Psychometric Analysis

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Title: Psychometric Analysis
Task: Conduct a psychometric analysis of the measurements of self-esteem,
Depression, and Anxiety
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Abstract
Psychometric theories and measurements are to a large extent synonymous with researches
involving social sciences. Most often, there arises a question as to whether a theorized measure is
actually suitable for use in the research i.e. does the said measure really measure what it is meant
to? This study seeks to conduct a psychometric analysis of an online quiz on self-esteem to
determine the psychometric properties of the quiz. Using a 15 question quiz to collect data
online, the analysis uses methods such as the validity and reliability tests as well as factor
analysis, to analyze the data which was collected from 120 participants of the online self-esteem
quiz.
Results
The paper’s analysis shows that SEQ items 1,3, and 7 are not good measures due to their
negative effect to the Cronbach’s alpha and low inter-item correlation hence they were deleted.
In addition, depression and anxiety are positively correlated while the SEQ items is negatively
correlated with both depression and anxiety but positively correlated with the “Rosenberg Self-
Esteem Scale”
Conclusion
The negative correlation between Self-esteem measurement to both depression and anxiety
indicates that if an individual has high esteem they are least likely to suffer from depression or
anxiety. While the positive correlation on self-esteem and “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”
indicates that a person who scores high on the self-esteem questions is most likely to score high
on the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”.

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Introduction
In recent years, several studies have been conducted to examine the connection between
self-esteem, depression and anxiety. An article published in 2019 defines self-esteem as, “...how
a person feels about themselves and what they do” (YoungMinds, 2019). Generally, the issue of
self-esteem has been prevalent in scholarly works, a phenomenon which (Venzin, 2018)
attributes to increased number of the reports of low self-esteem amongst many persons.
According to Markus (2017), depression is a mood disorder characterized by constant
low mood, feelings of sadness, alongside a general loss of interest in things in life (Markus,
2017). The relationship between self-esteem and depression is an interesting one such that, as
analyzed using a vulnerability model which makes an assumption that a person with low self-
esteem has a higher chance of being depressed i.e. they are more vulnerable to depression (Klein,
Kotov, & Bufferd, 2011). Other studies that examine the predictive ability of self-esteem on
depression have adopted correlational research designs using regression and cross-sectional data
whose results show strong evidence to support the supposition that low self-esteem predicts
depression. It is such a relationship of self-esteem and depression that probably (Gold, 2016).
In addition, the most common definition of anxiety is that it is, “..."an emotion
characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood
pressure" (Klein, Kotov, & Bufferd, 2011). A study conducted in 2018 on the relationship
between self-esteem and anxiety, notes argues that both self-esteem influence each other such
that low self-esteem will put an individual at a high risk of anxiety and actually having anxiety
will make the individual feel terrible about themselves.

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Measurement in the social sciences
Measurement, is among the most controversial topics in social research. A popular
definition is posited by Stanley Smith Stevens who defines measurement as, “the assignment of
numerals to objects or events according to some rule” (Benet, 2018). This definition though
accepted in social sciences differs from the classical definition in physical sciences. The
differences between this two scientific fields are reflected in the different approaches assumed
when conducting measurements. For instance, methods that have a basis in covariance matrices
typically do so on numerical premises, such as the raw scores which are obtained from
assessments, are measurements. These approaches explicitly support the definition put forward
by Stevens, which needs that requires numbers are assigned in accordance to a given rule.
Therefore, the main objective in psychometrics is conduct an analyses in order to
examine associations between measurement scores, as well as of the factors theorized to underlie
such associations.
Psychometrics is defined as a field of study whose concerned with the theory and
psychological measurement technique, “...which includes the measurement of knowledge,
abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of
differences between individuals.” (Benet, 2018). Psychometrics is used in two main research
purposes, that is: when constructing instruments and procedures that are used for a measurement;
as well as developing as well as refining theoretical approaches towards a measurement.
Attempts have been made to try and measure different levels of self-esteem through
description of measurement scales. One such scale is that developed in 1965 by Rosenberg
which is referred to as “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale” (Rosenberg, 1965) which includes 10