SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Internal consistency”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Reliability and validity of the Malay version of the International Prostate Symptom Score in the Malaysian population.

PURPOSE: We validated the Malay version of the International Prostate Symptom Score in patients with and without urinary symptoms in the Malaysian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Validity and reliability were studied in patients with and without lower urinary tract symptoms. Reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the pre-intervention versus post-intervention score in additional patients with lower urinary tract symptoms who underwent transurethral prostate resection. RESULTS: Internal consistency was excellent. A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the 7 items and for the total score (Cronbach's alpha 0.53 and greater, and 0.68, respectively). The test-retest correlation coefficients of the 7 items were highly significant. The intraclass correlation coefficient was high at 0.51 and greater. There was a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of treatment. Significant change from baseline to posttreatment scores was observed in all 8 items in the treated but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The Malay International Prostate Symptom Score is a suitable, reliable, valid instrument that is sensitive to clinical change in the Malaysian population.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Item analysis of the NHANES ADL instrument in a sample of patients reporting frequent severe headaches.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) activity of daily living (ADL) instrument is a 16-item questionnaire designed to represent the internal latent construct of activities of daily living. The purpose of the present study was to measure selected psychometric properties (dimensionality, internal consistency and individual item response) of the NHANES ADL instrument on a population of patients who reported frequent severe headaches. METHOD: The study group consisted of 672 attendees of a traditional medical appointment with a report of severe headaches. Data analyses included exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency measures and graded item response theory. RESULTS: The NHANES ADL instrument is a uni-dimensional and internally consistent measure of activities of daily living. Graded item response theory analyses indicated that all 16 single items were sensitive measures of the latent construct of activities and daily living. Selected items demonstrated high discrimination while others demonstrated moderate discrimination among responses. CONCLUSION: Individual use of selected items of the NHANES ADL instrument may further improve the capacity of the healthcare provider in measuring and recording dysfunction associated with headaches.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Reliability and validity of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) among urological patients: a Malaysian study.

To validate the English version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in a sample of Malaysia patients with and without urinary symptoms. Validity and reliability were studied in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and patients without LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the pre-intervention versus post-intervention score in additional patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Internal consistency was excellent. A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the 40 items with Cronbach's alpha value = 0.38 to 0.89 while the Cronbach's alpha for the total scores was 0.86. Test-retest correlation coefficients for the 40 items score were highly significant. Intraclass correlation coefficient was high (ICC=0.39 to 0.89). A high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of treatment was observed. A high degree of significant level between baseline and post-treatment scores was observed across nearly half of the items in surgical group but not in the non-LUTS group (control subjects). The STAI is reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in a sample of Malaysian patients with and without urinary symptoms.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Reliability and validity of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) among urological patients: a Malaysian study.

This present study was undertaken to validate the English version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in urological patients. Validity and reliability were studied in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and patients without LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the pre-intervention versus post-intervention score in additional patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Internal consistency was excellent. A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the 12 items with Cronbach's alpha value of 0.37-0.79, while total scores was 0.79 in the population study. Test-retest correlation coefficient for the 12 items score were highly significant. Intraclass correlation coefficient was high (0.35-0.79). It showed a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of treatment. A high degree of significant level between baseline and post-treatment scores were observed across all 12 items in the treatment cohort but not in the control group. The GHQ-12 is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in urological disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

The psychometric properties of the Behaviour Assessment Record (the BAR schedule).

Two hundred and forty-seven completed Behaviour Assessment Records (BAR) for people with learning difficulties living in hospital, community residential facilities or the family home were subjected to item analysis and factor analysis. The instrument as a whole proved to be highly internally consistent, although the corrected item-total correlation coefficients suggest the redundancy of some items on individual sub-scales. Factor analysis produced a two-factor solution accounting for 32.9 and 10.8% of the variance. These factors were named Personal self-care and Use of public amenities. Summative scales based upon these factors were highly internally consistent. Comparisons are made between the internal consistency and factor structure of the BAR and those of similar measures of adaptive behaviour, such as the Social Training Achievement Record (Sturmey et al., 1988), the Pathways to Independence Checklist (Walsh & McConkey, 1989), and the Adaptive Behavior Scale (Nihira, 1969a, b, 1976).

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation study of the Depressive Experience Questionnaire].

Sidney Blatt, considering as being insufficient the categorical-symptomatic approach of depression, has worked out a theory of depression and psychopathology that integrates the contributions of psychoanalysis as well as cognitive and developmental psychology. Within a broad psychoanalytic framework, Blatt's formulation focus on the quality of interpersonal relationship, the nature of object representation and early life experiences. Personality development is viewed as the consequence of the interaction of 2 basic developmental tasks: the establishment of the capacity to form stable, enduring, mutually satisfying interpersonal relationships and the achievement of a differentiated, realistic, essentially positive identity. The relationship between these 2 developmental lines involves a complex dialectical process during which progress in each line is essential for progress in the other and which contributes to the development of both a sense of identity and the capacity for interpersonal relatedness. These developmental lines permit not only to define an during individual's primary personality configuration but also enable to identify cognitive structures that are inherent in various forms of psychopathology, including depression. Disruptions at different developmental stages create vulnerability to different subsequent psychological disturbances. Blatt characterised as anaclitic or dependent the axis concerned with interpersonal relationship and as introjective or self-critical the axis concerned with development of the sense of self and identity. Depressive Experience Questionnaire was developed by Blatt et al. to determine the validity of this model of psychopathology which emphazises continuities between normal and pathological forms of depression. The instrument was developed by Blatt et al. by assembling a pool of items describing experiences frequently reported by depressed individual. Sixty-six items were selected and administered to a large nonclinical sample (500 female and 160 male undergraduates). Principal component analysis within sex performed on the answers to DEQ confirmed his assumption in identifying two principal depressive dimensions. The first factor involved items that are primarily externally directed and refer to a disturbance of interpersonal relationships (anaclitism); the second factor consists of items that are more internally directed and reflect concerns about self-identity (self-criticism). A third factor emerged, assessing the good functioning of subject and confidence in his resources and capacities (efficacy). Scales derived from these factors have high internal consistency and substantial test-retest reliability. The solutions for men and women were highly congruent. Factor structure has been replicated in several nonclinical and clinical samples, supporting considerable evidence to the construct validity of the DEQ Dependency and Self-criticism scales. An adolescent form of DEQ (DEQ-A) has successively been developed. Factor analysis revealed three factors that were highly congruent in female and male students and with the three factors of the original DEQ. The reliability, internal consistency and validity of DEQ-A indicate that the DEQ-A closely parallels the DEQ, especially in the articulation of Dependency and Self-criticism as two factors in depression. These formulations and clinical observations about the importance of differentiating a depression focused on issues of self-criticism from issues of dependency are consistent with the formulations of others theorists which, from very different theoretical perspectives, posit 2 types of depression, one in which either perceived loss or rejection in social relationships is central and the other in which perceived failure in achievement, guilt or lack of control serves as the precipitant of depression. These 2 types of experiences have been characterized as dominant other and dominant goal , as anxiously attached and compulsively self-reliant and as sociotropic and autonomous . Our work presents the results of a validation study of both forms of Blatt's questionnaire (for adults--DEQ--and for adolescents--DEQA) translated in French in a large population of normal subjects, aged 15 to 45 years. DEQ and DEQ-A were compared by inspection of items loading strongly on each factor and by correlation of the three factors of adults and adolescents. The exploratory factor analysis of DEQ and DEQA revealed three orthogonal factors, corresponding with Blatt's original dimensions. Consistency and external validity were adequate for all 3 factors of DEQ and DEQ-A. Anaclitism and self-criticism dimensions of DEQ and DEQ-A correlate positively with measures of depression (DSM-IV, Beck Depression Inventory), consistently with the results obtained by Blatt. Differently from this author, anaclitism appears to be less differentiated in males than in females, suggesting that the concept of dependence could assume different relevance for men and women.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Personality disorders in a nonclinical sample of adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the comorbidity of borderline personality disorder and other personality disorders in a nonclinical sample of high-school students. METHOD: 311 high-school students who completed the French version of the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale), were asked to participate to interviews evaluating personality functioning: 60 subjects (19%) accepted to participate in the study. The mean CES-D score of these 60 subjects (16 boys, 44 girls, mean age=17.7 1.7) was significantly higher than the mean score of the whole sample (23.9 10.4 versus 16.7 9.8). Thus the interviewed sample was not representative of the population of high-school students. Subjects were assessed using the major depressive episode module of the MINI (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) and the SIDP IV (Structured Interview for DSM IV Personality). Inter-rater reliability was determined by comparing the independent ratings of interviewers and an experienced clinician on a random sample of 20 interviews. For DSM IV borderline personality disorder diagnosis, the Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.85. For personality disorder criteria, kappa ranged from 0.6 to 1.0 (average kappa=0.79). RESULTS: Sixteen of these subjects (26,7%, 4 males, 12 females) received a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder according to DSM IV criteria. The mean CES-D score of borderline subjects (30.6 10.2) was significantly higher than the mean score of nonborderline subjects (21.6 10.5). Of the 16 borderline subjects, 11 (75%) received a diagnosis of major depressive disorder versus 14 (31%) of the non borderline subjects. None of the other personality disorders approached the frequency of borderline personality disorder. The next most frequent diagnoses were depressive and dependent personality disorders which occurred in respectively in 16.6% and 10% of the 60 subjects. All the personality-disorders occurred at higher rates in the group with borderline personality disorder with the exception of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder which was diagnosed only in nonborderline subjects. Of the 16 borderline subjects, 11 (68.7%) met the criteria for another personality disorder which were depressive personality disorder (N=5), paranoid personality disorder (N=4), dependent personality disorder (N=3), antisocial personality disorder (N=2), histrionic personality disorder (N=2), avoidant personality disorder (N=2), negativistic personality disorder (N=2), schizotypal personality disorder (N=1), narcissistic personality disorder (N=1), self-defeating personality disorder (N=1). The optional diagnoses (self-defeating, depressive and negati-vistic personality disorders) accounted for 8 of 23 (34.7%) cases of personality disorders diagnosed among borderline subjects. Among these 11 adolescents, 5 received 2 diagnoses of personality disorders (borderline and paranoid personality disorders, N=1; borderline and dependent personality disorders, N=1; borderline and depressive personality disorders, N=3), 3 received 3 diagnoses (borderline, antisocial and histrionic personality disorders, N=1; borderline, avoidant and negativistic personality disorders, N=1; borderline, depressive and negativistic personality disorders, N=1), 3 received 5 diagnoses (borderline, paranoid, histrionic, narcissistic and dependent personality disorders, N=1; borderline, paranoid, dependent, avoidant and depressive personality disorders, N=1; borderline, paranoid, schizotypal, antisocial and self-defeating personality disorders, N=1). Among the 44 adolescents (12 boys, 32 girls) without borderline personality disorder, 10 (22.7%) (3 boys, 7 girls) met the criteria for another personality disorder which were depressive personality disorder (N=5) or cluster C disorders -obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (N=4), dependent personality disorder (N=2), avoidant personality disorder (N=1) - with the exception of one diagnosis of histrionic personality disorder. Two subjects received 2 diagnoses (obsessive-compulsive and depressive personality disorder). The internal consistency of personality disorders criteria was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Borderline personality disorder criteria had high internal consistency (0.82). The factor structure of borderline personality disorder criteria was studied with an exploratory factorial analysis which extracted three factors. The eigenvalues were 3.70, 1.06, and 1.01. Confirmatory factorial analyses were conducted. The correlated two-factor model and the three-factor model fit the data well but the correlation between factors was, however, judged too high, ranging from 0.70 to 0.78. The one-factor model proved to have a good fit (Goodness of Fit Index=0.89, Comparative Fit Index=0.90, Root Mean Square Residual=0.07). As a previous study showed the frequency of two schizotypal personality disorder criteria (odd beliefs/magical thinking experiences and unusual perceptual experiences), an exploratory factorial analysis was performed on the combined set of criteria of borderline and schizotypal personality disorders. It yielded 2 factors: the first factor consisted of all the borderline personality disorder criteria, odd beliefs/magical thinking, and unusual perceptual experiences and could be called the borderline factor; the second factor consisted of the paranoid and the social avoidance criteria and could be called the interpersonal hypersensitivity factor. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that this two-factor model provided a good fit to the data (GFI=0.82, CFI=0,91, RMSR=0.10). The correlation between factors was weak (0.25). These results suggest that odd beliefs/magical thinking and unusual perceptual experiences are a component of borderline symptomatology in adolescents. DISCUSSION: The high frequency of major depressive disorder and personality disorders in the interviewed sample may be due to the possibility that adolescents with psychological problems have used the interview as a way to obtain attention and support from a psychologist. The interviewed sample, which was characterized by a high intensity of depressive symptomatology and by a high frequency of borderline personality disorder, could thus be seen as intermediate between a clinical and a community sample. Our results may be more generalizable to an outpatients population of adolescents. This study found conflicting results about the construct validity of borderline personality disorder in adolescent. The high internal consistency and the one-factor structure of the borderline personality disorder criteria argue for their validity in adolescents. However, the high rates of comorbidity of borderline personality disorder with depression and other personality disorders, extended to clusters A, B and C and to optional diagnoses, suggest the lack of construct validity of either borderline personality or cluster B disorders in adolescents. CONCLUSION: Borderline symptomatology in adolescents appears more in adequacy with a dimensional model than with a typological classification. More studies are needed to assess and improve the construct validity of borderline personality disorder in adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Reliability and validity of the International Prostate Symptom Score in a Malaysian population.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the English version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in patients with and without urinary symptoms in a Malaysian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Validity and reliability were assessed in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and in patients with no LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the score before and after intervention in additional patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). RESULTS: Internal consistency was excellent; there was a high degree of internal consistency for each of the seven domains and for the total score (Cronbach's alpha > or = 0.60 and > or = 0.79, respectively) in the populations studied. The test-retest correlation coefficient for the seven domain scores was highly significant. The intra-class correlation coefficient was high (> or = 0.59). There was a high level of sensitivity and specificity for the effects of treatment, with a very significant change between the seven scores domains in the treated group but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The IPSS is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in the Malaysian population.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Reliability and validity of the Malay version of the Health-Related Quality of Life instrument in a Malaysian population.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Malay version of the Health-Related Quality of Life (Mal-HRQOL-20) questionnaire in patients with and without urinary symptoms in a Malaysian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The validity and reliability of the Mal-HRQOL-20 were assessed in patients with and without lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the score before and after intervention in additional patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate. RESULTS: The internal consistency was excellent; there was a high degree of internal consistency for each of the 20 items and for the overall score (Cronbach's alpha > or = 0.57 and 0.79, respectively) in the population study. The test-retest correlation coefficient for the 20 item scores was highly significant. The intra-class correlation coefficient was high (> or = 0.55). The sensitivity and specificity were high for the effects of treatment. There was a very significant agreement between scores before and after treatment across all domains in the treatment cohort, but not in the control group. CONCLUSION: The Mal-HRQOL-20 is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in the Malaysian population.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Construction of the Mandarin version of the International Prostate Symptom Score inventory in assessing lower urinary tract symptoms in a Malaysian population.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to validate the Mandarin version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (Mand-IPSS) in a Malaysian population. METHODS: The validity and reliability were studied in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS; benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH] group) and without LUTS (control group). Test-retest methodology was used to assess the reliability while Cronbach alpha was used to assess the internal consistency. Sensitivity to change was used to express the effect size index in the preintervention versus post-intervention score in patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate. RESULTS: For the control group and BPH group, the internal consistency was excellent and a high degree of internal consistency was observed for all seven items (Cronbach alpha = 0.86-0.98 and 0.90-0.98, respectively). Test-retest correlation coefficients for all items were highly significant. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was high for the control (ICC = 0.93-0.99) and BPH group (ICC = 0.91-0.99). The sensitivity and specificity showed a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of treatment. A high degree of significance between baseline and post-treatment scores was observed across all seven items in the BPH group but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The Mand-IPSS is a suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive instrument to measure clinical change in the Malaysian population.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Psychometric properties of the MSPSS and NOS in psychiatric outpatients.

Prior research has demonstrated the utility of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and the Network Orientation Scale (NOS) as measures of perceived social support among nonpsychiatric samples. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether these two scales can be used reliably among psychiatric outpatients, in particular those with schizophrenia or a major affective disorder. Subjects were 144 outpatients, aged 21 to 67 years, who completed the MSPSS and NOS. Results demonstrated high internal consistency for the MSPSS and adequate internal consistency for the NOS. In addition, convergent validity was demonstrated. Scores on both scales for these psychiatric outpatients were found to be lower as compared to "normals."

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Validation of a quality of life questionnaire for critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVE: Development and validation of quality of life questionnaire for critical care patients. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Intensive care unit (ICU) of a general hospital and ICUs of 83 Spanish hospitals. SAMPLE: Patients admitted to the ICU > 18 years of age; close family members. METHOD: A committee of experts designed a questionnaire with characteristics judged essential for intensive care use: easy, quick administration (5-10 min); capable of completion by patient or close family member, by direct or telephone interview. Fifteen items relevant to critical care patients were grouped in three subscales: basic physiological activities, normal daily activities, and emotional state. Reproducibility of interobserver, intraobserver, patient/family member and telephone/direct interviews was analysed and also internal consistency, responsiveness, and main components. RESULTS: Internal consistency (578 patients): Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.85. Reproducibility: intraobserver reproducibility (n = 150): Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.92. Interobserver (n = 85): correlation = 0.92. Patient/family member (n = 81): correlation = 0.92. Telephone/direct interview (n = 54): correlation = 0.96. VALIDITY: factorial analysis confirmed that the three subscales were fundamental questionnaire components. There was good concordance between questionnaire/subscale and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) results. Responsiveness: quality of life score changes between preadmission and 6 months' postdischarge correlated with GOS findings (weighted kappa index = 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Questionnaire meets objectives recommended for critical care use, and fulfills essential requirements of validity and reproducibility when applied to critically ill patients.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Measurement of risk for mental disorders and competence in a psychiatric epidemiologic community survey: the National Institute of Mental Health Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) Study.

This paper describes the implementation of the National Institute of Mental Health Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) study's goals of measuring risk factors and competence. The emphasis is on the development and testing of the measures. Relevant constructs for measurement of risk and competence in relation to psychopathology were selected and pilot tested prior to the field trials. A structured interview was developed and field tested using lay interviewers. Using the full sample from the field trials (n = 1285 caretaker-youth pairs), sample means, standard deviations, internal consistencies, parent-youth agreement, and associations with childhood disorder were computed. Descriptive statistics reveal a range of scores and means consistent with norming samples, when available, Internal consistencies were moderate to high. Parent-youth agreement on factual items was excellent and on scales was consistent with the literature. Several strong associations were found between risk factors and disorder, although most were related to disorder in general and not specific to a diagnostic category. This instrument provides a means of obtaining data that will be useful to researchers conducting epidemiologic and clinical studies designed to contribute to the understanding of mental disorders in children and adolescents, including nosology, risk factors, context, adaptive functioning, and treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

A scale for home visiting nurses to identify risks of physical abuse and neglect among mothers with newborn infants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to construct and test the reliability (utility, internal consistency, interrater agreement) and the validity (internal validity, concurrent validity) of a scale for home visiting social nurses to identify risks of physical abuse and neglect in mothers with a newborn child. METHOD: A 71-item scale was constructed based on a literature review and focus group sessions with social nurses and paraprofessionals who had experience with underprivileged families. This scale was applied in a random sample of 40 home visiting social nurses, who collected data in a sample of 373 nonabusive and 18 abusive/neglectful mothers with a newborn child. RESULTS: Items with prevalence rates below 5% and items making no significant difference between maltreating and non-maltreating mothers were omitted. The final version contained 20 items. This scale showed high internal consistency (alpha = .92) and high interrater reliability (r = .97). Exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution: Isolation (8 items, explaining 62.17% of the common variance), Psychological complexity (6 items, 18.86%), and Communication problems (6 items, 8.41%). Scores on Communication problems and Isolation significantly predicted scores on a social deprivation scale, which significantly distinguished maltreating from non-maltreating mothers. Mothers scoring high on Communication problems or Isolation obtained higher scores for social deprivation than low-scoring mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Home visiting nurses can identify risks for physical abuse and neglect among mothers with a newborn infant by focusing on signs of social isolation, distorted communication and psychological problems.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Analysis of outcome measures used in the study of patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Validation of evaluation methods is necessary in order to appropriately monitor Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) patients and to determine the effectiveness of treatment and prevention programs. The goal of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of five evaluation methods: a functional index questionnaire (FIQ), visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain, a patellofemoral function scale (PFS), a step test and a subjective report of functional limitations. Measurements for each of the six components were taken on 56 PFPS patients participating in a randomized clinical trial, prior to and at one month following treatment. Modest test-retest reliability for the FIQ, VAS and step test were found. High internal consistency for the FIQ and modest internal consistency for the PFS were demonstrated. The VAS and FIQ were found to be good discriminators for measuring clinical change, while the step test was found to be reliable but poor at detecting clinical change. The PFS, which combines a number of evaluation areas into an index, demonstrated potential to detect clinical change, however, conclusions are limited as reliability testing was not performed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Psychometric properties of the Lebanese-Arabic TEMPS-A: a national epidemiologic study.

BACKGROUND: Several measures have been proposed to evaluate temperament traits and their connection to psychopathology. One recent development in this area is the TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-questionnaire). The purpose of this study is to psychometrically validate the Lebanese-Arabic version of TEMPS-A. METHODS: The TEMPS-A was adapted to Lebanese-Arabic and administered to 1320 Lebanese (593 males, 727 females, mean age of 43+/-16 years) representing the adult population of Lebanon (total population: 4.2 million). This section was added by the Institute for Development Research and Applied Care (IDRAC) to the cross-national World Mental Health (WMH) initiative Lebanese chapter. Chronbach-alpha and Pearson's correlation were used to test the internal consistency and correlation among the subscales. Factor loadings were calculated using the principal component analysis with varimax rotation. RESULTS: Internal consistency varied between 0.66 (depressive) and 0.88 (anxious). As formulated by the originators of the instrument, five main factors emerged from the factor analysis, with some overlap between the depressive, the cyclothymic and the anxious temperaments, but almost none for the hyperthymic and irritable temperaments. The strongest correlation was observed between the anxious and the cyclothymic temperament subscales. Women had higher mean scores on the depressive, cyclothymic, and anxious subscales, whereas men scored higher on the hyperthymic subscale. There was a trend of increase by age in scores of the depressive subscale, and a trend of decrease in the cyclothymic and irritable subscales. CONCLUSION: The Lebanese-Arabic TEMPS-A has a good internal consistency, is easy to use, and opens new and interesting research avenues in large epidemiologic national studies on temperament.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Comparison of the psychometric characteristics of the functional independence measure, 5 item Barthel index, and 10 item Barthel index in patients with stroke.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the motor subscale of the functional independence measure (FIM), the original 10 item Barthel index (BI), and the 5 item short form BI (BI-5) in inpatients with stroke receiving rehabilitation. METHODS: 118 inpatients with stroke at a rehabilitation unit participated in the study. The patients were tested with the FIM motor subscale and original BI at admission to the rehabilitation ward and before discharge from the hospital. The distribution, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and responsiveness of each measure were examined. RESULTS: The BI and FIM motor subscale showed acceptable distribution, high internal consistency (alpha coefficient > or = 0.84), high concurrent validity (Spearman's correlation coefficient, r(s) > or = 0.92, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) > or = 0.83), and high responsiveness (standardised response mean > or = 1.2, p < 0.001). The BI-5 exhibited a notable floor effect at admission but this was not found at discharge. The BI-5 showed acceptable internal consistency at admission and discharge (alpha coefficient > or = 0.71). The concurrent validity of the BI-5 was poor to fair at admission (r(s) = 0.74, ICC < or = 0.55) but was good at discharge (r(s) > or = 0.92, ICC > or = 0.74). It is noted that the responsiveness of the BI-5 was as high as that of the BI and the FIM motor subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the BI and FIM motor subscale had very acceptable and similar psychometric characteristics. The BI-5 appeared to have limited discriminative ability at admission, particularly for patients with severe disability; otherwise the BI-5 had very adequate psychometric properties. These results may provide information useful in the selection of activities of daily living measures for both clinicians and researchers.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2001

The reliability of the wolf motor function test for assessing upper extremity function after stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability of the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) for assessing upper extremity motor function in adults with hemiplegia. DESIGN: Interrater and test-retest reliability. SETTING: A clinical research laboratory at a university medical center. PATIENTS: A sample of convenience of 24 subjects with chronic hemiplegia (onset >1yr), showing moderate motor impairment. INTERVENTION: The WMFT includes 15 functional tasks. Performances were timed and rated by using a 6-point functional ability scale. The WMFT was administered to subjects twice with a 2-week interval between administrations. All test sessions were videotaped for scoring at a later time by blinded and trained experienced therapists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Interrater reliability was examined by using intraclass correlation coefficients and internal consistency by using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Interrater reliability was.97 or greater for performance time and.88 or greater for functional ability. Internal consistency for test 1 was.92 for performance time and.92 for functional ability; for test 2, it was.86 for performance time and.92 for functional ability. Test-retest reliability was.90 for performance time and.95 for functional ability. Absolute scores for subjects were stable over the 2 test administrations. CONCLUSION: The WMFT is an instrument with high interrater reliability, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and adequate stability.

Adolescent↗