Skip to main content

Measurement Equivalence across Multiple Administrations of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment volume 43, pages 882–889 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Multiple studies have shown that the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2nd Version (MAYSI-2) has strong validity and reliability. Justice involved youth are often administered the MAYSI-2 on repeated occasions. The purpose of the current study was to test the equivalence of measurement properties over time for males who were administered the MAYSI-2 on multiple occasions. Archived data were drawn from the Utah Juvenile Justice Services administration, which consisted of all administrations of the MAYSI-2 between 2007 to 2018. Among these, 909 males completed the MAYSI-2 three or more times. Single and multiple group longitudinal invariance tests were conducted using a weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted estimation in order to determine measurement equivalence across multiple administrations. Increasingly restrictive constraints for configural, metric, and scalar invariance models across Time 1 and Time 3 as well as models constraining latent means and variances to be equal across Time 1 and Time 3 all fit these data well. The established seven factor structure for the MAYSI-2 fit the data as well. However, some differences were noted in item level functioning across multiple administrations. The results of the current study suggest that multiple administrations of the MAYSI-2 may not exhibit equivalent measurement properties over time. Consistency of the measurement properties of the MAYSI-2 over time is essential for evaluating changes in mental health. Given that contact with the juvenile justice system has the potential to worsen symptoms of mental illness, caution is warranted when using the MAYSI-2 to assess change.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Data Available

Data are not publicly available due to its confidential nature.

References

  • Aalsma, M. C., Gudonis, L. C., Jarjoura, G. R., Blythe, M. J., Tong, Y., Harezlak, J., & Rosenman, M. B. (2012). The consequences of juvenile detention reform for mental health and sexually transmitted infection screening among detained youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50, 365–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.08.013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, R. P., Simonds-Bisbee, E. C., Spiegel, D. R., Handel, R. W., & Elkins, D. E. (2010). Validity of the Massachusetts youth screening instrument–2 (MAYSI–2) scales in juvenile justice settings. Journal of Personality Assessment, 92, 337–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2010.482009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, R. P., Stredny, R. V., Mason, J. A., & Arnau, R. C. (2004). An examination and replication of the psychometric properties of the Massachusetts youth instrument-second edition (MAYSI-2) among adolescents in detention settings. Assessment, 11, 290–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191104269863.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Asparouhov, T., Muthén, B., Muthén, B. (2006). Robust chi square difference testing with mean and variance adjusted test statistics. Matrix 1: 1-6. 10.1.1.309.8435.

  • Brawn, K. M., & Roe-Sepowitz, D. (2008). Female juvenile prostitutes: Exploring the relationship to substance use. Child Youth Svcs Rvw, 30, 1395–1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.04.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. New York: Guildford Press.

  • Cauffman, E., & MacIntosh, R. (2006). A Rasch differential item functioning analyses of the Massachusetts youth screening instrument: Identifying race and gender differential item functioning among juvenile offenders. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 502–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, J., & Ford, J. (2008). Relationships between suicide risk, traumatic experiences, and substance use among juvenile detainees. Archives of Suicide Research, 12, 50–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110701800830.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, K. L., Wernsman, J., Ikpe, U. N., Brooks, J. S., Bushell, L. L., & Kahn, B. A. (2013). Using the Massachusetts youth screening instrument–version 2 on a community sample of African American and Latino/a juvenile offenders to identify mental health and substance abuse treatment needs. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41, 492–511. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854813505565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colins, O. F., Grisso, T., Vahl, P., Guy, L., Mulder, E., Hornby, N., Pronk, C., Markus, M., Doreleijers, T., & Vermeiren, R. (2015). Standardized screening for mental health needs of detained youths from various ethnic origins: The Dutch Massachusetts youth screening instrument-second version (MAYSI-2). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 37, 481–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-014-9476-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Development Services Group, Inc. (2017). “Juvenile reentry.” Literature review: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Aftercare.pdf

  • Garland, E. L., Pettus-Davis, C., & Howard, M. O. (2012). Self-medication among traumatized youth: Structural equation modeling of pathways between trauma history, substance misuse, and psychological distress. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 36, 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9413-5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grisso, T., & Barnum, R. (2001). The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument: Second version (MAYSI-2). University of Massachusetts Medical School.

  • Grisso, T., & Barnum, R. (2006). Massachusetts youth screening instrument, version 2: MAYSI-2: User's manual and technical report: Professional resource press Sarasota.

  • Grisso, T., Fusco, S., Paiva-Salisbury, M., Perrauot, R., Williams, V., & Barnum, R. (2012). The Massachusetts youth screening instrument-version 2 (MAYSI-2): Comprehensive research review. University of Massachusetts Medical School.

  • Guttman, L. (1945). A basis for analyzing test-retest reliability. Psychometrika, 10, 255–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02288892.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaggers, J. W., Young, S. R., McKinney, R., Bolland, K., & Church II, W. T. (2013). Utilization of the Massachusetts youth screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2) with a southern African American adolescent male population. J. Forensic Soc. Wk, 3, 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1936928X.2013.809326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kathlene, L. (n.d.). MAYSI-2 administration and referral protocol template instructions. Retrieved from: https://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/oajja/Training/MAYSI/MAYSI2_Referral_Protocol_Template_InstructionsFinal2014.pdf

  • Kerig, P. K., Arnzen Moeddel, M., & Becker, S. P. (2011). Assessing the sensitivity and specificity of the MAYSI-2 for detecting trauma among youth in juvenile detention. Child & Youth Care Forum, 40, 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9124-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerig, P. K., & Schindler, S. R. (2013). Engendering the evidence base: A critical review of the conceptual and empirical foundations of gender-responsive interventions for girls’ delinquency. Laws, 2(3), 244–282. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws2030244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerig, P. K., Ward, R. M., Vanderzee, K. L., & Moeddel, M. A. (2009). Posttraumatic stress as a mediator of the relationship between trauma and mental health problems among juvenile delinquents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 1214–1225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9332-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leenarts, L., Dölitzsch, C., Schmeck, K., Fegert, J. M., Grisso, T., & Schmid, M. (2016). Relationship between Massachusetts youth screening instrument-second version and psychiatric disorders in youths in welfare and juvenile justice institutions in Switzerland. BMC Psychiatry, 16, 340. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1032-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y., Millsap, R. E., West, S. G., Tein, J.-Y., Tanaka, R., & Grimm, K. J. (2017). Testing measurement invariance in longitudinal data with ordered-categorical measures. Psychological Methods, 22, 486–506. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000075.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L., & Muthén, B. (2018). Mplus. The comprehensive modelling program for applied researchers: User’s guide, 5.

  • National Institute of Justice. (2016). Restrictive housing in the U.S.: Issues, challenges, and future directions. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

  • Ochoa, Y.D. (2016) Examining the Spanish MAYSI-2 translation among Mexican Americans. ETD collection for University of Texas, El Paso. Paper AAI10118219. http://digitalcommons.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI10118219

  • Pendergast, L. L., von der Embse, N., Kilgus, S. P., & Eklund, K. R. (2017). Measurement equivalence: A non-technical primer on categorical multi-group confirmatory factor analysis in school psychology. Journal of School Psychology, 60, 65–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.11.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, J. D., Marsee, M. A., & Ryals Jr., J. S. (2017). Identifying mental health issues in detained youth: Testing the structure and invariance of the Massachusetts youth screening inventory–version 2 (MAYSI-2). Psychological Assessment, 29, 720–726. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000410.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, J., & Steffensmeier, D. (2012). Stability and change in girls’ delinquency and the gender gap: Trends in violence and alcohol offending across multiple sources of evidence. In S. Miller, L. D. Leve, & P. K. Kerig (Eds.), Delinquent girls: Context, relationships, and adaptation (pp. 3–23). New York: Springer.

  • Thissen, D. (2000). Reliability and measurement precision. In H. Wainer (Ed.), Computerized adaptive testing: A primer (p. 159–184). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

  • Vandenberg, R. J. (2002). Toward a further understanding of and improvement in measurement invariance methods and procedures. Org. Research Meth, 5, 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428102005002001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3, 4–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810031002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

There are no funding sources to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Social Work, University of Utah, 395 S. 1500 E. #111, Salt Lake City, UT, 84113, USA

    Jeremiah W. Jaggers, Christopher Cambron & Philip J. Osteen

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Patricia K. Kerig

Authors
  1. Jeremiah W. Jaggers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher Cambron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Patricia K. Kerig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Philip J. Osteen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeremiah W. Jaggers.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Jeremiah W. Jaggers, Christopher Cambron, Patricia K. Kerig, Philip Osteen, are no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Experiment Participants

All procedures performed in studies were approved by the institutional review boards. Archival data were used and was deemed to be IRB-exepmt.

Additional information

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available at the request of the reporting agency.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jaggers, J.W., Cambron, C., Kerig, P.K. et al. Measurement Equivalence across Multiple Administrations of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 43, 882–889 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09887-y

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09887-y

Keywords

  • Massachusetts youth screening instrument-2nd version
  • MAYSI-2
  • Longitudinal invariance
  • Measurement properties
  • Mental health