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PubMed2001

Development of a questionnaire to measure concern for dental appearance.

100 adults, selected for cosmetic dental treatment in a general dental practice, completed a 42-item questionnaire designed, on the basis of previous research and the author's clinical experience, to measure concern for dental appearance. This had high internal consistency and was reduced to a questionnaire of 23 items with internal consistency shown by a standardised Cronbach alpha of .84. An exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation identified six factors, the main one appearing to be a measure of concern for dental appearance. The high internal consistency suggests that the total score for the revised questionnaire is a measure of a construct, concern for dental appearance. Although the simplest measure of that may be contained in the items for the first factor, a much larger sample would be necessary to confirm the complex factor structure and so the questionnaire's total score is probably the more reliable measure at present. A study is summarised showing that the total score provides a measure that, in statistical regression analysis, may predict the intentions of adults to take care of the appearance of their teeth.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Analysis of the Black Racial Identity Attitude scale in a substance-abusing population.

Racial attitude characteristics of African Americans may have important implications for patient-therapist matching in substance abuse treatment. The Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale (BRIAS) is a questionnaire used to measure racial identity attitudes. This study tested the stability and internal consistency of the BRIAS in an African-American substance-abusing population. This is the first known test of the BRIAS in a clinical population. African-American veterans (n = 53) were administered the BRIAS to test for stability over time and internal consistency. Initial analysis of the instrument revealed that a majority of items were not stable over time. Using the initial results, we removed 26 problematic items. Three modified scales remained, each having marginal test-retest reliability. Two of the modified scales had moderately adequate internal consistency, and the third was minimally adequate. We found that the BRIAS did not demonstrate sufficient internal consistency or stability in this population to adequately identify the constructs of the Nigrescence Racial Identity Development theory of William Cross, Jr. There is a growing recognition of the need to explore the extent of racial, ethnic, and cultural factors in substance abuse behavior and treatment; therefore, we recommend that further attention be directed toward developing an instrument to reliably and accurately measure identity constructs among African-American clinical subjects.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Validity and reliability of the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire in patients with coronary artery disease.

The validity and reliability of the SF-36 has been studied in 185 patients hospitalized with suspected ischemic cardiopathy, classified into four groups (AMI, unstable angina, nonischemic cardiologies, and absence of cardiologies). The validity of the construct has been analyzed by means of the association of the SF-36 with sociodemographic and clinical variables, and with diagnostic groups. The correlation of the subscales with GHQ-28 scores and the factorial structure have been studied. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha and the item-internal consistency and item-discriminant validity. The validation result was as expected, although the scores were significantly lower in patients with unstable angina, only in the PF, VT, and GH subscales. The correlations with the GHQ-28 were high for MH and VT. The internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha 0.72-0.94). Factorial analysis identified eight factors, with the "anxiety" component of subscale MH remaining as an independent factor. These results suggest that the SF-36 is a useful scale for the differentiated clinical forms of ischemic cardiopathy, with the additional capability of reflecting the level of anxiety in these patients.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Development and validation of the Beliefs and Behaviour Questionnaire (BBQ).

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a questionnaire to screen for potential nonadherence in patients with chronic ailments. METHODS: Themes from qualitative interviews with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were used in developing content of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 525 ambulatory patients with chronic lung diseases. Principal components analysis was performed to identify the subscales in the questionnaire. Internal consistency, validity and stability of the subscales were also evaluated. RESULTS: The 30-item Beliefs and Behaviour Questionnaire (BBQ) measures beliefs, experiences and adherent behaviour on five-point Likert-type scales. Two hundred and eighty patients (53.3%) with a mean age of 71.1 years responded to the questionnaire. The 'beliefs' section had a two-factor solution-'confidence' and 'concerns' with internal consistencies of 0.82 and 0.45, respectively. The two domains identified from the section 'experiences'-satisfaction' and 'disappointment' had internal consistencies of 0.85 and 0.52, respectively. The 'behaviour' section, separately entitled the Tool for Adherence Behaviour Screening (TABS), had a two-factor solution--'adherence' and 'nonadherence', with internal consistencies of 0.80 and 0.59, respectively. All the domains demonstrated comparable reliabilities across two different patient populations. Their temporal stabilities ranged between 0.62 and 0.94. CONCLUSION: The validity, reliability and utility of the BBQ and the TABS, a sub-scale of the BBQ that screens both intentional and unintentional nonadherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological disease management, have been established. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The BBQ and the TABS have potential applications in screening adherence beliefs, experiences and behaviour in both clinical practice and research.

Aged↗

PubMed1990

An analysis of the PPCF as a theoretical framework for an instrument to examine teacher priorities for selecting curriculum content.

The purpose of the research was to develop an instrument to examine physical education teachers' priorities for curricular decision-making. The purpose dimension of the Purpose Process Curriculum Framework (PPCF) was used as the theoretical structure for content decisions. Three studies are reported that investigate the reliability and validity of the proposed instrument. Items were evaluated for relevance and validity of the proposed instrument. They were evaluated for relevance and theoretical consistency by physical education teachers (Study 1) and curriculum specialists (Study 2). Acceptable items were then placed in a ranking format and field tested with physical educators in three school districts (Study 3). Results from Study 1 indicated that secondary level physical education teachers supported the relevance of items to reflect the educational setting in their classes. In Study 2, mean ratings of curriculum specialists established that 19 of the 22 categories were theoretically consistent with the PPCF. However, internal consistency coefficients (alpha) for 10 of the 22 purposes were less than .70. Follow-up field tests with physical educators in Study 3 indicated that only one category, joy of movement, had a coefficient above .70. In this research internal consistency coefficients were too low to make a claim for the reliability of the concept scales of the instrument. The multidimensionality of the purpose concepts raised questions regarding the validity of the PPCF and prohibited the use of the framework as a theoretical basis for instrument development.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2006

Measuring patients' perceptions on their functional abilities: validation of the Haemophilia Activities List.

Recently, the Haemophilia Activities List (HAL), a haemophilia-specific self-assessment questionnaire to assess a patient's self-perceived functional ability, was introduced and a limited pilot study warranted its further development. The present study finalizes the HAL and assesses the convergent and construct validity, as well as the internal consistency of its definitive version. Three questionnaires (HAL, Dutch-Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 and the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire) were completed by 127 patients with severe haemophilia (<1% clotting activity), as well as four performance tests (button test, 50 metre walking test, timed-up-and-go test and figure-8 walking test). After removal of 15 non-informative items from the provisional HAL, three components within the questionnaire were identified (upper extremity activities, basic lower extremity activities and complex lower extremity activities). The internal consistency of these components was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93-0.95), as was internal consistency for the seven domains of the HAL (alpha = 0.61-0.96). The convergent validity of the HAL when compared to the other two questionnaires was good (r = 0.47-0.84). The construct validity of the HAL when compared to the four performance tests was generally lower (r = 0.23-0.77). The final version of the HAL has good internal consistency and convergent validity and gives the clinician insight into a patient's self-perceived ability to perform activities of daily life. It is likely that self-assessment instruments (questionnaires) and performance tests consider different concepts of functional health status and it is therefore recommended that both types are included when clinicians assess a patient's functional abilities.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2000

Reliabilities of short substance abuse screening tests among adolescent medical patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the internal consistency and 1-week test-retest reliability of the Simple Screening Instrument for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SSI-AOD), the CAGE-AA (CAGE questions adapted for adolescents), and 4 modified items from the Drug and Alcohol Problem QuickScreen (DAP-4) among adolescents. METHODS: Fifteen- to 18-year-old medical patients (n = 173) completed screening tests during a routine medical visit and then again 1 week later. Internal consistency for each test and retest was calculated using Cronbach's alpha, and 1-week test-retest reliability was calculated by using Winer's unbiased estimate of the intraclass correlation coefficient (r). RESULTS: The SSI-AOD has good internal consistency (alpha =.83) and the CAGE-AA questions acceptable internal consistency (alpha =.60). Alpha varied with gender and race, and item analysis indicated the CAGE-AA test could be improved. As expected, the DAP-4 had a lower alpha score (.46). All screening instruments studied had high 1-week test-retest reliabilities (range r =.82-.90). CONCLUSIONS: The SSI-AOD is a reliable substance abuse screening instrument among adolescent medical patients. The CAGE-AA questions must be further revised and tested before their use can be recommended. The DAP-4 questions are likely measuring different, but important, constructs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The Pediatric Cancer Quality of Life Inventory: a modular approach to measuring health-related quality of life in children with cancer.

Measurement of pediatric cancer patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL) in phase III randomized, controlled clinical trials is being recognized increasingly as an essential component in evaluating the comprehensive health outcomes of modern anti-neoplastic treatment protocols. Use of a brief core measure of HRQL plus disease-specific symptom modules is a way to assess specific HRQL outcomes with a minimum of subject burden. Demonstrating a measure's feasibility, reliability and validity also represents children's ability to provide reliable and valid responses to HRQL questions. The Pediatric Cancer Quality of Life Inventory (PCQL) Modular Approach consists of a 15-item core measure of HRQL and 2 specific symptom modules: pain and nausea. To validate a patient-report form and a parent-report form, the PCQL was administered to 291 pediatric cancer patients and to their parents. Feasibility and range of measurement, as well as patient-parent concordance, were assessed. Internal consistency reliability was assessed via Cronbach's alpha. Validity was determined by the known-groups approach and by correlating PCQL scores with days missed from school. Patients had minimal missing data, and the range of measurement for the items was good. Patient-parent concordance was large but not perfect. For both patient and parent forms, internal consistency reliability of the PCQL core scale (0.83 and 0. 86, respectively) was strong. The internal consistency reliabilities of the 2 symptom modules for both patient and parent forms were in the acceptable range for group comparisons. Regarding clinical validity, the core scale and the 2 symptom modules distinguished between patients on and off treatment for both patient and parent reports. Further, both patient and parent reports correlated with days of missed school in the past 6 and 12 months. The PCQL Modular Approach has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability and clinical validity for both patient-report and parent-report forms. By implication, children are capable of providing reliable and valid responses to these HRQL questions.

Child↗

PubMed2001

Development of an instrument to measure pain in rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale (RAPS).

OBJECTIVE: To develop a valid and reliable clinical instrument for measuring pain in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The resulting Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale (RAPS) is a quantitative, single-score, self-report 24-item instrument. METHODS: Psychometric evaluation of RAPS was conducted following estimation of content validity and a pilot study. The actual study used a convenience sample of 120 adults, 18 years of age or older, with pain of at least 3 months duration. The setting was a large rheumatology private practice in a metropolitan southwestern city. The gate control and affective motivational theories of pain served as a framework guiding the development of RAPS, which includes items suggestive of the multidimensional pain experience in rheumatoid arthritis. Four subscales, physiological, affective, sensory-discriminative, and cognitive, evaluated numerous pain factors. RESULTS: Findings indicate a high estimate for internal consistency for the total scale and a moderate to high estimate of internal consistency for projected subscales. Data were analyzed using Cronbach's coefficient alpha, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and exploratory factor analysis. Using Cronbach's coefficient alpha, RAPS showed an internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.92, a strong indicator of reliability. Reliability assessments for the 4 subscales also indicate reliability, with Cronbach's coefficients ranging from 0.65 to 0.86. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 3 factors with criteria for factor loadings > or = 0.4. CONCLUSION: The study's findings provided support for RAPS as a reliable and valid measurement of rheumatoid arthritis pain. Assessment of rheumatoid arthritis pain and its relationship to treatment outcomes could significantly impact the treatment interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Development of short and very short forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire.

Using data from 468 parents and taking into account internal consistency, breadth of item content, within-scale factor analysis, and patterns of missing data, we developed short (94 items, 15 scales) and very short (36 items, 3 broad scales) forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart, Ahadi, & Hershey, 1994; Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001), a well-established parent-report measure of temperament for children aged 3 to 8 years. We subsequently evaluated the forms with data from 1,189 participants. In mid/high-income and White samples, the CBQ short and very short forms demonstrated both satisfactory internal consistency and criterion validity, and exhibited longitudinal stability and cross-informant agreement comparable to that of the standard CBQ. Internal consistency was somewhat lower among African American and low-income samples for some scales. Very short form scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for all samples, and confirmatory factor analyses indicated marginal fit of the very short form items to a three-factor model.

Black People↗

PubMed1993

A validation of the functional independence measurement and its performance among rehabilitation inpatients.

The Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) is a new functional status instrument for use among rehabilitation inpatients, but its validity and reliability have been only partially established. Because of its rapid dissemination, we sought further evidence concerning the FIM's internal consistency, responsiveness over time, and construct validity. We examined Uniform Data System (UDS) data on 11,102 general rehabilitation inpatients from the Pacific Northwest. Mean age was 65 and 51% were male. The most common diagnoses were stroke (52%), orthopedic conditions (10%), and brain injury (10%). Internal consistency of the FIM was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. To assess FIM responsiveness, we examined differences between admission and discharge FIM scores. For construct validation purposes, we hypothesized that the FIM would vary with age, comorbidity, discharge destination, and impairment severity. Comorbidity was quantified with the Charlson Comorbidity Index. The FIM had a high overall internal consistency (discharge FIM alpha = .93). The FIM registered significant functional gains during rehabilitation (33% FIM score improvement, p < .001), as do many other functional status indicators. The greatest and least functional improvements were observed for traumatic brain injury and low back pain (53% and 8% FIM score improvement, respectively). The FIM discriminates patients on the basis of age, comorbidity, and discharge destination. Severity differences could be distinguished among spinal cord injury and stroke patients. We conclude that the FIM has high internal consistency and adequate discriminative capabilities for rehabilitation patients. It is a good indicator of burden of care, and demonstrates some responsiveness, but its capacity to measure change over time needs further examination and comparison with competing scales.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Measuring the care needs of mothers of children with cancer: development of the FIN-PED.

This 2-phase study tested the Family Inventory of Needs-Pediatrics (FIN-PED), a 52-item instrument structured to include 2 subscales, the first measuring the importance of care needs and the second measuring the extent to which needs were met. In Phase I, an expert panel of 6 mothers of children with cancer rated the tool for clarity, apparent internal consistency, and content validity. All items met preset criteria for these assessments. In Phase II, 110 mothers rated the instrument for internal consistency reliability, stability over time, and internal construct validity. Both subscales achieved an estimated internal consistency of 0.94. Evidence of the instrument's stability over time was also achieved. Factor analysis resulted in 4 interpretable factors, suggesting that the tool is multidimensional.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability of the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects Scale (MEDS).

The potential negative effects of psychoactive medication are well documented. Given the high rate of their use in persons with mental retardation, the need to assess and identify these negative effects is great. The Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects (MEDS) was designed to evaluate commonly identified side effects with a psychometrically sound checklist. The initial psychometric properties of this scale are presented and discussed. An examination of interrater reliability and internal consistency revealed that the MEDS has excellent consistency across raters and good internal consistency. Potential uses for the scale and directions for future research are reviewed as well.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The psychometric characteristics of the IPR inventory: data from rural Western Australia. Interpersonal Relationships Inventory.

BACKGROUND: Although there is evidence of the psychometric adequacy of the Interpersonal Relationships Inventory (IPRI), the scale was validated on urban North American samples and may function differently in populations that do not share urban United States attitudes toward the giving and receiving of social support. OBJECTIVES: To determine the psychometric characteristics of the IPRI in a sample of rural Australians and compare our findings to previous studies. METHOD: A survey containing the IPRI, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and a 4-point self-rating measure of physical health was posted to residents of rural communities in Western Australia. The 382 respondents who returned usable surveys had a mean age of 44 years and 71% of them were female. RESULTS: The essential findings of the original IPRI study were replicated. The social support and the conflict subscales were shown to be valid and internally consistent; the reciprocity subscale was internally consistent but its validity was equivocal. Support and conflict proved to be good predictors of severity of depression, and each of the three subscales could reliably discriminate among groups who rated their physical health as poor, fair, good, or excellent. CONCLUSION: The consistent results across the two studies provide further evidence for the psychometric adequacy of the IPRI and suggest that Western societies, urban or rural, interpret and manifest the constructs of support, reciprocity, and conflict in much the same ways.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

A comfortability level scale for performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The major purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to appraise the comfortability level of college students toward cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance. The Purdue CPR Comfortability Scale was designed to measure five major areas of possible discomfort that are experienced while performing CPR on a human victim in an actual emergency situation. A table of specifications was constructed to establish content validity. This table presented the appropriate balance of emphasis on attitudinal topics in accord with the areas to be measured. Three subconcepts were developed for each of the five major areas specified. Therefore, the summated scale included a total of 15 items. A higher score indicated a higher level of comfortability toward CPR performance. An analysis of the mental processes required by the scale items in expressing affective reactions to the selected circumstances, and a comparison of student comfortability levels before and after CPR training indicated construct validity of the instrument. The scale was administered as a pretest to gather data on 317 first aid students at Purdue University. After five weeks of CPR training, the scale was readministered as a posttest. Split-half reliability methods were used to determine the internal consistency of the scale. High internal consistency (.84 Spearman-Brown) and a high level of scale administrability were demonstrated and it was concluded that the Purdue CPR Comfortability Scale is a valid self-report instrument for appraising the comfortability level of college students toward CPR performance.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[Reliability and validity of Turkish form of Endicott Work Productivity Scale].

OBJECTIVE: The Endicott Work Productivity Scale (EWPS) is a brief self-report questionnaire designed to enable investigators to obtain a sensitive measure of work productivity. The purpose of the study was to investigate reliability and validity of the Turkish form of EWPS. METHOD: The study was performed with two separate groups; a patient group (n=74) and a community sample (n=107). Through the adaptation process the original form was translated into Turkish, and translated back into English. Statistical tests about construct validity, the concurrent validity, the test re-test reliability and internal consistency were performed. RESULTS: The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) was >.90 for both groups. The correlations of the individual items with the EWPS total scores ranged between.32 and.75. EWPS and HAM-D scores of the patient group was positively correlated (r =.52 and r =.62). The CGI scores correlation was.64 and SF-36 social functioning subscale was correlated negatively (r= -.43). The correlations of the test-retest scores of EWPS were.76. There was a significant mean difference between the total scores of patient and the community groups. CONCLUSION: The Turkish form of EWPS was found to be valid and reliable. The findings concerning the reliability and the validity of the EWPS indicate that this instrument can be used in the studies that will be conducted in Turkey.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMed2000

The Japanese version of Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory and its psychometric assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was the development of the Japanese version of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and its psychometric assessment. METHOD: We translated SASSI-3 into Japanese and refined it through a back-translation technique and focus group approach. Study 1 was a preliminary study to examine the internal consistency and discriminant function of subscales, sensitivity and specificity of the Japanese version SASSI-3 (SASSI-3J). The participants were 20 drug-dependent individuals and 23 non-dependent comparison individuals. Study 2 comprised three parts. The participants were university students recruited from three classes. The first part examined the internal consistency of subscales and the relationship between the subscale Face Valid Alcohol (FVA) and the Kurihama Alcoholism Screening Test (KAST) with 269 students. The second part examined the 2-week test-retest reliability with 51 students. The third part examined the robustness of SASSI-3J against response distortion with 65 students: participants completed the SASSI-3J under standard instructions, under instructions to minimize any alcohol problems they might have (fake good), and under instructions to exaggerate any alcohol problems they might have (fake bad). They also completed the Social Desirability Scale. RESULTS: 1) SASSI-3J showed relatively high sensitivity and specificity when only the Risk Prediction Scales were used or when Rule 9 was excluded from the decision tree; 2) The Risk Prediction Scales of SASSI-3J had high internal consistency, and among them, Face Valid Alcohol (FVA) showed moderately high concurrent validity with the KAST; 3) In both Study 1 and Study 2, the internal consistencies of OAT, SAT, DEF and SAM were moderate to low (0.05 to 0.57). This may not interfere with the subscales' discriminant power but does deny sufficient uni-dimensionality of these scales; 4) SASSI-3J clinical scale scores were shown to be robust against faking good/social desirability bias.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Measuring psychosocial stress at work in Spanish hospital's personnel. Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of Effort-Reward Imbalance model].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Two main models are currently used to evaluate the psychosocial factors at work: the Demand-Control (or job strain) model developed by Karasek and the Effort-Reward Imbalance model, developed by Siegrist. A Spanish version of the first model has been validated, yet so far no validated Spanish version of the second model is available. The objective of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Effort-Reward Imbalance model in terms of internal consistency, factorial validity, and discriminate validity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study on a representative sample of 298 workers of the Spanish public hospital San Agustin in Asturias was performed. The Spanish version of Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (23 items) was obtained by a standard forward/backward translation procedure, and the information was gathered by a self-administered application. Exploratory factor analysis were performed to test the dimensional structure of the theoretical model. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to estimate the internal consistency reliability. Information on discriminate validity is given for sex, age and education. Differences were calculated with the t-test for two independent samples or ANOVA, respectively. RESULTS: Internal consistency was satisfactory for the two scales (reward and intrinsic effort) and Cronbach's Alpha coefficients higher than 0.80 were observed. The internal consistency for the scale of extrinsic effort was lower (alpha = 0.63). A three-factor solution was retained for the factor analysis of reward as expected, and these dimensions were interpreted as a) esteem, b) job promotion and salary and c) job instability. A one-factor solution was retained for the factor analysis of intrinsic effort. The factor analysis of the scale of extrinsic effort did not support the expected one-dimension structure. The analysis of discriminate validity displayed significant associations between measures of Effort-Reward Imbalance and the variables of sex, age and education level. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first one supporting satisfactory psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Effort-Reward Imbalance model. However, the factorial validity of the extrinsic effort could be questioned.

Adult↗