Development and validity evidence based on content of optimism scale for adolescents

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.42.116.AO01

Abstract

Dispositional optimism refers to beliefs of positive future outcomes. This characteristic is important throughout life, especially in adolescence, given that optimism can contribute significantly to the positive development of adolescents, disease prevention, health promotion and well-being. Although relevant, instruments developed specifically to assess this construct in Brazilian adolescents were not identified. With this, the objective was to build and evaluate the evidence of validity based on the content of an Optimism Scale for adolescents. To this end, three studies were carried out. The first consisted of the construction process of the measure, initially composed of 60 items. The second evaluated evidence of content validity with the target audience in a pilot study. The third study analyzed the content of the items based on the judges' assessment. Eight adolescents participated in the pilot study, one boy and seven girls, aged 14 (n = 5) and 19 years (n = 3). From the judges' analysis, a total of seven specialists participated. As a result, after the pilot study, 18 items were eliminated, leaving 42 items, which were analyzed later by the judges. In turn, the judges assessed that 35 of the 42 items were relevant to the proposed model. It is concluded that the content of the scale items is adequate to the model it intends to evaluate. It is suggested that new studies be carried out to evaluate other types of evidence of validity of the scale, so that it can be widely used for professional use.

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Author Biography

Tatiana Nakano, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas

Professora do Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Psicologia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil.

Published

2024-02-27

How to Cite

Santos-Vitti, L., & Nakano, T. (2024). Development and validity evidence based on content of optimism scale for adolescents. Psicologia Argumento, 42(116). https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.42.116.AO01