76 research outputs found
Response to the Letter to the Editor on “A Worldwide Internet Study Based on Implicit Association Test Revealed a Higher Prevalence of Adult Males’ Androphilia Than Ever Reported Before”
No full textBackground: Social constrictions or the lack of a clear awareness about one's sexual orientation may influence the ability of individuals to explicitly declare their sexual preferences. Thus, the actual prevalence of males’ sexual attraction toward adult males, which is estimated by studies relying only on explicit questionnaires, may be biased. Conversely, the implicit measurement of androphilia may be a promising method to obtain more reliable data. Aim: In the present work, explicit and implicit methods have been used to investigate the rates of explicit nonheterosexuality and implicit androphilia in a large sample of adult males from all around the world. For implicit androphilia, a rate consistent across the continents and close to that predicted by recent genetic models (about 15%) was expected. In contrast, for self-declared homosexuality, a lower and more variable rate was expected. Methods: A sample of 1,050 participants was recruited through an online platform. All participants completed a short biographical questionnaire, an Autobiographical-Implicit Association Test, the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test, and an explicit measure of sexual orientation. The answers to these measures were used to explore explicit sexual orientation and implicit androphilia across six main geographical areas (Middle East and Africa, South America, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). Outcomes: The main outcome measures were the D score at the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test and the scores at the explicit measure of sexual orientation. Results: The rate of nonheterosexuality, which can be found using explicit measures, is rather low, variable (from 6.3% to 11.4%), and influenced by cultural factors. In contrast, the prevalence of androphilia resulting from implicit methods is higher and consistent across geographical areas (from 14.4% to 17.6%). Clinical Implications: Studying the diffusion of adult males’ androphilia may be useful to better understand sexual behaviors and preferences and to develop effective health promotion programs among males who have sex with males. Strengths & Limitations: The large and cross-cultural sample and the use of both implicit and explicit measures allowed for obtaining a detailed picture of adult males’ sexual orientation and androphilia. The main limitations were the Web-based characteristics of the protocol and the lack of an investigation of actual sexual behaviors. Conclusion: Compared with the explicit measurement of nonheterosexuality, the implicit measurement of sexual preferences showed a prevalence of androphilia among adult males that is higher, more stable across continents, and more consistent with the predictions of recent genetic models. Colledani D, A. Camperio Ciani Worldwide Internet Study Based on Implicit Association Test Revealed a Higher Prevalence of Adult Males' Androphilia than Ever Reported Before. J Sex Med 2021;18:4–16
“Doing well by doing good”: When and how volunteering fosters hedonic and eudaimonic well-being
No full textResearch has supported the hypothesis that volunteering enhances volunteers’ well-being. However, more clarity is needed regarding the link between volunteering and the various facets of well-being (i.e., hedonic vs eudaimonic) and the mechanisms that favor the increase of the various facets of well-being in volunteers. One hundred and seventy-five volunteers serving in various organizations were involved in the study. First, the results showed that the volunteers perceived that their satisfaction with life had significantly changed as a result of doing voluntary work. In addition, the results showed that the link between self-determined types of motivation and eudaimonic well-being is mediated by engagement. Engagement also mediated the positive effects of motivation on satisfaction with volunteering, which in turn acted as a second-order mediator on the relationship between self-determined types of motivation and hedonic well-being. Suggestions are given for promoting those organizational conditions that may favor self-determined types of motivation and engagement
Machine learning-decision tree classifiers in psychiatric assessment: An application to the diagnosis of major depressive disorder
No full text: This work illustrates the advantages of using machine learning classifiers in psychiatric assessment. Machine learning-decision trees (ML-DTs) represent a new approach to scoring and interpreting psychodiagnostic test data that allows for increasing assessment accuracy and efficiency. The approach is outlined in an easy yet detailed way, and its application is illustrated on real psychodiagnostic test data. Specifically, cross-sectional data concerning nonclinical and clinical Japanese populations were taken from a panel registered with an internet survey company. Responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) underwent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, DSM algorithm, and ML-DT analyses. The results showed greater diagnostic accuracy for ML-DT (0.71-0.75) compared with the DSM algorithm (0.69) and ROC curves (0.70-0.71). Moreover, ML-DT enabled classifying participants as having or not having a diagnosis of depression using, on average, the information from 2.99 out of 9 items (SD = 1.35). The application showed that ML-DTs can provide information of high clinical value to integrate traditional psychometric methods. The resulting assessments are informative, accurate, and efficient
Machine Learning–Driven Adaptive Testing: An Application for the MMPI Assessment
No full textThis paper aims to examine the effectiveness of machine learning classification algorithms as a strategy to overcome the limitations associated with traditional methods for developing computerized adaptive versions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The focus is on the three scales in the neurotic area of the instrument, namely, hypochondria, depression, and hysteria, which were administered electronically to a nonclinical sample of 383 participants. The findings indicate that a machine learning classifier based on a model tree (ML-MT) algorithm effectively handled the complex MMPI-2 scales, yielding accurate scores while noticeably reducing item administration. In particular, the ML-MT algorithm achieved item savings between 85.99% and 93.78% and produced scores that differed from those of the full-length scales by only 2.5–3.3 points. Compared to the countdown algorithm, the ML-MT algorithm proved to be significantly more efficient and accurate. Furthermore, the ML-MT scores retained their validity, as indicated by correlations with other MMPI-2 scales that were comparable to those obtained with the full-length scales (the average difference between the correlations was less than 0.10). These findings support the potential of the ML-MT algorithm as an effective method for adaptive assessment in the context of the MMPI instruments and other psychometric tools
Assessing key soft skills in organizational contexts: development and validation of the multiple soft skills assessment tool
No full textIntroduction: Soft skills, also known as transversal skills, have gained significant attention in the organizational context due to their positive impact on various work-related outcomes. The present study aimed to develop and validate the Multiple Soft Skills Assessment Tool (MSSAT), a short self-report instrument that evaluates interpersonal skills (initiative-resourcefulness, assertiveness, conflict management), interpersonal communication skills, decision-making style (adaptive and maladaptive), and moral integrity. Methods: The scale development process involved selecting and adapting relevant items from existing scales and employing a cross-validation approach with a large sample of workers from diverse organizational settings and job positions (N = 639). In the first step, 28 items were carefully chosen from an item pool of 64 items based on their content, factor loadings, item response theory analyses, differential item functioning, and fit statistics. Next, the structure of the resulting scale was evaluated through confirmatory factor analyses. Results: The MSSAT demonstrated gender invariance and good reliability and validity. The results of a network analysis confirmed the relationships between soft skills and positive work-related outcomes. Notably, interpersonal communication skills and moral integrity emerged as crucial skills. Discussion: The MSSAT is a valuable tool for organizations to assess the soft skills of their employees, thereby contributing to design targeted development programs
Development of a new abbreviated form of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised
No full textUsing item response theory for the development of a new short form of the Eysenck personality questionnaire-revised
No full textThe present work aims at developing a new version of the short form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, which includes Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Lie scales (48 items, 12 per scale). The work consists of two studies. In the first one, an item response theory model was estimated on the responses of 590 individuals to the full-length version of the questionnaire (100 items). The analyses allowed the selection of 48 items well discriminating and distributed along the latent continuum of each trait, and without misfit and differential item functioning. In the second study, the functioning of the new form of the questionnaire was evaluated in a different sample of 300 individuals. Results of the two studies show that reliability of the four scales is better than, or equal to that of the original forms. The new version outperforms the original one in approximating scores of the full-length questionnaire. Moreover, convergent validity coefficients and relations with clinical constructs were consistent with literature
State Emotion Regulation Inventory – Italian, Short Form (IT-SERI-SF)
No full textLa regolazione emozionale (ER) ha un impatto rilevante sul benessere mentale e interpersonale, rendendo la sua misurazione situazionale cruciale per una comprensione dinamica di come gli individui affrontano le sfide emotive quotidiane. Questo studio ha validato la versione italiana dello State Emotion Regulation Inventory (SERI) in tre diversi contesti, coinvolgendo 737 partecipanti. I risultati hanno dimostrato l'affidabilità e la validità strutturale di una versione ridotta da 12 item del SERI, con invarianza confermata per genere ed età, e parzialmente tra contesti. Questo lavoro si propone di arricchire il panorama degli strumenti di valutazione situazionale ER, fornendo uno strumento validato per il contesto italiano
EXPLORING EMOTION REGULATION STRATEGIES ACROSS FOUR EMOTIONS: ANGER, DISGUST, FEAR AND SADNESS
No full textWhat strategies do individuals employ to regulate anger, disgust, fear and sadness? How does the use of different strategies vary based on the type of emotion experienced? The use of six emotion regulation strategies (Distraction, Rumination, Reappraisal, Expressive Suppression, Expressive Engagement, Arousal Control) is analysed in relation to four emotions. One hundred and thirteen participants (Males = 41.6%; 44.6% of participants were aged between 20 and 29) were involved in this study. Guided by a concise description of the above mentioned six emotion regulation strategies, participants were asked to rate the extent to which they used each strategy when feeling angry, scared, sad or disgusted. A repeated measures ANOVA was run. Overall, participants were most likely to employ Rumination, whereas Arousal Control emerged as one of the least frequently utilized strategies for regulating anger, fear, sadness, and disgust. The ANOVA results unveiled significant differences in the use of the six strategies depending on the emotion experienced (except for fear). Participants exhibited significantly higher usage of Rumination compared to other strategies when feeling anger and sadness. When experiencing feelings of disgust, Expressive Engagement and Distraction were among the most used emotion regulation strategies, whereas Reappraisal was among the least frequently used. Expressive Suppression was significantly less utilised when feeling anger, and Arousal Control showed reduced usage during experiences of sadness. Collectively, among the four emotions, disgust emerged as the least regulated emotion. Results will be discussed according to the literature
The Use Of Emotion Regulation Strategies Across Diverse Emotions: Exploring Age-Related Variations
No full textTo date, studies have not consistently provided evidence for age differences in emotion regulation. This study aims to explore whether there are differences between young and older individuals in their use of Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression when experiencing 10 emotions (anger, fear, sadness, disgust, guilt, shame, distress, upset, contempt and envy).
One hundred and five participants (Males = 43.8%) were involved in this study. At the time of completing the questionnaire, 56 participants were aged between 18 and 39, and 49 were aged over 59. The questionnaire consisted of a brief description of Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression. Participants were asked to rate, for each strategy, how much they used it when experiencing each of the listed emotions. A series of T-Tests were run. Overall, the results show that the older group tended to use these emotion regulation strategies less than their younger counterparts. More specifically, while no significant difference between the groups emerged in relation to anger, disgust, distress, and contempt, older participants exhibited a reduced likelihood of employing the intended strategies when responding to emotions such as fear, sadness, guilt, shame, upset, and envy. The differences, which vary according to the strategies, will be discussed. In addition, also the differences between groups in terms of automatic versus intentional emotion regulation will be discussed
- …
