The short(s)-EMBU (Swedish acronym for Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran [My memories of upbringing]) consists of 23 items, is based on the early 81-item EMBU, and was developed out of the necessity of having a brief measure of perceived parental rearing practices when the clinical and/or research context does not adequately permit application of time-consuming test batteries. The s-EMBU comprises three subscales: Rejection, Emotional Warmth, and (Over)Protection. The factorial and/or construct validity and reliability of the s-EMBU were examined in samples comprising a total of 1950 students from Australia, Spain, and Venezuela. The data were presented for the three national groups separately. Findings confirmed the cross-national validity of the factorial structure underlying the s-EMBU. Rejection by fathers and mothers was consistently associated with high trait-neuroticism and low self-esteem in recipients of both sexes in each nation, as was high parental emotional warmth with high femininity (humility). The findings on factorial validity are in keeping with previous ones obtained in East Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, and Sweden. The s-EMBU is again recommended for use in several different countries as a reliable, functional equivalent to the original 81-item EMBU.
The main objective of this study was to establish the psychosocial profile of adolescents and adults who have admitted to committing child-to-parent violence (CPV) and were serving a judicial sanction or prison sentence, respectively. Two groups of participants took part in this study. The first group was made up of 89 male youths who were serving judicial sanctions, and the second group was made up of 70 men serving a prison sentence. A cross-sectional retrospective design with concurrent measurements was used in this study. Group differences in the exposure-to-violence variables were conducted. Automatic regression models were used to estimate a self-reported CPV. In relation to the variables of indirect exposure to violence, statistically significant differences between those who admitted having committed CPV and those who did not, irrespective of being adults or adolescents, were found for seeing violence in class and at home but not for seeing violence on the street or on television. Regarding the variables related to experiencing violence, the results showed statistically significant differences in experiencing violence at home but not in class or on the street. The best predictive model of CPV includes some of the dimensions of self-concept, specifically academic and family self-concept, as well as the avoidant and rational problem-solving styles and the negative orientation toward problems. The results have shown the existence of a CPV offender profile that is common to minors and adults.
1 January 2010 in European Journal of Psychological Assessment
Objective behavioral personality measures are an alternative to traditional self-report personality assessment and overcome some of the difficulties traditional assessment has. This paper presents two studies to validate two measures of risk propensity. In Study 1, 1,325 applicants for an ab initio air-traffic control training program were assessed using the Roulette Test (RT) and the Crossing the Street Test (CtST). Convergent as well as criterion validity were tested using the guessing tendency demonstrated by participants in a multiple-choice test. Once the effect of general cognitive ability was leveled out, results showed the predictive capacity of both tests. Study 2 replicated the previous study: 127 3rd-year psychology students were assessed using the RT. Results showed that the test had an even higher predictive validity of the Guessing Tendency (GT) revealed in a multiple-choice test. The usefulness for personnel recruitment processes and other assessment contexts is emphasized as are future trends of objective personality assessment.