Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students

BackgroundThe concept of psychological vulnerability is associated with the individual’s maladaptive cognitive beliefs, such as self-criticism, perfectionism, and the need for external validation and approval, reducing the individual’s ability to cope with negative life experiences. This study aimed...

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Main Authors: Odete Araújo, Otília Freitas, Gilberta Sousa, Isilda Ribeiro, José Carlos Carvalho, Silvana Martins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462830/full
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author Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Otília Freitas
Otília Freitas
Gilberta Sousa
Gilberta Sousa
Isilda Ribeiro
Isilda Ribeiro
José Carlos Carvalho
José Carlos Carvalho
Silvana Martins
Silvana Martins
author_facet Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Otília Freitas
Otília Freitas
Gilberta Sousa
Gilberta Sousa
Isilda Ribeiro
Isilda Ribeiro
José Carlos Carvalho
José Carlos Carvalho
Silvana Martins
Silvana Martins
author_sort Odete Araújo
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundThe concept of psychological vulnerability is associated with the individual’s maladaptive cognitive beliefs, such as self-criticism, perfectionism, and the need for external validation and approval, reducing the individual’s ability to cope with negative life experiences. This study aimed to explore psychometric proprieties of the Psychological Vulnerability Scale in secondary school students.MethodsA psychometric study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 1,875 secondary school students (55.5% female) aged 15 to over 18 years. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included demographic information, the Psychological Vulnerability Scale, and a Positive Mental Health questionnaire.ResultsAnalysis revealed acceptable skewness values (between −0.557 and 0.6385) and kurtosis (ranging from −1.29 to −0.704). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated excellent global fit indices, confirming the original structure. Invariance testing between genders demonstrated that the Psychological Vulnerability Scale was consistent for boys and girls (configural invariance) and that each item contributed similarly to the construct (metric invariance). The Psychological Vulnerability Scale showed good internal consistency, with an ordinal Cronbach’s alfa above 0.70. Reliability estimates, including inter-item reliability or MacDonald’s Omega, indicated mean item-inter correlations falling within the recommended range of 0.15–0.50.ConclusionThe Psychological Vulnerability Scale is a reliable tool that plays a crucial role in promoting the mental health of secondary school students by providing a structured way to assess their emotional and psychological state. They not only help in the early identification of signs of stress, anxiety, or depression but also facilitate the development of personalized interventions, fostering a continuously supportive and healthy school environment.
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spelling doaj-art-f5efda9bec89419a86c3cb2b5fd79e5d2025-08-20T03:18:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-01-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14628301462830Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school studentsOdete Araújo0Odete Araújo1Odete Araújo2Otília Freitas3Otília Freitas4Gilberta Sousa5Gilberta Sousa6Isilda Ribeiro7Isilda Ribeiro8José Carlos Carvalho9José Carlos Carvalho10Silvana Martins11Silvana Martins12School of Nursing, University of Minho, Braga, PortugalHealth Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), Coimbra, PortugalNursing Research Centre, University of Minho, Braga, PortugalUniversidade da Madeira- Escola Superior de Saúde, Madeira, PortugalCINTESIS@RISE_ Polo Madeira, Funchal, PortugalUniversidade da Madeira- Escola Superior de Saúde, Madeira, PortugalCINTESIS@RISE_ Polo Madeira, Funchal, PortugalEscola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Porto, PortugalCINTESIS@RISE, Porto, PortugalEscola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Porto, PortugalCINTESIS@RISE, Porto, PortugalHealth Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), Coimbra, PortugalProChild CoLAB Against Poverty and Social Exclusion Association, Guimarães, PortugalBackgroundThe concept of psychological vulnerability is associated with the individual’s maladaptive cognitive beliefs, such as self-criticism, perfectionism, and the need for external validation and approval, reducing the individual’s ability to cope with negative life experiences. This study aimed to explore psychometric proprieties of the Psychological Vulnerability Scale in secondary school students.MethodsA psychometric study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 1,875 secondary school students (55.5% female) aged 15 to over 18 years. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included demographic information, the Psychological Vulnerability Scale, and a Positive Mental Health questionnaire.ResultsAnalysis revealed acceptable skewness values (between −0.557 and 0.6385) and kurtosis (ranging from −1.29 to −0.704). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated excellent global fit indices, confirming the original structure. Invariance testing between genders demonstrated that the Psychological Vulnerability Scale was consistent for boys and girls (configural invariance) and that each item contributed similarly to the construct (metric invariance). The Psychological Vulnerability Scale showed good internal consistency, with an ordinal Cronbach’s alfa above 0.70. Reliability estimates, including inter-item reliability or MacDonald’s Omega, indicated mean item-inter correlations falling within the recommended range of 0.15–0.50.ConclusionThe Psychological Vulnerability Scale is a reliable tool that plays a crucial role in promoting the mental health of secondary school students by providing a structured way to assess their emotional and psychological state. They not only help in the early identification of signs of stress, anxiety, or depression but also facilitate the development of personalized interventions, fostering a continuously supportive and healthy school environment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462830/fullmental healthpsychological vulnerabilitysecondary studentsvalidation studyliteracy
spellingShingle Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Odete Araújo
Otília Freitas
Otília Freitas
Gilberta Sousa
Gilberta Sousa
Isilda Ribeiro
Isilda Ribeiro
José Carlos Carvalho
José Carlos Carvalho
Silvana Martins
Silvana Martins
Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
Frontiers in Psychology
mental health
psychological vulnerability
secondary students
validation study
literacy
title Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
title_full Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
title_fullStr Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
title_full_unstemmed Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
title_short Psychometric proprieties analyses of Psychological Vulnerability Scale for secondary school students
title_sort psychometric proprieties analyses of psychological vulnerability scale for secondary school students
topic mental health
psychological vulnerability
secondary students
validation study
literacy
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462830/full
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