Factor structure of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters-II (MESSY-II).
Score the MESSY-II with three factors, not two, for cleaner social-skills data.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors ran a factor analysis on the re-normed MESSY-II. They wanted to see if the old two-factor scoring still worked.
This is a methodology paper. No kids were treated. The team only looked at the test itself.
What they found
The data fit a three-factor model better than the original two-factor one. The old way of adding up scores is out of date.
How this fits with other research
Haynes et al. (2013) did the same math on the SDQ self-report. They also dropped the original five factors and kept three. Both studies show shorter, cleaner models win.
English et al. (2020) found the Autism-Spectrum Quotient works best with three factors, not a total score. The pattern is the same: leaner scoring beats long ones.
Murphy et al. (2014) looked at the SRS-2 and kept two factors. That looks like a clash, but the SRS-2 was built for DSM-5 traits. The MESSY-II covers wider social play, so more factors make sense.
Why it matters
If you use the MESSY-II, switch to the three-factor answer sheet today. You will get clearer social, hostile, and avoidant scores. Clear scores mean better goals and faster progress notes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The importance of social skills in development is a well studied area of research, and deficits in these skills can have implications long into adulthood. Therefore, assessment tools must be able to aid clinicians in identifying areas of weaknesses to target in treatment. The purpose of the current paper was to investigate the factor structure of a well researched measure of social skills, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), which has recently been re-normed to update its psychometric properties. As such, this measure has now been dubbed the MESSY-II. This new norm sample was utilized in the current study to determine whether the original two factor structure for the MESSY would remain for the MESSY-II. Based on factor analysis, a three factor model was found to be ideal. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.09.026