title: Structure of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory Self-Restraint scale and its relation to problem behaviors in adolescence.
abstract: The authors examined the structure of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) Self-Restraint scale in derivation (n = 1,286) and cross-validation (n = 1,154) samples of mostly African American 6th graders in 3 urban schools. Four models were compared: (a) a 1-factor model; (b) a hierarchical model in which factors representing Impulse Control, Suppression of Aggression, Responsibility, and Consideration of Others were subsumed by a higher order factor; (c) a model that represented these 4 factors as correlated but distinct constructs; and (d) a model that excluded Consideration of Others from the higher order factor. Consistent support was found for the last model based on confirmatory factor analyses and latent-variable analyses examining the relations among self-restraint scales, drug use, delinquency, and aggression. These findings have implications for using the WAI, particularly in studies of adolescent problem behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842018, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2018, USA. afarrell@vcu.edu
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D014505:Urban Population