Psychometric Evaluation of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory- Revised among Overweight or Obese Adults

Social problem-solving in intimate partner violence victims: Exploring the relative contributions of shame and PTSD symptoms

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the contributions of shame and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms to two dimensions of social problem-solving.

METHOD

A sample of 426 women who were seeking mental health assistance following experiences of intimate partner violence completed self-report and clinician measures. Separate path analyses were conducted for problem orientation and problem-solving styles.

RESULTS

In the model examining problem orientation, higher levels of shame were significantly associated with lower levels of positive problem orientation (f2  = 0.32) and higher levels of negative problem orientation (f2  = 0.92), with large effects noted. PTSD symptoms were significantly, positively associated with negative problem orientation (f2  = 0.3, large effect). When examining problem-solving styles, shame showed a significant negative association with rational style (f2  = 0.08, small effect) and significant positive associations with impulsive style (f2  = 0.45, large effect) and avoidant style (f2  = 0.48, large effect). PTSD symptoms did not return significant associations with any of the three problem-solving styles.

CONCLUSION

Results indicate that shame holds notable associations with both dimensions of social problem-solving, relative to PTSD symptoms, and are discussed in light of current models of post-trauma functioning. Implications for clinical care and early intervention efforts are highlighted.

Psychometric properties of the 52-, 25-, and 10-item English and Spanish versions of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised

Objective

The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) is a widely used instrument to assess problem-solving ability. This study examined the factor structure of the 52-, 25-, and 10-item versions of the SPSI-R and assessed factorial invariance across English- and Spanish-speaking participants. In addition, the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and sensitivity to detect change in problem-solving skills over time were assessed across the three different versions of the SPSI-R.

Methods

Data from three randomized controlled trials, in which caregivers of children with cancer (N = 1,069) were assigned to either a problem-solving skills intervention (N = 728) or a control condition (N = 341), were combined. The SPSI-R was administered at baseline (T1) and immediately post intervention (T2). Reliability and multigroup analyses were performed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sensitivity to change analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis at T1 showed good fit statistics and internal consistency for the 52- and the 25-item versions, but not for the 10-item version. Factorial invariance was demonstrated across time (T1-T2) and language (Spanish-English) for both the 52- and 25-item versions. Adequate sensitivity to change over time was shown.

Conclusion

The 52- and 25-item versions of the SPSI-R appear reliable and valid for assessment of problem-solving skills in English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of children with newly diagnosed cancer. The 25-item SPSI-R can be used as a short version measuring problem-solving ability; the 10-item version cannot be considered a reliable measure for this population.

A network analysis of social problem-solving and anxiety/depression in adolescents

Social problem-solving (SPS) involves the cognitive-behavioral processes through which an individual identifies and copes with everyday problems; it is considered to contribute to anxiety and depression. The Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised is a popular tool measuring SPS problem orientations and problem-solving styles. Only a negative problem orientation (NPO) is considered strongly related to anxiety and depression. In the present study, we investigated the detailed connections among the five components of SPS and 14 anxiety-depression symptoms and specified the role of NPO and other components in the anxiety-depression network. We employed network analysis, constructed circular and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) networks, and calculated the network centrality, bridge centrality, and stability of centrality indices. The results were as follows: (1) the MDS network showed a clustering of anxiety and depression symptoms, with NPO and avoidance style components from SPS being close to the anxiety-depression network (demonstrated by large bridge betweenness and bridge closeness); (2) the NPO and positive problem orientation from SPS were most influential on the whole network, though with an opposite effect; (3) strength was the most stable index [correlation stability (CS) coefficient = 0.516] among the centrality indices with case-dropping bootstraps. We also discussed this network from various perspectives and commented on the clinical implications and limitations of this study.

Use of the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised With Forensic Populations: A Psychometric Critique

The Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) is a popular psychometric tool used with multiple populations to assess individual problem solving ability. Problem solving deficits have been implicated within forensic literature, and therefore, assessment of these skills is essential to aid decision making and appraisal of treatment change in forensic populations. This review discusses the extent of the validity and reliability of the SPSI-R within forensic populations, and concludes that while the tool has some valid psychometric properties, further studies using larger forensic samples and being inclusive of more subgroups in forensic contexts are needed to provide reliable group comparison norms. Overall, users of the SPSI-R should be aware of the strengths and limitations of using this tool with a forensic population. Impression management is also a consideration when using the SPSI-R within forensic settings.

Factor structure and item level psychometrics of the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised: Short Form in traumatic brain injury

Social problem-solving deficits characterise individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and poor social problem solving interferes with daily functioning and productive lifestyles. Therefore, it is of vital importance to use the appropriate instrument to identify deficits in social problem solving for individuals with TBI. This study investigates factor structure and item-level psychometrics of the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised: Short Form (SPSI-R:S), for adults with moderate and severe TBI. Secondary analysis of 90 adults with moderate and severe TBI who completed the SPSI-R:S was performed. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA), principal components analysis (PCA) and Rasch analysis examined the factor structure and item-level psychometrics of the SPSI-R:S. The EFA showed three dominant factors, with positively worded items represented as the most definite factor. The other two factors are negative problem-solving orientation and skills; and negative problem-solving emotion. Rasch analyses confirmed the three factors are each unidimensional constructs. It was concluded that the total score interpretability of the SPSI-R:S may be challenging due to the multidimensional structure of the total measure. Instead, we propose using three separate SPSI-R:S subscores to measure social problem solving for the TBI population.