Linear and Nonlinear Indices of Score Accuracy and Item Effectiveness for Measures That Contain Locally Dependent Items.

The problem of local item dependencies (LIDs) is very common in personality and attitude measures, particularly in those that measure narrow-bandwidth dimensions. At the structural level, these dependencies can be modeled by using extended factor analytic (FA) solutions that include correlated residuals. However, the effects that LIDs have on the scores based on these extended solutions have received little attention so far.

Modeling maladaptive personality traits with unipolar item response theory: The case of Callousness.

Most IRT applications in personality assume that the measured trait is a bipolar dimension, normally distributed in the population. These assumptions, however, could be questionable for maladaptive, (quasi) pathological traits that still fall in the normal range. This study focuses on one such trait, Callousness, and uses two different instruments and samples to determine whether there is a basis for modeling it as a unipolar trait instead of a bipolar one.

Measuring Unipolar Traits With Continuous Response Items: Some Methodological and Substantive Developments.

In recent years, some models for binary and graded format responses have been proposed to assess unipolar variables or "quasi-traits." These studies have mainly focused on clinical variables that have traditionally been treated as bipolar traits. In the present study, we have made a proposal for unipolar traits measured with continuous response items.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the academic help seeking scale in a sample of adults.

Although academic help-seeking is an important variable in the academic context, as it is related to academic achievement, college adjustment and teacher support, among other variables, no instruments evaluate it in the Spanish adult population. The main goal of the current study was to develop an adaptation of the Academic Help-Seeking Scale for the Spanish adult population with suitable psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 536 adults with an average age of 24.

Compliance with COVID-19 Preventive Measures: The Role of Intelligence, the Dark Triad and Dysfunctional Impulsivity.

Background: Although measures to prevent COVID-19 infection have been greatly relaxed in many countries, they are still quite stringent in others. However, not all citizens comply with them to the same extent. Many studies show the importance of personality traits in predicting compliance with these measures, but it is not so clear what the role of intelligence is.

Are older teens more frustrated than younger teens by the covid-19 restrictions? The role of psychological maturity, personality traits, depression and life satisfaction.

Many studies have shown the negative impact of lockdowns on adolescents, but there is less evidence on how they are affected by other stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, especially, whether there are any differences between early and late adolescence. The current study focuses on the frustration felt by adolescents because of the severe COVID-19 restrictions in a non-lockdown situation. We aimed to (a) assess the role of maturity and two personality traits (emotional stability and extraversion) in predicting their frustration, and (b) compare the levels of frustration, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction in older and younger adolescents.

Which profile of people tends to ignore preventive measures against COVID-19? The role of intelligence and the big five personality traits.

Although a considerable amount of research has been done on the role of personality traits in the prediction of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures, the possible role of intelligence has been studied far less. For this reason, the main goal of the current study was to determine what the predictive role of intelligence is when considered together with the Big Five personality traits. A total of 404 participants answered three instruments: the Overall Personality Assessment Scale (OPERAS), which assesses personality traits, the COmpliance with pandemic COmmands Scale (COCOS), which assesses compliance, and the test of intelligence International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR Sample Test).

The Role of Psychological Maturity and the Big Five Personality Traits in the Victimization Through Indirect Aggression.

Background: Peer victimization is a problem that affects adolescents worldwide. Since so few studies have been made on the relationship between maturity and indirect peer victimization, the main objective of this study was to determine if maturity provides incremental validity beyond the personality traits when predicting indirect victimization. Another objective was to test a model of how all these variables are related to depressive symptomatology and life satisfaction.

Psychological Issues Among Spanish Adolescents and Young People when Coming out of the Closet to Their Families.

Some social settings may make the process of "coming out" more difficult for gay males and lesbian females, and the decision to do so may be even more problematic for adolescents and young people. As a result, some may choose to hide their sexual orientation, leading to emotional suffering. This study aims to analyze the differences in perceived stress, life satisfaction, happiness, and psychological distress experienced by both coming out and closeted young people and teens.

COmpliance with pandemic COmmands Scale (COCOS): The relationship between compliance with COVID-19 measures and sociodemographic and attitudinal variables.

Several studies in different countries have reported that part of the population does not fully comply with the measures recommended to prevent COVID-19, and therefore poses a risk to public health. For this reason, several measures have been developed to assess the level of compliance, although many of them have methodological limitations or do not include a comprehensive set of items. The main goal of the current study was to develop a new instrument with suitable psychometric properties, which includes a more complete set of items and controls the impact of acquiescence bias.

Balancing typological and dimensional approaches: Assessment of adult attachment styles with Factor Mixture Analysis.

Many studies show the importance of adult attachment styles and their impact on social and emotional adaptation in adulthood. However, there is no agreement about whether attachment should be regarded as typological or dimensional, and some authors have proposed reconciling both options, so that adult attachment styles can be assessed more accurately and realistically. In this study we have adopted this comprehensive view and used Factor Mixture Analysis, the most appropriate model for assessing this mixture view.

Transphobia and Gender Bashing in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Individual Differences and Psychosocial Variables.

Although research in recent years has revealed widespread discrimination against transgender people, few studies have addressed the attitudes of those who discriminate. In fact, although studies report that bullying is very common in adolescence, little is known about the attitudes of adolescents towards transgender people. This study aimed to determine the roles of social reputation, family socialisation, the big five personality traits and aggressiveness in transphobia and gender bashing among adolescents.

Psychological Variables Related to Adaptation to the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain.

Recent studies show that quarantine and lockdown are effective measures for controlling COVID-19 outbreaks, but may be an unpleasant experience with psychological consequences. For this reason, the main aim of this study was to determine which personal sociodemographic and psychological variables are related to adapting to lockdown in a Spanish population. Questionnaires were administered to 2,055 individuals (60.

INCA-M: Mexican Adaptation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Antisocial Behavior.

Callous-unemotional traits are considered to be precursors of psychopathy, and are related to behaviors such as aggression, delinquency, antisocial behavior, and bullying in adolescents. For this reason, it is important to study these traits in childhood and adolescence with appropriate and reliable instruments. The aim of the current study is to develop a Mexican adaptation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Antisocial Behavior (INCA) because few questionnaires in Spanish assess these traits, and even fewer have been validated for the Mexican population.

To reverse or to not reverse Likert-type items: That is the question.

Background: The suitability of using reversed items in typical response measures has been a matter of controversy for many years. While some authors recommend their use, others reject them due to their undesirable effects on tests' psychometric properties. The present research intends to analyse a third alternative based on the use of reversed items plus a procedure to control response bias effects.

Predicting academic achievement in adolescents: The role of maturity, intelligence and personality.

Background: Very few studies have examined whether the degree of adolescents' maturity has any effect on their academic performance. Moreover, there are no studies that show whether maturity explains variance additional to that explained by intelligence and personality. For this reason, the main aim of the current study was to determine how psychological maturity, the Big Five personality traits and mental aptitudes contribute to the prediction of adolescent academic performance.

The INventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Antisocial Behavior (INCA) for Young People: Development and Validation in a Community Sample.

Callous-unemotional traits are defined as potential markers of psychopathy in children and adolescents. Previous studies with the most widely used instrument designed specifically to assess these traits, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU), have shown major methodological problems. For this reason, the purpose of the present study was to develop a valid and reliable test to assess callous-unemotional traits for the adolescent population free of the response biases social desirability (SD) and acquiescence (AC).

How Individual and Contextual Factors Affects Antisocial and Delinquent Behaviors: A Comparison between Young Offenders, Adolescents at Risk of Social Exclusion, and a Community Sample.

The problems associated with violence during adolescence have been on the rise in recent decades. Many studies have focused only on environmental causes or individual causes of violence, although a combination of both variables would seem to be the best option for prediction. The current study aims to assess the relevance of individual characteristics (personality traits, intelligence, and historical and clinical factors linked to the risk of violence), contextual risk factors and protective factors in explaining antisocial and delinquent behaviors in adolescence by comparing three different samples: a community sample, a sample at risk of social exclusion, and a sample of juvenile offenders.

The Psycho-Lexical Approach in Exploring the Field of Values: A Reply to Schwartz.

We reply to each of the issues raised by Schwartz in a commentary on our article on a comparison of value taxonomies. We discuss two approaches, mentioned in that commentary, the lexical approach and the theory-driven approach, especially with respect to their capacities in covering the domain of values and with respect to the representation of important values in a useful structure. We refute the critique by Schwartz that the lexical approach is superfluous, because his theory "toward universals in values" would already cover all values, and that their mutual relationships are relevant to individuals around the globe.

The effects of ageing on self-reported aggression measures are partly explained by response bias.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that the age-personality relationship may be partly explained by age-related changes in response bias. In the present study, we analysed how age affected social desirability and acquiescence, and how this effect impacted the age-aggression relationship.

Method: We used the Indirect-Direct Aggression Questionnaire, which provides response bias and physical, verbal and indirect aggression scores independently of each other.

Psycho-lexically based virtue factors in Spain and their relation with personality traits.

The psycho-lexical approach was used to identify virtues in a Spanish population. A total of 209 descriptors were identified as virtues and administered to 485 participants, who were instructed to indicate the extent to which each virtue term applied to them. Principal Components Analysis revealed seven factors: Self-confidence, Reflection, Serenity, Rectitude, Perseverance & Effort, Compassion, and Sociability.