[Test of validity and reliability of the adolescent mental problem questionnaire for Korean high school students].
OBJECTIVE
This study was done to test the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Mental Problem Questionnaire (AMPQ) for Korean high school students.


METHODS
The AMPQ was designed to assess adolescents' mental health status and problem behavior (Ahn, 2006). A methodological study design was used with exploratory factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and a fitness of the modified model for validity. Also, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and alternative-form method for reliability were used. AMPQ was tested with a sample of 36,313 high school students. The participants consisted of 18,701 males and 17,612 females.


RESULTS
Seven factors were extracted through factor analysis: 'Psychiatric problems', 'Delinquency', 'Academic troubles', 'Family problems', 'Hazardous behavior', 'Harmful circumstance', 'Eating problems'. These factors explained 51.1% of the total variance. The fitness of the modified model was good (X(2)=38,413.76, Goodness of Fit Index [GFI]=.94, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index [AGFI]=.93, Comparative Fit Index [CFI]=.95, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA]=.05), and concurrent validity with Korea-Youth Self-Report [K-YSR] was .63. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the 31 items was .85.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of present study suggest that the modified AMPQ instrument may be useful for efficiently assessing mental health status and problem behavior in late adolescent, high school students.
Kim
Soo Jin
SJ
College of Nursing, Chonnam National University, Chonnam National University Research Institute of Nursing Science, Gwangju, Korea.
Lee
Chung Sook
CS
Kweon
Young Ran
YR
Oh
Mi Ra
MR
Kim
Bo Young
BY
D000293:Adolescent; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011594:Psychometrics; D056910:Republic of Korea; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires