The chapter examines bias and fairness in employment testing in Italy, comparing the public and private sectors. Public sector hiring is strictly regulated, based on transparency, equality, and meritocracy, as stated in the Constitution. Hiring occurs through public competitions with standardized exams focused on qualifications and technical skills, with growing attention to soft skills. The private sector is more flexible, adapting selection to business needs and emphasizing practical skills, experience, and cultural fit, enabling quicker hiring. Private companies often use innovative methods, including AI tools and social media screening, and value diversity and international profiles. Italian labor laws, aligned with EU directives, prohibit discrimination based on sex/gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Employers must ensure fair, compliant selection processes. Professional guidelines stress the use of valid, unbiased tools. The rise of technology in hiring highlights the need to manage algorithmic bias, with final decisions remaining a human responsibility.

Creative careers can complicate daily living. In this chapter, we talk about complications that arise in romantic and family relationships. Some people talk about the challenges of financial instability, others emphasize the need for selfishness and time to focus on creative work. Some discuss interactions between their creative work and parenting. Ultimately, compromise is key.

The 19-item Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale (MASS; Mayville et al., 2002) assesses the behavioral, cognitive, and affective domains of muscle dysmorphia, which is a variant of body dysmorphic disorder that involves the perceived lack of muscle mass and/or muscle definition. The MASS’s content was designed to capture the characteristics specific to muscle dysmorphia as a form of body dissatisfaction that primarily affects individuals involved in weightlifting. It can be used within research and as a measure of clinical change when treating muscle dysmorphia in applied settings. The MASS can be administered online or in-person to adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the MASS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 5-factor solution among weightlifters. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity, and discriminant validity support the use of the MASS. This chapter provides the MASS items, instructions for administering the measure to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Links to available translations are included. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and citation information, are also provided for readers.

The Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity (BIMTM; Arkenau et al., 2020; Steinfeld et al., 2020) is a figure rating scale that assesses perceptual body image. It is available in two separate versions, one for men (BIMTM-Male Bodies) and one for women (BIMTM-Female Bodies). It consists of an 8 x 8 grid with 64 colored and realistic-looking figures of White men or women that vary in body fat along the horizontal axis and muscle mass along the vertical axis. The BIMTM can be administered online or in-person to adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the BIMTM and then provides evidence of its psychometrics with men and women. A two-dimensional (body fat and muscularity) is assumed. Test-retest reliability, ecological validity, convergent validity, and criterion validity support the use of both the male and female versions of the BIMTM. This chapter provides the BIMTM in its entirety, as well as its instructions for administration and scoring. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and citation information, are also provided for readers.

Memory is vital for a range of brain functions, not just decision-making. Memory is a complex concept, that many researchers have attempted to model and explain over the course of history, all with their own properties. It is commonly accepted however that memory must include both retention and retrieval. Human memory can be considered as a complex storage system, in which information can be stored and accessed according to different criteria. Various models have explained memory organisation in terms of duration of retention (fractation), information type and temporal direction. To gain an insight into how memory informs decision-making, we must consider it as a dynamic cognitive function, with three main stages: encoding, storage and retrieval.

The 25-item Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men (BPSS-M; McFarland & Petrie, 2012) is a commonly used measure of male body satisfaction, which focuses on the degree a male-identified adolescent or adult is satisfied with their appearance, particularly with respect to leanness (or low body fat) and muscularity. The BPSS measures male body satisfaction across three factors: upper body, legs, and face. The BPSS-M can be administered online or in-person to male identifying adolescents and adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the BPSS-M and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the BPSS-M’s 3-factor structure is upheld within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, concurrent validity, and incremental validity support the use of the BPSS-M. Next, this chapter provides the BPSS-M items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

Developing countries (a term often used interchangeably with low- and middle-income countries) account for the overwhelming majority of the world’s population. There is a huge burden of mental illness coupled with deficits in mental healthcare resources and infrastructure that perpetuates a high treatment gap in most developing countries. Good quality scientific research can help in understanding the challenges and evaluating solutions to improve mental healthcare delivery. However, there is a substantial scarcity of research from developing countries. This chapter discusses the unique nature of strengths and challenges with respect to mental health and provides examples of successful scientific mental health research with public health implications from developing countries. The feasible solutions to improve mental healthcare research across individual, organisational, and national level in developing countries given the unique strengths and deficits are discussed in detail.

The 20-item Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory (FSSI) and the 20-item Male Sexual Subjectivity Inventory (MSSI) have five subscales (elements) and can produce a total score for sexual subjectivity. The five measured elements (4 items each) assessed with each inventory are sexual body-esteem, entitlement to self-pleasure, entitlement to pleasure from a partner, self-efficacy in achieving desire and pleasure, and sexual self-reflection. The measure can be referred to as a measure of sexual subjectivity, psychological sexual health, or sexual self-perceptions. In total it assesses perceptions of the self as a sexual being with choice, desire, and deserving of pleasure. The FSSI and MSSI can be administered online or in-person and it has been included in research with adolescents and adults. The FSSI and MSSI are free to use. This chapter begins with a discussion of the development of the MSSI and FSSI from item generation to psychometric analyses. This is followed with psychometric information, including the factor structure and invariance, and evidence of reliability and validity. Additional sections cover administration, scoring, and information about abbreviated versions. Finally, the response scale, the items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and permissions, copyright and contact information are provided.

The two 18-item parallel forms of the Assessment of Body-Image Cognitive Distortions (ABCD; Cash et al., 2004) tap into distorted thinking related to how people process information about their physical appearance. It is based on the theory that people who are disproportionately invested in their appearance process attend to, encode, retrieve, recall, and interpret information in accordance with their appearance-related concerns (e.g., if no one comments favorably on their outfit, they may conclude that it is not flattering). ABCD items are phrased as hypothetical situations and respondents indicate the extent to which each situation is consistent with the mental conversations that they have about their own appearance. The ABCD can be administered online or in-person to adolescents or adults, and it is free to use. This chapter discusses the development of the ABCD and provides evidence of its psychometrics. There is evidence for its unidimensionality. Its internal consistency reliability as well as convergent, concurrent, incremental, and predictive validity. This chapter provides all items, the response scale, and instructions for administering and scoring the ABCD. Logistics of use, such as how to obtain and purchase the ABCD, permissions, copyright, and contact information are available for readers.

The 32-item Anti-Fat Microaggression Experiences Questionnaire (AFMEQ; Webb et al., 2019) assesses contemporary forms of weight bias that individuals living in larger bodies routinely confront. The AFMEQ can be administered online or in person to older adolescents and adults and has not been validated for use in younger populations. It is free to use in research settings. This chapter first discusses the development of the AFMEQ and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the AFMEQ has been found to have a four-factor structure within exploratory factor analyses (Micro-Assault, Micro-Insult, Micro-Invalidation, and Media-Influenced Microaggression), aligning with the original microaggression framework but adding a novel recognition of the influence of media in promulgating oppressive stereotypes denigrating higher-weight individuals. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity support the use of the AFMEQ. Next, this chapter provides the AFMEQ items in their entirety, instructions for administering the AFMEQ to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Abbreviated forms are not offered, and no known translations are currently available. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are provided for readers.

This chapter explores the legal frameworks that govern employment testing in Australia, including federal and state anti-discrimination legislation, and evaluates their impact on employment testing in the country. Overall, despite the existence of legal protections for individuals from diverse demographic groups (e.g., culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, sex/gender, age), judicial scrutiny of discrimination in employment testing remains limited. Practical challenges, such as difficulties in gathering evidence of discrimination, and the prospect of limited financial compensation, may discourage legal action. Moreover, statistical evidence is neither widely used nor required to demonstrate discrimination, resulting in a regulatory environment where employment testing practices are often guided more by organizational discretion and international perspectives than by legal mandates. However, as hiring technologies continue to evolve, this chapter highlights the opportunity for stronger regulatory oversight and empirical rigor to ensure employment testing remains both equitable and legally defensible.

Employment testing is routinely performed in South Africa today, but this was not always the case. Turning its back on its apartheid history of racial segregation and discrimination, South Africa has developed a progressive legal system to thwart bias and promote fairness in employment testing. This chapter explores employment-related testing in the public and private sectors, beginning with an overview of South Africa’s apartheid history, followed by a discussion of how the current legal system addresses fairness. A distinctive aspect of South African law is that preferential treatment, including lower cutoffs and within-group norming for protected groups, is not only mandated but also widely practised as the norm rather than the exception. Our review concludes that South Africa has enacted an extensive legal framework to promote equality and prevent unfair discrimination.

This chapter provides an overview of quantitative approaches to psychological assessment, focusing on measurement instruments used in mental health research. It traces the origins of psychological measurement, outlines its limitations, and explains essential psychometric properties—reliability, validity, and standardisation—needed for selecting high-quality tools. The discussion includes advances in psychometric theory, such as measurement invariance, and their implications for fair and responsible assessment. Practical considerations for test selection, interpretation, and application are highlighted, emphasizing the importance of culturally sensitive and scientifically robust methods. The chapter concludes with reflections on the future of psychological assessment in research and practice.

The 59-item Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS59; Moss, 2005) assesses appearance-related distress across various dimensions, including social anxiety, self-consciousness, and negative self-concept. The DAS can be administered both online and in-person to adolescents and adults and is available for £0.50 per use. This chapter first discusses the development of the DAS, which was created to address gaps in existing body image measures by capturing the broader psychological impact of visible differences. The DAS has a multidimensional factor structure, with five distinct factors identified through factor analysis, and strong psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: .85 to .95) and test-retest reliability. This chapter also outlines the scale’s administration process, scoring procedures, and item response format. A shorter version, the DAS-24, is available for quicker assessments. The DAS has been validated across diverse demographic groups, ensuring its applicability in both clinical and research settings. Permissions and guidelines for use, including translations and modifications, are provided to ensure consistent and accurate application of the scale.