Psychometric properties of two measures of childhood internalizing problems in a Bangladeshi sample

Psychometric properties of the Sindhi version of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) in a sample of early adolescents living in rural Pakistan

There is a need for reliable and valid screening tools that assess depressive symptoms in adolescents in Pakistan. To address this need, the present study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of a Sindhi-translated and adapted version of the child-report Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C) and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ-C) in a community sample of adolescents living in Matiari, Pakistan. Questionnaires were translated into Sindhi and administered by study psychologists to 1350 participants (52.3% female) 9.0 to 15.9 years old. Measurement structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was estimated, and convergent and divergent validity were explored using subscales from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. The unidimensional structure of the MFQ-C was found to be adequate, but a four-factor structure comprising core mood, vegetative, cognitive and agitated distress symptoms best fit the data (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.05). The original unidimensional structure of the SMFQ-C was supported (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.07). The MFQ-C and the SMFQ-C respectively showed excellent (α = 0.92) and good internal consistency (α = 0.87) as well as satisfactory construct validity with some differences observed across the MFQ-C subscales. The SMFQ-C and the adapted MFQ-C appear to be reliable and valid measures of depressive symptoms among early adolescents living in rural Pakistan. Both total and subscale scores can be derived from the MFQ-C to assess general and specific dimensions of depressive symptoms in this population.

Spanish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Parent Version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ-P) in a Non-Clinical Sample of Young School-Aged Children

The parent version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ-P) is a brief 13-item tool for the screening of depression in children from the age of 6 years. Despite the wide use of the SMFQ-P, its psychometric properties and factor structure remain understudied, with few data available for young school-aged children. The objective of this study was to examine for the first time the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the SMFQ-P in a non-clinical sample of Spanish-speaking children aged 6-8 years. Participants were 181 children whose parents completed the Spanish-adapted version of the SMFQ-P along with the parent version of other measures of anxiety and general difficulties and positive attributes. The SMFQ-P demonstrated adequate internal consistency (α = .83) and test-retest reliability over an eight-week period (ICC = .80), and good convergent and divergent validity. Factor analysis confirmed the original 13-item model, thus supporting the unidimensionality of the measure in the Spanish sample. Overall, this study provides initial empirical evidence for the utility of the SMFQ-P with Spanish-speaking children from early school ages, and extends the international support of the measure.

Adolescent depressive symptoms in India, Australia and USA: Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling of cross-national invariance and predictions by gender and age

BACKGROUND

The present study compares depressive symptoms in adolescents from three countries: Mumbai, India; Seattle, United States; and Melbourne, Australia measured using the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). The study cross nationally compares SMFQ depressive symptom responses by age and gender.

METHODS

Data from a cross-nationally matched survey were used to compare factorial and measurement characteristics from samples of students from Grade 7 and 9 in Mumbai, India (n=3268) with the equivalent cohorts in the Washington State, USA (n=1907) and Victoria, Australia (n=1900). Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling (ESEM) was used to cross-nationally examine factor structure and measurement invariance.

RESULTS

A number of reports suggesting that SMFQ is uni-dimensional were not supported in findings from any country. A model with two factors was a better fit and suggested a first factor clustering symptoms that were affective and physiologically based symptoms and a second factor of self-critical, cognitive symptoms. The two-factor model showed convincing cross national configural invariance and acceptable measurement invariance. The present findings revealed that adolescents in Mumbai, India, reported substantially higher depressive symptoms in both factors, but particularly for the self-critical dimension, as compared to their peers in Australia and the USA and that males in Mumbai report high levels of depressive symptoms than females in Mumbai.

LIMITATIONS

the cross sectional study collected data for adolescents in Melbourne and Seattle in 2002 and the data for adolescents in Mumbai was obtained in 2010-2011 CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that previous findings in developed nations of higher depressive symptoms amongst females compared to males may have an important cultural component and cannot be generalised as a universal feature of adolescent development.

Prevalence of traumatic events and risk for psychological symptoms among community and at-risk children and adolescents from Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Children from developing countries are more vulnerable to traumatic experiences and more likely to suffer a range of psychological problems than children from developed countries.

METHOD

The current paper describes a survey of 1360 children and adolescents from Bangladesh who were selected either from the general community or through a range of social service organizations. Children completed a checklist of traumatic events and questionnaires to assess symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression.

RESULTS

Children from both samples reported high levels of exposure to traumatic events, both via direct experience and indirectly. Direct experiences with intentional, man-made events were more frequently reported by children from support services while trauma from natural disasters was more common among community children. Psychological symptoms were significantly higher within children from social support services. The strongest predictors of psychological symptoms were age, gender, sample source and exposure to man-made direct traumas.

CONCLUSION

The results point to the common occurrence of traumatic events and their emotional consequences among children and adolescents from Bangladesh and indicate the need to develop effective and accessible mental health services for Bangladeshi children and adolescents.