METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STANDARDIZATION OF PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC METHODS: STATISTICAL AND THEORETICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

In contemporary Ukrainian psychological practice, there remains a significant shortage of valid and standardized psychodiagnostic methods adapted to the Ukrainian sociocultural context. Following the approval of the official list of valid psychological diagnostic methods (Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 2118 dated December 13, 2023), the need has arisen for scientifically grounded approaches to the adaptation, standardization, and norming of foreign psychodiagnostic instruments used by Ukrainian practitioners. The article outlines the methodological and statistical foundations of the standardization process for psychodiagnostic tools. The key stages of adaptation are identified, including: the linguistic stage (involving direct and back translation to ensure semantic equivalence), the cultural stage (considering the social and value context of Ukrainian society), pilot testing, psychometric evaluation, and norming of results. Particular attention is paid to statistical procedures for assessing reliability (Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ω, test– retest reliability, parallel-form reliability, and split-half reliability) and validity (construct, convergent, and divergent). The role of factor and correlation analyses in confirming the structural consistency of scales and maintaining conceptual integrity after adaptation is emphasized. The specific features of norming psychodiagnostic test results based on empirical statistical indicators–mean values, standard deviations, and percentile boundaries–are defined. This approach enables the development of norms that accurately reflect the real distribution of scores in the modern Ukrainian population, ensuring the correctness of result interpretation. It is emphasized that norms derived from foreign samples cannot be automatically transferred to Ukrainian conditions without statistical verification of their validity, taking into account cultural, demographic, and psychosocial factors. The proposed framework of adaptation stages, psychometric evaluation, and statistical procedures establishes a comprehensive model for the standardization of psychodiagnostic methods, enhancing measurement accuracy, ensuring scientific validity, and contributing to the development of evidence-based psychological practice. Future research prospects include the creation of a unified electronic registry of adapted methods and the implementation of digital technologies for automated reliability and validity testing.