Beccaria, Gavin 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4341-804X
(2010)
The Reliability, Validity and Clinical Utility of the Problem Solving Inventory in an Australian Setting: A Consideration of Positive Psychology.
Coursework Masters thesis,
University of Southern Queensland.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The Positive Psychology Movement (PPM) over the last decade has seen an upsurge in research and activity. The new millennium brought a new focus on the positive aspects of human behaviour and functioning. Psychology had moved from a pathological focus to one of hope and optimism. It is arguable that the PPM had brought a paradigm shift (Kuhn, 1970), and existing theories have had to move with this paradigm or lose relevance. While social problem solving theory and therapy has existed for 40 years (D'Zurilla & Goldfried, 1971) and measurement of social problem solving through the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner & Petersen, 1982) has existed for 30 years, much of the research into social problem solving has focused on pathology. In the last five years, the leading researchers have called for a positive psychology focus into social problem solving (D'Zurilla & Nezu, 2007; Heppner, Witty, & Dixon, 2004). Construct validity is the sine qua non of measurement and theory (Hackman, 2009), although the PSI has never been rigorously tested in an Australian setting, and certainly not with a positive psychology focus. This thesis comprised three studies with three distinct, but linked aims. The first study used two student samples, (N = 536 and N= 462) from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) to test the psychometric properties of the PSI. Construct validity was tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and criterion validity was tested using traditional mental health and affect measures, as well as two student engagement measures (attitudinal engagement and affective/behavioural engagement) which sit within the positive psychology domain. It was hypothesised that psychometric properties of the PSI would be sufficient to support its use in an Australian setting. The results found that the PSI had adequate reliability, construct validity and criterion validity and concluded that it was adequate for continued research. Preliminary analyses using CFA with the two engagement scales found that they also were adequate for further analysis but will require additional refinement. The second study used Problem Solving Appraisal and Student Engagement iv the same two datasets and considered differences between student year level, and age; in relation to the PSI, measures of anxiety, depression, and the two the types of engagement. While it was hypothesised that more advanced students and older students would have more favourable scores on all measures, only the hypothesis regarding age was supported using ANOVAs. It was then tested to see whether problem solving would contribute to the two measures of student engagement over and above gender, age and year level. This research question was supported in the affirmative. The final study evaluated a Problem Solving Therapy (PST) program facilitated by clinical psychology interns. Participants (N = 11) were undergraduate students who received seven to nine weekly sessions of individual counselling, with the primary aim of enhancing engagement with their studies. Participants were administered two pre-program measures and one post-program measure. Whilst it was hypothesised that problem solving, mental health, and engagement would improve as a result of the program, only measures of problem solving clearly improved at post-treatment. It was concluded that the PSI displayed adequate reliability, validity, and clinical utility in an Australian setting, and while problem solving assessment and therapy has demonstrated a relationship with measures of positive psychology using cross-sectional survey data, this relationship was not demonstrated in an applied setting. Future research will need to consider a larger treatment group and a range of follow-up measures.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Tony Machin |
| Qualification: | Doctor of Psychology (Clinical), |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 01:18 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 01:18 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52151 |
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