Validity Examination of Items Related to Adolescent Emotional Problems through Rasch Modeling

The aim of this study is to validate the 36 items related to emotional problems from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) using Rasch models. Specifically, the analysis focused on the 2018 data from high school sophomores in the 5th wave of KCYPS, employing both the Partial Credit Model (PCM) and the Rating Scale Model (RSM). The findings are as follows. First, all 36 items were found to fit both the PCM and RSM, indicating that the 4-point response categories were appropriate for both models. Second, the PCM, which assumes non-equidistant thresholds, demonstrated a statistically better fit than the RSM, which assumes equidistant thresholds. Third, items related to somatization and depression were particularly effective in capturing threshold shifts of emotional problems. Based on these results, the study discusses modeling options for threshold estimation and proposes future research topics, including the application of longitudinal item response theory to KCYPS data.