinha chance maior que as demais de ser escolhida, de modo que estes itens tiveram de ser recategorizados. Os itens com maior capacidade de discriminação são relativos à tristeza, pessimismo, sentimento de fracasso, insatisfação, auto-aversão, indecisão e dificuldade para trabalhar. Os itens mais graves são aqueles relacionados com perda de peso, retraimento social e idéias suicidas. O grupo dos 202 indivíduos com as maiores intensidades de sintomas depressivos foi composto por 74% de mulheres, e praticamente 84% possuíam diagnóstico de algum transtorno psiquiátrico. Os resultados evidenciam alguns dos inúmeros ganhos advindos da utilização da TRI na análise de traços latentes.<br>The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a scale that measures the latent trait intensity of depression symptoms, can be assessed by the Item Response Theory (IRT). This study used the Graded-Response model (GRM) to assess the intensity of depressive symptoms in 4,025 individuals who responded to the BDI, in order to efficiently use the information available on different aspects enabled by the use of this methodology. The fit of this model was done in PARSCALE software. We identified 13 items of the BDI in which at least one response category was not more likely than others to be chosen, so that these items had to be categorized again. The items with greater power of discrimination were sadness, pessimism, feeling of failure, dissatisfaction, self-hatred, indecision, and difficulty of work. The most serious items were weight loss, suicidal ideas, and social withdrawal. The group of 202 individuals with the highest levels of depressive symptoms was comprised by 74% of women and almost 84% had a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. The results show gains resulting from use of IRT in the analysis of latent traits

Psychometric and factor analytic evaluation of the 15D health-related quality of life instrument: the case of Greece

Purpose: To investigate the dimensionality, construct validity in the form of factorial, convergent, discriminant, and known-groups validity, as well as scale reliability of the fifteen dimensional (15D) instrument. Methods: 15D data were collected from a large Greek general population sample (N = 3,268) which was randomly split into two halves. Data from the first sample were used to examine the distributional properties of the 15 items, as well as the factor structure adopting an exploratory approach. Data from the second sample were used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis of the 15 items, examine the goodness of fit of several measurement models, and evaluate reliability and known-groups validity of the resulting subscales, along with convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs. Results: Exploratory factor analysis, using a distribution-free method, revealed a three-factor solution of the 15D (functional ability, physiological needs satisfaction, emotional well-being). Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the three-factor solution but suggested that certain modifications should be made to this solution, involving freeing certain elements of the matrix of factor loadings and of the covariance matrix of measurement errors in the observed variables. Evidence of convergent validity was provided for all three factors, but discriminant validity was supported only for the emotional well-being construct. Scale reliability and known-groups validity of the resulting three subscales were satisfactory. Conclusions: Our results confirm the multidimensional structure of the 15D and the existence of three latent factors that cover important aspects of the health-related quality of life domain (physical and emotional functioning). The implications of our results for the validity of the 15D and suggestions for future research are outlined