TY - JOUR

T1 - Reliability, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the dominic interactive across European countries

T2 - Cross-country utility of a child mental health self-report

AU - Kuijpers, Rowella C.W.M.

AU - Otten, Roy

AU - Vermulst, Ad A.

AU - Pez, Ondine

AU - Bitfoi, Adina

AU - Carta, Mauro

AU - Goelitz, Dietmar

AU - Keyes, Katherine

AU - Koç, Ceren

AU - Lesinskiene, Sigita

AU - Mihova, Zlatka

AU - Engels, Rutger C.M.E.

AU - Kovess, Viviane

PY - 2016/5/1

Y1 - 2016/5/1

N2 - Large-scale international surveys are important to globally evaluate, monitor, and promote children's mental health. However, use of young children's self-reports in these studies is still controversial. The Dominic Interactive, a computerized DSM-IV-based child mental health self-report questionnaire, has unique characteristics that may make it preeminently appropriate for usage in cross-country comparisons. This study aimed to determine scale score reliabilities (omega) of the Dominic Interactive in a sample of 8,135 primary school children, ages 6-11 years old, in 7 European countries, to confirm the proposed 7-scale factor structure, and to test for measurement invariance of scale and item scores across countries. Omega reliability values for scale scores were good to high in every country, and the factor structure was confirmed for all countries. A thorough examination of measurement invariance provided evidence for cross-country test score comparability of 5 of the 7 scales and partial scale score invariance of 2 anxiety scales. Possible explanations for this partial invariance include cross-country differences in conceptualizing items and defining what is socially and culturally acceptable anxiety. The convincing evidence for validity of score interpretation makes the Dominic Interactive an indispensable tool for cross-country screening purposes.

AB - Large-scale international surveys are important to globally evaluate, monitor, and promote children's mental health. However, use of young children's self-reports in these studies is still controversial. The Dominic Interactive, a computerized DSM-IV-based child mental health self-report questionnaire, has unique characteristics that may make it preeminently appropriate for usage in cross-country comparisons. This study aimed to determine scale score reliabilities (omega) of the Dominic Interactive in a sample of 8,135 primary school children, ages 6-11 years old, in 7 European countries, to confirm the proposed 7-scale factor structure, and to test for measurement invariance of scale and item scores across countries. Omega reliability values for scale scores were good to high in every country, and the factor structure was confirmed for all countries. A thorough examination of measurement invariance provided evidence for cross-country test score comparability of 5 of the 7 scales and partial scale score invariance of 2 anxiety scales. Possible explanations for this partial invariance include cross-country differences in conceptualizing items and defining what is socially and culturally acceptable anxiety. The convincing evidence for validity of score interpretation makes the Dominic Interactive an indispensable tool for cross-country screening purposes.

KW - Child self-report

KW - Construct validity

KW - Crosscountry research

KW - Measurement invariance

KW - The dominic interactive

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84938319984&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1037/pas0000139

DO - 10.1037/pas0000139

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 26237209

AN - SCOPUS:84938319984

VL - 28

SP - 539

EP - 548

JO - Psychological Assessment

JF - Psychological Assessment

SN - 1040-3590

IS - 5

ER -