A Questionnaire to Measure Factors That Protect Youth Against Stressors of Inner-City Life

This study reports the development of the My Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a self-report measure of factors that protect inner-city youth against stressors such as poverty, crime, and violence. An initial pool of 23 items reflecting important protective factors was developed through focus groups with in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 51; no. 8; pp. 1042 - 1044
Main Authors Weist, Mark D., Albus, Kathleen A., Bickham, Nicole, Tashman, Nancy A., Perez-Febles, Alina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC American Psychiatric Publishing 01.08.2000
American Psychiatric Association
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency
Stress, Psychological - diagnosis
Stress, Psychological - prevention & control
Surveys and Questionnaires
Urban Population
Human
Urban environment
Poverty
Questionnaire
Violence
Criminality
Exposure to Violence Screening Measure Weist Acosta Youngstom
Mental health
Psychometrics
City center
Stress
Youth Self Report Burlington
Prevention
Test validation
Correlation analysis
Juvenile delinquency
Adolescent
Young adult
Mental disorder
Social behavior disorder
Public health
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Summary:This study reports the development of the My Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a self-report measure of factors that protect inner-city youth against stressors such as poverty, crime, and violence. An initial pool of 23 items reflecting important protective factors was developed through focus groups with inner-city youth and clinicians working with them in a school-based mental health program. Item-total correlations and factor analysis resulted in a 12-item measure containing three factors: avoiding negative peer influences, focusing on the future, and religious involvement. Scores on the MLQ were negatively correlated with behavioral problems, supporting its validity. The measure holds promise for use in clinical and research efforts with disadvantaged urban youth.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1075-2730
1557-9700
DOI:10.1176/appi.ps.51.8.1042