PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
(1) Background: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders often experience psychological distress, which can affect the quality of childcare they provide. It is crucial to screen for psychiatric symptoms among these parents. The core symptom index (CSI) is a widely recognized tool used to assess general symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and somatic issues. It has proven validity and reliability across diverse Thai populations. Given the cultural similarities between Thai and Chinese populations, the CSI has been successfully implemented within the Chinese population. Nevertheless, it is crucial to research its validity and reliability in the general Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the CSI among parents of children with autism spectrum disorders using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). (2) Methods: A total of 794 Chinese parents raising children with autism participated in this study. All completed the CSI, along with the social inhibition subscale of the Interpersonal Problems Inventory and the Couple Satisfaction Index. Factorial validity was assessed using CFA to determine how well the bifactor three-factor model fits the data. Various structural models were compared using model fit indices. Convergent and discriminant validity were examined by exploring correlations with the social inhibition subscale and the Couple Satisfaction Index. Invariance testing of the CSI was conducted across multiple groups based on gender, age, and education using CFA. The reliability of the CSI was evaluated using McDonald\'s omega coefficients. (3) Results: The bifactor model emerged as the best-fitting model for the data, suggesting that the total score of the CSI adequately represents overall psychiatric symptoms. The CSI exhibited significant correlations with the social inhibition subscale (r = 0.41, p < 0.01) and smaller correlation coefficients with the Couple Satisfaction Index (r = -0.16, p < 0.05), indicating both convergent and discriminant validity. The invariant test results support scalar invariance levels based on gender and age but only partial invariance for education. The Chinese version of the CSI demonstrated high consistency, with McDonald\'s omega coefficients ranging between 0.86 and 0.95. (4) Conclusions: The bifactor model of the Chinese version of the CSI is validated, making it a suitable tool for measuring depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms among parent(s) of children with autism spectrum disorders. Further research on other Chinese populations is encouraged.
摘要：
(1)背景:自闭症谱系障碍儿童的父母经常经历心理困扰,这会影响他们提供的育儿质量。在这些父母中筛查精神症状至关重要。核心症状指数（CSI）是一种广泛认可的工具，用于评估一般症状，包括抑郁症,焦虑,和躯体问题。它已在不同的泰国人群中证明了有效性和可靠性。鉴于泰国和中国人口之间的文化相似性，CSI已在中国人口中成功实施。然而，研究其在一般中国人群中的效度和信度至关重要。本研究旨在使用验证性因子分析（CFA）研究中文版CSI在自闭症谱系障碍儿童父母中的心理测量特性。(2)方法:794名中国孤独症患儿家长参与本研究。全部完成CSI，以及“人际问题清单”和“夫妻满意度指数”的社会抑制子量表。使用CFA评估因子效度，以确定双因子三因素模型拟合数据的程度。使用模型拟合指数比较了各种结构模型。通过探索与社会抑制子量表和夫妻满意度指数的相关性，检查了收敛效度和判别效度。CSI的不变性测试基于性别跨多个组进行，年龄,和使用CFA的教育。使用McDonald的omega系数评估CSI的可靠性。（3）结果：双因子模型成为数据的最佳拟合模型，表明CSI的总分足以代表总体精神症状。CSI与社会抑制子量表（r=0.41，p<0.01）显着相关，与夫妻满意度指数（r=-0.16，p<0.05）的相关系数较小。同时表示收敛效度和判别效度。不变测试结果支持基于性别和年龄的标量不变性水平，但仅支持部分教育不变性。中文版本的CSI显示出高度的一致性，麦当劳的欧米茄系数在0.86到0.95之间。(4)结论:对中文版CSI的双因子模型进行了验证,使其成为测量凹陷的合适工具，焦虑,自闭症谱系障碍儿童父母的躯体化症状。鼓励对其他中国人群进行进一步研究。
