Dataset Information

Development of the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale (PAWS).

ABSTRACT: Tools to assess worry among adolescents exist but do not capture the content of worries. This study reports on the development of a brief, psychometrically sound measure of worry for use with adolescents. Phase 1 involved identification of 27 potential items from existing instruments as well as item generation identified in interviews with students, teachers, school psychologists, and parents. In Phase 2, the candidate items were completed by 835 Australian adolescents (317 males, 508 females, 10 unspecified; Mean age = 13.55, SD = 1.31) from Grades 5 to 10. These data were randomly split in half, and an exploratory factor analysis on the first half identified a two-factor solution with 12 items: Peer Relationships (6 items) and Academic Success and the Future (6 items). On the second half of the data, confirmatory factor analyses supported the factor structure and supported strong invariance across age, socioeconomic status, and presence/absence of a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder. Weak invariance was evident across sex. Differences across groups are reported as are correlations with indicators of psychological wellbeing. In conclusion, the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale provides both applied professionals and researchers with a short, easy-to-administer, and psychometrically strong instrument to evaluate adolescents' everyday worries.

SUBMITTER: Hunter SC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8940868 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Development of the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale (PAWS).

Hunter Simon C SC Houghton Stephen S Kyron Michael M Lawrence David D Page Andrew C AC Chen Wai W Macqueen Leslie L

Research on child and adolescent psychopathology 20210820 4

Tools to assess worry among adolescents exist but do not capture the content of worries. This study reports on the development of a brief, psychometrically sound measure of worry for use with adolescents. Phase 1 involved identification of 27 potential items from existing instruments as well as item generation identified in interviews with students, teachers, school psychologists, and parents. In Phase 2, the candidate items were completed by 835 Australian adolescents (317 males, 508 females, 1 ...[more]

PMID: 34415493

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Project description:Although public health concerns have been raised regarding the detrimental health effects of increasing rates of electronic screen use among adolescents, such effects have been small. Instruments currently available tend to be lengthy, have a clinical research focus, and assess young people's screen use on specific screen-based activities (e.g., TV, computer, or internet). None appear to address screen use across a broad range of screens, including mobile devices and screen-based activities. The objective was to develop a new and short self-report scale for investigating adolescents' screen use across all screens and screen-based activities in non-clinical settings.The Adolescent Preoccupation with Screens Scale (APSS) was developed over a three stage process. First, a review of the current literature and existing instruments was undertaken and suitable items identified. Second, the draft APSS was piloted with adolescents and item affectivity and discrimination indices were calculated. Third, a cross sectional school based online survey of 1967 Australian adolescents in grades 5 (10 years old), 7 (13 years) and 9 (15 years) from 25 randomly selected schools was conducted.Factor Analysis on a sub-sample of the data (n = 782) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the remaining sub-sample (n = 1185), supported a two-factor model. The first factor reflects adolescents' mood management with screen use, and the second reflects a behavioural preoccupation. The measure demonstrated strong invariance across sex and across Grades 5, 7, and 9. Both factors displayed good internal consistency (α = .91 and .87, respectively). Sex and grade differences on both scales were investigated and boys in Grade 5 reported higher levels of both mood management and behavioural preoccupation with screens. There were no sex differences on mood management in Grades 7 and 9, but girls reported higher behavioural preoccupation in both these later grades.The APSS provides researchers with a new, brief and robust measure of potentially problematic screen use across a wide array of screens, including mobile devices, so readily accessed during adolescence.

Project description:BackgroundHealth-promoting lifestyle choices of adolescents are closely related to current and subsequent health status. However, parsimonious yet reliable and valid screening tools are scarce. The original 40-item adolescent health promotion (AHP) scale was developed by our research team and has been applied to measure adolescent health-promoting behaviors worldwide. The aim of our study was to examine the psychometric properties of a newly developed short-form version of the AHP (AHP-SF) including tests of its reliability and validity.MethodsThe study was conducted in nine middle and high schools in southern Taiwan. Participants were 814 adolescents randomly divided into two subgroups with equal size and homogeneity of baseline characteristics. The first subsample (calibration sample) was used to modify and shorten the factorial model while the second subsample (validation sample) was utilized to validate the result obtained from the first one. The psychometric testing of the AHP-SF included internal reliability of McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and construct validity with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsThe results of the CFA supported a six-factor model and 21 items were retained in the AHP-SF with acceptable model fit. For the discriminant validity test, results indicated that adolescents with lower AHP-SF scores were more likely to be overweight or obese, skip breakfast, and spend more time watching TV and playing computer games. The AHP-SF also showed excellent internal consistency with a McDonald's omega of 0.904 (Cronbach's alpha 0.905) in the calibration group.ConclusionThe current findings suggest that the AHP-SF is a valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of adolescent health-promoting behaviors. Primary health care providers and clinicians can use the AHP-SF to assess these behaviors and evaluate the outcome of health promotion programs in the adolescent population.

Project description:BackgroundWhile adolescents in the United States are one of the most affected groups by the opioid crisis, their perceptions on opioid misuse and preferences for education are rarely studied. Although it is critical to educate adolescents on proper opioid use and storage, many educational tools need easy measurement scales to systematically document learning of targeted programs. It is essential to understand adolescents' knowledge about opioid risks and perceptions about the opioid crisis to design effective preventive interventions.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to develop an effective scale that measures adolescents' knowledge about opioid misuse and interest in learning about prescription opioid safety.MethodsUsing survey data from 188 high school students in the Midwest, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the underlying structure of an initial 68 items. Items were adapted from a statewide survey previously designed to document awareness of prescription drug misuse and abuse in the state of Wisconsin. Refinement of the scale used factor analysis iterations and internal consistency measures. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine internal consistency among the items.ResultsThree exploratory factor analysis iterations resulted in a 16-item four-factor structure describing adolescents' knowledge of misuse and harm, their interest in learning about prescription opioids, and their tendency to practice misuse behaviors. Internal consistency and the correlation among factors were examined and strong (Cronbach's α > 0.8). The final 16-item instrument was termed the Adolescent Opioid Safety and Learning (AOSL) Scale.ConclusionsWhen combined with adolescent opioid education tools, the AOSL Scale can help assess and document medication safety learning. The four subscales could support researchers and practitioners in measuring adolescents' orientation towards prescription opioid misuse. The AOSL Scale may also be used in developing targeted educational materials on prevention of opioid misuse for adolescents.

Dataset Information

Development of the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale (PAWS).

Publications

Development of the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale (PAWS).

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