Assessment, Ahead of Print.
The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) is a leading assessment of interoception. We examined the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the MAIA-2 and its associations with psychopathology in a sample of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults. Participants (N = 301) were recruited via Prolific Academic. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the MAIA-2 subscales, disordered eating, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. The eight-factor MAIA-2 demonstrated good model fit after removing Item 2. The MAIA-2 subscales were significantly positively associated with body appreciation and body satisfaction and negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The MAIA-2 subscales also demonstrated several significant associations with disordered eating. Only Body Trust was significantly negatively associated with participants' perceived likelihood of making a future suicide attempt. This study provided preliminary evidence that the MAIA-2 is an adequate measure of interception in TGD samples.

Assessment, Ahead of Print.
The use of parent-report screeners for early detection of autism is time- and cost-efficient in clinical settings but their utility may vary by respondent characteristics. This study aimed to examine the degree to which infants’ age and sex impacted parental reports of early behavioral signs of autism captured by the First Years Inventory Version 3.1 (FYIv3.1). The current sample included 6,454 caregivers of infants aged 6 to 16 months recruited through the North Carolina vital records. Using moderated nonlinear factor analysis for each of the seven FYIv3.1, we identified differential item functioning in small to medium effect sizes across 18 out of 69 items, with the majority of biases associated with infants’ age (e.g., object mouthing, walking, pretend, and imitation), while sex-related biases were minimal. This indicates that differential scoring algorithms by infants’ age and more closely spaced monitoring may be needed for these constructs for more accurate identification of autism in infancy.

Assessment, Ahead of Print.
Ecological Momentary Assessment using smartphone technology (smart EMA) has grown substantially over the last decade. However, little is known about the factors associated with completion rates in populations who have a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment. A systematic review of Smart EMA studies in populations who have a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment was carried out (PROSPERO; ref no CRD42022375829). Smartphone EMA studies in neurological, neurodevelopmental and neurogenetic conditions were included. Six databases were searched, and bias was assessed using Egger’s test. Completion rates and moderators were analyzed using meta-regression. Fifty-five cohorts were included with 18 cohorts reporting confirmed cognitive impairment. In the overall cohort, the completion rate was 74.4% and EMA protocol characteristics moderated completion rates. Participants with cognitive impairment had significantly lower completion rates compared with those without (p = .021). There were no significant moderators in the cognitive impairment group. Limitations included significant methodological issues in reporting of completion rates, sample characteristics, and associations with completion and dropout rates. These findings conclude that smart EMA is feasible for people with cognitive impairment. Future research should focus on the efficacy of using smart EMA within populations with cognitive impairment to develop an appropriate methodological evidence base.

Assessment, Ahead of Print.
Some recent studies have revived the approach of investigating extreme levels of self-reported depressive symptoms as indicative of gross exaggeration. While scores above 40 on the Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition (BDI-II) were discussed as indicating exaggerated symptom claims, different cut scores for identifying noncredible responding are now being discussed. A consecutive sample of 242 patients referred for forensic psychological assessment (mean age: 46.0 years, 47.7% women) with full data sets on the BDI-II and the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) were assessed. Of all patients, 13.2% scored above 40 and BDI-II scores correlated with SIMS total scores at .62. For different SIMS cutoffs (>14, >16, >19, >23) used as criterion standard, optimal cut scores for the BDI-II were computed. When specificity was set at a minimum of 90%, sensitivity estimates were below 50% for all four SIMS levels. Extreme scores on the BDI-II should raise concern about the credibility of self-reported depressive symptom load. Diagnosis as well as severity estimates should not be based primarily on self-report instruments. To avoid significant risks of bias, the development of reliable cut scores for BDI-II elevations should be based on more studies with samples from diverse contexts.