Cross-validation of the reduced form of the food craving questionnaire -trait using confirmatory factor analysis

Objective: The Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T) is commonly used to assess habitual food cravings among individuals. Previous studies have shown that a brief version of this instrument (FCQ-T-r) has good reliability and validity. This article is the first to use Confirmatory factor analysis to examine the psychometric properties of the FCQ-T-r in a cross-validation study. Method: Habitual food cravings, as well as emotion regulation strategies, affective states, and disordered eating behaviors, were investigated in two independent samples of non-clinical adult volunteers (Sample 1: N = 368; Sample 2: N = 246). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to simultaneously test model fit statistics and dimensionality of the instrument. FCQ-T-r reliability was assessed by computing the composite reliability coefficient. Results: Analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the scale and fit indices were acceptable for both samples. The FCQ-T-r showed excellent reliability and moderate to high correlations with negative affect and disordered eating. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the FCQ-T-r scores can be reliably used to assess habitual cravings in an Italian non-clinical sample of adults. The robustness of these results is tested by a cross-validation of the model using two independent samples. Further research is required to expand on these findings, particularly in children and adolescents

Psychometric Characteristics of a New Scale for Measuring Self-efficacy in the Regulation of Gambling Behavior

Since its introduction in 1977, self-efficacy has proven to be a fundamental predictor of positive adjustment and achievement in many domains. In problem gambling studies, self-efficacy has been defined mainly as an individual's ability to avoid gambling in risky situations. The interest in this construct developed mainly with regard to treatment approaches, where abstinence from gambling is required. Very little is known, however, regarding self-efficacy as a protective factor for problem gambling. This study aims to fill this gap, proposing a new self-efficacy scale which measures not only the ability to restrain oneself from gambling but also the ability to self-regulate one's gambling behavior. Two studies were conducted in which the data from two Italian prevalence surveys on problem gambling were considered. A total of about 6,000 participants were involved. In the first study, the psychometric characteristics of this new self-efficacy scale were investigated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicated the presence of two different factors: self-efficacy in self-regulating gambling behavior and self-efficacy in avoiding risky gambling behavior. The second study confirmed the replicability of the two-factor solution and displayed high correlations among these two self-efficacy dimensions and different measures of gambling activities as well as other psychological variables related to gambling (gambling beliefs, gambling motivation, risk propensity, and impulsiveness). The results of logistic regression analyses showed the particular importance of self-regulating gaming behavior in explaining problem gambling as measured by Problem Gambling Severity Index and South Oaks Gambling Screen, thus proving the role of self-efficacy as a pivotal protective factor for problem gambling

'Possunt, quia posse videntur': They can because they think they can. Development and Validation of the Work Self-Efficacy Scale: Evidence from two Studies

Self-efficacy (SE) has been recognised as a pervasive mechanism of human agency influencing motivation, performance and well-being. In the organisational literature, it has been mainly assessed in relation to job tasks, leaving the emotional and interpersonal domains quite unexplored, despite their relevance. We aim to fill this gap by presenting a multidimensional work self-efficacy (W-SE) scale that assesses employees' perceived capability to manage tasks (task SE), negative emotions in stressful situations (negative emotional SE), and their conduct in social interactions, in terms of both defending their own point of view (assertive SE) and understanding others' states and needs (empathic SE). Results from two independent studies (Study 1, N=2192 employees; Study 2, N=700 employees) adopting both variable- and person-centred approaches support the validity of the scale. Findings of factor analyses suggest a bi-factor model positing a global W-SE factor and four specific W-SEs, which are invariant across gender and career stages. Multiple regressions show that global W-SE is associated with all considered criteria, task SE is associated positively with in-role behaviours and negatively with counterproductive behaviours; negative emotional SE is negatively associated with negative emotions and health-related symptoms; empathic SE is positively associated with extra-role behaviour; and, unexpectedly, assertive SE is positively associated with counterproductive work behaviour. However, results from a Latent Profile Analysis showed that the relationship between the SEs and criteria is complex, and that W-SE dimensions combine into different patterns, identifying four SE configurations associated with different levels of adjustment

Versión española de la Escala de Justicia Organizacional de Colquitt

Organizational justice (OJ) is an important predictor of different work attitudes and behaviors. Colquitt’s Organizational Justice Scale (COJS) was designed to assess employees’ perceptions of fairness. This scale has four dimensions: distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice. The objective of this study is to validate it in a Spanish sample. Method: The scale was administered to 460 Spanish employees from the service sector. 40.4% were men and 59.6% women. Results: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the four dimensions structure for Spanish version of COJS. This model showed a better fi t to data that the others models tested. Cronbach’s alpha obtained for subscales ranged between .88 and .95. Correlations of the Spanish version of COJS with measures of incivility and job satisfaction were statistically significant and had a moderate to high magnitude, indicating a reasonable degree of construct validity. Conclusions: The Spanish version of COJS has adequate psychometric properties and may be of value in assessing OJ in Spanish settingLa justicia organizacional (JO) es un predictor importante de diferentes actitudes y conductas organizacionales. La Escala de Justicia Organizacional de Colquitt (EJOC) fue desarrollada para evaluar las percepciones de justicia de los empleados. Tiene cuatro dimensiones: justicia distributiva, procedimental, informativa e interpersonal. El objetivo de este estudio es validarla en una muestra española. Método: la escala fue administrada a una muestra de 460 trabajadores españoles del sector servicios. El 40,4% fueron hombres y el 59,6% mujeres. Resultados: el Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (AFC) apoyó la estructura de cuatro dimensiones para la versión española de la EJOC. Este modelo mostró un mejor ajuste de los datos que los otros modelos probados. El alfa de Cronbach obtenido para las subescalas varió entre .88 y .95. Las correlaciones de la versión española con las escalas de incivismo y satisfacción laboral fueron estadísticamente signifi cativas y de una magnitud moderada a alta, lo que indica un grado razonable de validez de constructo. Conclusiones: la versión española de la EJOC tiene propiedades psicométricas adecuadas y puede ser de utilidad en la evaluación de la JO en el entorno españo

Measures of Self-Care in Heart Failure: Issues with Factorial Structure and Reliability

Dear Editor We read with great interest the recently published paper by Dr Lambrinou and colleagues1 entitled “The Greek version of the 9-item European heart failure self-care behaviour scale: A multidimensional or an uni-dimensional scale?” The paper is one of several papers published on the psychometric properties of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS) and continues to raise the important questions: (1) Is self-care of heart failure (HF) a multidimensional or an uni-dimensional construct? (2) Is self-care of HF a generalizable construct across countries? (3) Is Cronbach\u27s alpha the best approach to estimate reliability of instruments

The Problem with Cronbach\u27s Alpha: Comment on Sijtsma and Van der Ark (2015)

Knowledge of a scale\u27s dimensionality is an essential preliminary step to the application of any measure of reliability derived from classical test theory--an approach commonly used is nursing research. The focus of this article is on the applied aspects of reliability and dimensionality testing. Throughout the article, the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index is used to exemplify real-world data challenges of quantifying reliability and to provide insight into how to overcome such challenges

Phenomenological Configurations of Workplace Bullying: a cluster approach

The present study represents an innovative contribution combining an articulated description of phenomenological manifestations of bullying with an in-depth picture of individual processes operating within the regulative system. Phenomenological configurations of bullying were identified considering not only exposure to and types of bullying, but also two of its main correlates: health problems and deviant behaviour. Moreover, the study examined how these configurations differ in terms of discrete negative emotions experienced in relation to work, coping strategies, and moral disengagement. Results from a sample of 1019 employee (53.6% women) support a 5-cluster solution: not bullied with no symptoms and no misbehaviour (39.9%); not bullied but with symptoms and some misbehaviour (23.9%); targets exposed to limited work-related negative acts, with no symptoms and some misbehaviour (22.3%); targets of work-related bullying with symptoms and misbehaviour (9.6%); and victims with high symptoms and high misbehaviour (4.4%). Moreover, the examination of clusters in relation to individual dimensions highlights the pivotal role of negative emotions and emotional regulation, independently from exposure to workplace bullying. Further, in more severe cases, moral disengagement and compensatory behaviour play an equally important role suggesting the weakening of individuals' behavioural regulation

Positivity and Behaviour: the Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in Organisational and Educational Settings

Positivity is an evaluative disposition capturing what self-esteem, life satisfaction and optimism have in common. Self-efficacy refers to specific beliefs aimed at exercising control over the events through self-regulation. This paper examines in two studies whether the effect of positivity on performance is mediated by self-efficacy beliefs. The first examines the role of task and empathic self-efficacy in mediating the relationship of positivity with respect to in-role and extra-role behaviours in a sample of 829 Italian adult employees. The second examines the role of academic self-efficacy in mediating the relationship of positivity with respect to academic grades and academic citizenship behaviour on a sample of 223 Italian university students. Structural Equation Models results revealed that: (1) the relationship between positivity and both in-role and extra-role behaviours was substantially mediated by self-efficacy beliefs; (2) the relationship between positivity and both school grades and citizenship behaviours was completely mediated by self-efficacy beliefs