Measurement Equivalence Of The Wong And Law Emotional Intelligence Scale Across Cultures: An Item Response Theory Approach

The global popularity of emotional intelligence (EI) makes understanding its measurement equivalence across cultures an important issue. Although previous research examining the measurement equivalence of self-reported EI has failed to detect cultural differences, these results may be due to the use of measurement equivalence models that do not adequately specify item level differences between cultures or quantify the magnitude of differences. In this study, we adopted an item response theory (IRT) approach to examine differential item functioning (DIF) in the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS; Wong & Law, 2002) across American and Chinese cultures using both a dominance and ideal point IRT model. Our results revealed: 1) The dominance IRT model had good fit with the WLEIS compared to the ideal point model; 2) the WLEIS items varied in their DIF, which ranged from negligible to moderately large across American and Chinese cultures; and 3) the largest DIF was found for the Other Emotional Appraisal (OEA) dimension of the WLEIS, which indicated that Chinese respondents found these items substantially more difficult to endorse. Implications and future research directions are discussed

Hemispherectomy Outcome Prediction Scale: Development and validation of a seizure freedom prediction tool.

To develop and validate a model to predict seizure freedom in children undergoing cerebral hemispheric surgery for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. We analyzed 1267 hemispheric surgeries performed in pediatric participants across 32 centers and 12 countries to identify predictors of seizure freedom at 3 months after surgery. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed based on 70% of the dataset (training set) and validated on 30% of the dataset (validation set). Missing data were handled using multiple imputation techniques. Overall, 817 of 1237 (66%) hemispheric surgeries led to seizure freedom (median follow-up = 24 months), and 1050 of 1237 (85%) were seizure-free at 12 months after surgery. A simple regression model containing age at seizure onset, presence of generalized seizure semiology, presence of contralateral 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography hypometabolism, etiologic substrate, and previous nonhemispheric resective surgery is predictive of seizure freedom (area under the curve = .72). A Hemispheric Surgery Outcome Prediction Scale (HOPS) score was devised that can be used to predict seizure freedom. Children most likely to benefit from hemispheric surgery can be selected and counseled through the implementation of a scale derived from a multiple regression model. Importantly, children who are unlikely to experience seizure control can be spared from the complications and deficits associated with this surgery. The HOPS score is likely to help physicians in clinical decision-making

Comparison of the real-world effectiveness of vertical versus lateral functional hemispherotomy techniques for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy: A post hoc analysis of the HOPS study.

This study was undertaken to determine whether the vertical parasagittal approach or the lateral peri-insular/peri-Sylvian approach to hemispheric surgery is the superior technique in achieving long-term seizure freedom. We conducted a post hoc subgroup analysis of the HOPS (Hemispheric Surgery Outcome Prediction Scale) study, an international, multicenter, retrospective cohort study that identified predictors of seizure freedom through logistic regression modeling. Only patients undergoing vertical parasagittal, lateral peri-insular/peri-Sylvian, or lateral trans-Sylvian hemispherotomy were included in this post hoc analysis. Differences in seizure freedom rates were assessed using a time-to-event method and calculated using the Kaplan-Meier survival method. Data for 672 participants across 23 centers were collected on the specific hemispherotomy approach. Of these, 72 (10.7%) underwent vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy and 600 (89.3%) underwent lateral peri-insular/peri-Sylvian or trans-Sylvian hemispherotomy. Seizure freedom was obtained in 62.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 53.5%-70.2%) of the entire cohort at 10-year follow-up. Seizure freedom was 88.8% (95% CI = 78.9%-94.3%) at 1-year follow-up and persisted at 85.5% (95% CI = 74.7%-92.0%) across 5- and 10-year follow-up in the vertical subgroup. In contrast, seizure freedom decreased from 89.2% (95% CI = 86.3%-91.5%) at 1-year to 72.1% (95% CI = 66.9%-76.7%) at 5-year to 57.2% (95% CI = 46.6%-66.4%) at 10-year follow-up for the lateral subgroup. Log-rank test found that vertical hemispherotomy was associated with durable seizure-free progression compared to the lateral approach (p = .01). Patients undergoing the lateral hemispherotomy technique had a shorter time-to-seizure recurrence (hazard ratio = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.08-6.04, p = .03) and increased seizure recurrence odds (odds ratio = 3.67, 95% CI = 1.05-12.86, p = .04) compared to those undergoing the vertical hemispherotomy technique. This pilot study demonstrated more durable seizure freedom of the vertical technique compared to lateral hemispherotomy techniques. Further studies, such as prospective expertise-based observational studies or a randomized clinical trial, are required to determine whether a vertical approach to hemispheric surgery provides superior long-term seizure outcomes