Neuroticism, a personality trait linked to emotional instability and negative emotions, is associated with increased anxiety, depression, and poor mental health outcomes, particularly in individuals with psychiatric disorders. However, existing neuroticism scales often have too many items, are not tailored for psychiatric populations, and lack cultural adaptation for Chinese contexts. We aimed to develop a brief neuroticism scale with adequate reliability and validity for the Chinese population, including individuals with psychiatric disorders. The 14-item scale was developed based on the five-factor model and Eysenck’s personality theory. The scale, in the form of a questionnaire, was distributed to college students from Southeast University and patients from the Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University. A total of 554 participants were recruited, and demographic information, the neurotic subscale of the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) were collected along with the neuroticism scale. Correlation analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to test and revise the scale. EFA indicated that the neuroticism scale consisted of four factors: Low self-esteem, excessive emotional sensitivity, unstable mood, and excessive worry. The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.926. CFA suggested a good fit of the scale structure (χ2/df =2.506, root mean square error of approximation =0.039, Tucker–Lewis index =0.947, comparative fit index =0.959, and standardized root mean square residual =0.032). The total scores of the neuroticism scale were positively related to those of PHQ-9, GAD-7, and NEO-FFI. The results indicate that the neuroticism scale exhibited a stable four-dimensional structure with good reliability and validity in the Chinese population. It is useful and time-saving for assessing neuroticism in individuals with psychiatric disorders.
We explored the networks and discriminant abilities of the current Psychosomatic Symptoms Scale (PSSS) in pharmacists for future abbreviation. Ten thousand seven hundred twenty-one pharmacists participated in this study through an online investigation. We used network analysis to reveal the central and bridge symptoms between the subscales (psychological and somatic symptoms) of the PSSS. Then, we utilized item response theory (IRT) to identify discriminant abilities of the current 26-item of PSSS. Over twenty percent of the pharmacists were troubled with significant psychosomatic issues during the pandemic. Risk factors included age, lack of support, and impaired general health conditions. The network analysis revealed that "Irritability" was central to the psychological subscale and "Fatigue" was central to the somatic subscale. "Irritability-Fatigue," "Fatigue-Obsession," and "Self-injury idea-Perineum discomfort" was bridging between the somatic and psychological subscales. IRT found that "Anhedonia," "Depression," "Tightness," "Palpitations," and "Difficulty breathing" were highly discriminated. A future version of PSSS could be abbreviated according to the highlighted items, and they should also be emphasized in future psychosomatic research and targets for intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract Background: Few studies have been conducted on psychosomatic health status of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the incidence and influence factors of psychosomatic syndrome of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 10721 pharmacy staff received online investigation through a period of 22 days from February 24 th to March 16 th 2019. The investigation included the self-designed general situation questionnaire and Psychosomatic Symptoms Scale (PSSS), and 9118 participants provided valid questionnaire feedback. ANOVA was used to evaluate significant differences of psychosomatic syndromes in different subgroups. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was used to determine the main risk factors of psychosomatic syndrome. Results: During the outbreak of COVID-19, the total incidence of psychosomatic syndrome was 21.7% in the pharmacy staff. The most common psychosomatic symptoms were sleep problems (dyscoimesis) and mood problems (irritability). Age was the most important risk factor of the observed psychosomatic syndromes and somatic symptoms, and education was identified affecting mostly psychological symptoms. Conclusion: During the period of COVID-19, the psychosomatic problems of pharmacy staff were prominent. Age and educational background should be taken into account of potential intervention strategy. The relief of mood and sleep will aid the treatment effort.
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