Abstract
Abstract. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25), and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) are three widely applied clinical instruments for assessing depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, respectively. Use of online-based psychological help and assessment is rapidly growing which necessitates the need for the validation of online assessment. To address these needs, data from 1,544 Arabic mother tongue treatment-seeking participants, who filled in the Arabic versions of these instruments online, was analyzed in two steps. In the first step, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to scrutinize factorial validity and eliminate items. In the second step, we examined the interrelationships between the latent factors (dimensions) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data. Results show an acceptable to good fit of the hypothesized model, providing some first insights into the factorial and construct validity of the Arabic versions of BDI-II, HSCL-25, and PDS under consideration of cultural-specific aspects. Present evidence speaks for construct validity of the three instruments and the reliability and usefulness of online assessment.
References
1998). Internal consistency of an Arabic adaptation of the Beck Depression Inventory in four Arab countries. Psychological Reports, 82, 264–266.
(2001). A short version of the Beck Depression Inventory without omission of clinical indicators. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 17, 233–240.
(2001). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II with university students in Bahrain. Journal of Personality Assessment, 77, 568–579.
(2010). Dimensional and hierarchical models of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II in an Arab college student sample. BMC Psychiatry, 10, 60
(2011). Relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression in a sample of Arab college students using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25. Psychopathology, 44, 230–241.
(1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
(2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
(1996).
(Comorbidity in neurotic disorders: The similarities are more important than the differences . In R. M. RapeeEd., Current controversies in the anxiety disorders.New York, NY: Guilford Press.2009). Exploratory structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling, 16, 397–438.
(1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
(1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrai-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81–105.
(2008). Trauma exposure and posttraumatic reactions in a community sample of Bedouin members of the Israel Defense Forces. Depression and Anxiety, 25, 700–707.
(1994). Common and specific dimensions of self-reported anxiety and depression: Implications for the cognitive and tripartite models. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 645–654.
(1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 3, 316–336.
(2005). Which instruments are most commonly used to assess traumatic event exposure and posttraumatic effects? A survey of traumatic stress professionals. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 541–545.
(1997). The validation of a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder: The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Psychological Assessment, 9, 445–451.
(2000). Manual of the Arabic BDI-II. Cairo, Egypt: Angle Press.
(2006). Psychometric qualities of the German version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PTDS). Psychological Assessment, 18, 262–268.
(2010). An examination of the construct validity of posttraumatic stress disorder with veterans using a revised criterion set. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 909–914.
(1999). Physiological hyperarousal: construct validity of a central aspect of the tripartite model of depression and anxiety. Journal of abnormal psychology, 108, 290–298.
(2008). Beck Depression Inventory II: Evaluation of the psychometric properties and cut-off points in a Turkish adult population. Depression and Anxiety, 25, 104–110.
(1977). Depression, somatization, and the new cross-cultural psychiatry. Social Science & Medicine, 11, 3–10.
(2011). The relaxation exercise and social support trial (RESST): Study protocol for a randomized community based trial. BMC Psychiatry, 11, 142
(2002). Cross-cultural validation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in Japan. Psychiatry Research, 110, 291–299.
(1999). The use of self-reports in psychiatric studies of traumatized refugees: Validation and analysis of HSCL-25. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 53, 17–20.
(1979). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). Journal of Affective Disorders, 1, 9–24.
(2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 151–173.
(2008). Depression, anxiety, and somatization in primary care: Syndrome overlap and functional impairment. General Hospital Psychiatry, 30, 191–199.
(1998). Is more ever too much? The number of indicators per factor in confirmatory factor analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 33, 181–220.
(2009). Exploratory structural equation modeling, integrating CFA and EFA: Application to students’ evaluations of university teaching. Structural Equation Modeling, 16, 439–476.
(2003). Amnesia, flashbacks, nightmares and dissociation in aging concentration camp survivors. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 351–360.
(1998). Comorbidity of anxiety and unipolar mood disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 377–412.
(2012). Mplus user’s guide version 6.11. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
(2008). Assessing reliability and validity of the Arabic language version of the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) symptom items. Psychiatry Research, 160, 327–334.
(2013). R: A language and environment for statistical computing URL: http://www.R-project.org/. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing
(2002).
(Somatization vs. psychologization of emotional distress: A paradigmatic example for cultural psychopathology . In W. J. LonnerD. L. DinnelS. A. HayesD. N. SattlerEds., Online readings in psychology and culture (9th ed.). Bellingham, WA: Center for Cross-Cultural Research, Western Washington University.2007). Saving PTSD from itself in DSM-V. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21, 233–241.
(1999). Dimensions of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in clinically depressed outpatients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55, 117–128.
(2011). Considering PTSD from the perspective of brain processes: A psychological construction analysis. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 3–24.
(1996). Asking sensitive questions: The impact of data collection mode, question format, and question context. Public Opinion Quarterly, 60, 275–304.
(2012). Online working alliance predicts treatment outcome for posttraumatic stress symptoms in Arab war-traumatized patients. Depression and Anxiety, 29, 646–651.
(1992). Computer-assisted survey information collection: A review of CASIC methods and their implications for survey operations. Journal of Official Statistics, 4, 445–465.
(2000). Factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) in a student sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56, 545–551.
(