SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “construct validity”

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 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

Animal models with construct validity for schizophrenia.

Developing animal models for psychiatric disorders is a complicated process. This is principally due to our relatively limited knowledge of the processes underlying such complicated illnesses as depression and schizophrenia. Unfortunately this can lead to a vicious circle. Our limited knowledge of the disease leads to the inability to develop proper animal models, which will lead to an inability to increase our knowledge about neuronal mechanisms underlying the illness. In the present review we have tried to show that with respect to schizophrenia the situation is slowly changing. Using electrophysiological and psychological methods, clinicians begin to understand the psychopathological processes underlying the schizophrenic process. Preclinical researchers have tried to use this knowledge to develop animal models in which hypotheses can be tested and possible insight into mechanisms underlying the disease can be gained. In the present review three different animal models are presented. These are based on the construct that schizophrenic patients are disturbed in their information processing. More precisely the first two animal models are based on the construct that schizophrenic patients are less able to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant stimuli. The analysis of the literature suggests that the amphetamine-induced distruption of latent inhibition (and probably blocking), and the phencyclidine-induced disturbances in the startle response might provide two interesting animal models with construct, face and predictive validity for schizophrenia. This third model deals with the amphetamine-induced changes in the behaviour of socially living monkeys. This model seems to be related to both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and is based on the construct that the negative symptoms are due to a compensatory mechanism which protects the subjects from "sensory flooding". The amphetamine-induced changes in behaviour of socially living monkeys seem to represent an example of an animal model in which both positive symptoms (stereotypy) and negative symptoms (social isolation) occurs. The construct validity of this model is still unclear, but pharmacological studies suggest that, apart from the face validity, the model also has a certain predictive validity. The models discussed in the present review can help us to increase our insight in neuronal structures underlying information processing disturbances. Structures known to be implicated in these models include the hippocampus, amygdala and ventral striatum.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

[Quality of life. Construct validation and the development of a modular system].

The construct Quality of Life (QoL) is investigated by metaanalysis of eight (inter)nationally validated questionnaires in a multicenter study. Data have been collected in a mentally healthy (n = 479), a depressed (n = 171) and a schizophrenic (n = 139) sample. Conventional psychometric criteria and a facet analytical methodology have been applied. The resulting questionnaire "Modular System for Quality of Life" (MSQoL) consists of a core module with 47 items (one "G-factor" and six subdimensions), which is sufficiently valid for all three samples. Additionally, there are four specific modules (demography, family, partnership, profession). No specific modules can be identified for the psychopathological subgroups. The validated radex structure for subjective QoL offers the opportunity for a cumulative research design and for adaptations to the actual setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Construct validity of the DSM-III and RDC classification of melancholia (endogenous depression).

Diagnostic schedules for any psychiatric disorder should represent a coherent concept and demonstrate adequate construct (internal) validity and transferability. Testing fit to latent class models (e.g. by Rasch model fitting test), correspondence to these requirements can be assessed. Based on data from a sample of 173 depressed in-patients, diagnostic schedules for endogenous depression (melancholia) according to DSM-III and RDC are evaluated for their ability to fit the requirements listed above. According to the data presented, the set of DSM-III-criteria for melancholia represents a coherent concept; on the contrary, this is not the case for RDC-criteria. Furthermore, application of the diagnostic algorithm applied to the defining criteria according to DSM-III has been justified; again, this was not the case for the diagnostic algorithm according to RDC. However, a simple linear diagnostic algorithm emerges from our data.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Evaluating facet-level predictions and construct validity of depressive personality disorder.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Widiger, Trull, Clarkin, Sanderson, and Costa's (1994) facet-level predictions about depressive personality disorder, thereby evaluating the validity of the depressive personality disorder construct. A sample of 67 patients was collected from two treatment facilities. Participants completed three different measures of depressive personality disorder and the NEO-PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992). All measures of depressive personality disorder were significantly correlated with three of the four predicted facets: Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Consciousness. All three measures were significantly correlated with the Vulnerability, Warmth, Gregariousness, Assertiveness, Positive Emotions, Actions, Trusts, and Achievement Striving facets. A series of regression analyses was performed. Two of the predicted facets--Self-Consciousness and Tendermindedness--were able to uniquely account for variance in all three measures of depressive personality across most analyses. However, there was a lack of specificity across other facets in predicting the depressive personality disorder. A facet-level understanding of depressive personality disorder appears to be empirically justified, and the validity of the depressive personality disorder further supported. Additional work is needed on improving the measurement of depressive personality disorder.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMed2002

Knudsen cell construction, validation and studies of the uptake of oxygenated fuel additives on soot.

INTENTION, GOAL, SCOPE, BACKGROUND: The properties of atmospheric particles are important to public health, radiative forcing of the atmosphere and to elucidating the chemical reactivity of atmospheric particles. We have constructed a Knudsen cell to study the uptake of organic compounds on soot. This article describes the construction and validation of the instrument, and our results on commercial soot concerning the uptake coefficient of ethanol, acetone, 1-butanol and diethoxymethane. OBJECTIVES: First, a technical description of the instrument is presented. Next, its performance is validated by measuring the uptake of NO2 on hexane soot. Finally, the uptake coefficients of four oxygenated hydrocarbons on commercial soot are presented. The objective is to contribute to the understanding of the formation of particles in motor vehicle exhaust. METHODS: A Knudsen cell is used to measure the uptake of specific gas-surface systems. A quadrupole mass spectrometer is used to determine the decay rate of a pulse of reagent gas in the reaction chamber. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The BET surface area of the commercial soot was 12.6 m2/g. The uptake coefficient (gamma) has been determined for ethanol (gamma0,BET = 7.7 +/- 4.8 x 10(-8)), 1-butanol 1.4 +/- 0.54 x 10(-7)), acetone (gamma0BET = 1.5 +/- 0.15 x 10(-7)) and diethoxymethane (gamma0,BET = 2.6 +/- 0.61 x 10(-7). These results are characteristic of the specific soot sample used. The ordering of the uptake coefficients, ethanol < 1-butanol approximately acetone < diethoxymethane, can be ascribed to a combination of physical (size and mass) and chemical effects. In addition, the initial uptake coefficient for NO2 on fresh hexane soot was determined to be gamma0,BET = 1.7 +/- 1.1 x 10(-4). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we demonstrate that this instrument is able to measure uptake coefficients that are in agreement with accepted literature values. New data is presented concerning four light oxygenated hydrocarbons. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: A large amount of detailed information concerning individual heterogeneous reactions is necessary in order to model the composition of motor vehicle emissions. We look forward to increasing the size of this database. Results for a series of alcohols and alkanes will be presented in a forthcoming publication.

Carbon↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Construct validation of the ACR 1991 revised criteria for global functional status in rheumatoid arthritis.

In order to assess the construct and discriminatory validity of the 1991 ACR functional status criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a cross-sectional analysis of 62 consecutive patients with RA (according to the American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria) who were attending the outpatient clinic of rheumatology, University Hospital Zürich, was carried out. A moderate-to-strong association of the ACR criteria with pain (r = 0.54), the tender (r = 0.54) and swollen joint count (r = 0.31), grip strength (r = -0.49), C-reactive protein (r = 0.35), the HAQ disability index (r = 0.76), self-perceived global health (r = 0.58), and the Larsen radiological score (r = 0.32) was found. The mean scores of most disease parameters and all 8 domains of the health assessment questionnaire were significantly different between, and increased regularly across, the 4 classes. We conclude that the ACR 1991 functional status criteria for RA are a valid measure of the consequences of impairment and discriminate well the physical functional status.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

The construct validity of the Tower of LondonDX as a measure of the executive functioning of ADHD children.

Currently, there are a limited number of measures that have been developed to assess childhood executive planning and problem-solving abilities. The present study represents ongoing efforts to determine the psychometric properties of the newly developed Tower of London Drexel (TOLDX), a measure of executive functions. Specifically, the construct-related validity of the TOLDX was investigated with a sample of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children (N = 129), 7 to 15 years of age. The performance of the children on a neuropsychological battery of measures sensitive to executive abilities, psychometric intelligence, and memory was subjected to maximum-likelihood factor analysis. A four-factor solution was extracted that best fit the selected variables. The TOLDX was found to produce the highest loading on an Executive Planning/Inhibition factor comprised of other executive measures. The Executive Planning/Inhibition measure was separate from factors of Executive Concept Formation/Flexibility, Psychometric Intelligence, and Memory. Moreover, the two executive factors were found to be correlated (r = .42) suggesting that each assesses, to varying degrees, related executive dimensions. The neuropsychological construct structure of the TOLDX is discussed in relationship with the temporal organization of behavior and frontal lobe functioning.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Quality of life in psychiatry: a systematic contribution to construct validation and the development of the integrative assessment tool "modular system for quality of life".

The aim of the present study is to contribute to an ongoing validation process of the Quality of Life (QoL) construct in the clinical field by investigating its internal structure. Eight (inter)nationally validated questionnaires have been analyzed by an integrative approach in a multicenter study. Data has been collected in a mentally healthy (n = 479), a depressed (n = 171) and a schizophrenic (n = 139) sample. Apart from conventional psychometric criteria a similarity structure analysis (SSA) within a facet analytic methodology has been applied. A dimensional structure of the resulting integrative questionnaire "Modular System for Quality of Life" (MSQoL) could be generated that consists of one "G-factor" (life in general) and six specific dimensions (physical health, vitality, psychosocial relationships, material resources, affect, leisure time). This basic structure represents a core module measured by 47 items which is sufficiently valid for all three samples. The empirical structures of healthy, depressed and schizophrenic samples fulfill the first law of attitude and share a common variance of 95%. In addition, there are four specific modules (demography, family, partnership, profession). No specific modules could be identified for the psychopathological subgroups. The conclusion can be drawn that QoL is construed very similar by all three investigated populations which is the base for searching for quantitative differences and profiles. The MSQoL integrates the non-redundant components of eight QoL-instruments, is psychometrically able to assess the basic structure and can be completed within a cumulative research design by items specific for a particular setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Attachment, positive affect, and competence in the peer group: two studies in construct validation.

2 studies were undertaken to assess the positive affective correlates of secure attachment in infancy and to assess the relation between secure attachment in infancy and competence in the peer group at age 3 1/2 years. In study 1, smiling and smiling combined with vocalizing and/or showing toys distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at age 18 months. Rated quality of affective sharing distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at 18 months and 24 months. Thus, secure attachment involves more than the absence of negative or maladaptive behavior directed toward a caregiver. Study 2 assessed cross-age, cross-situational, and cross-behavioral consistency in quality of social adaptation. Quality of infant-mother attachment relationships at age 15 months was related to Q-sort assessments of personal and interpersonal competence in the preschool play-group at age 3 1/2 years. The results contribute to the validation of attachment as an important developmental construct. They also suggest that age appropriate assessment of developmental social competence constructs can be a useful alternative to the study of homotypic behavioral continuity.

Affect↗

PubMed2007

A clinical construct validity study of a novel computerized battery for the diagnosis of ADHD in young adults.

The cognitive profile of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains understudied despite difficulty in diagnosis. Further, no battery of neuropsychological tests has been shown valid in adult ADHD. Continuous performance tests are widely used for ADHD but provide limited information on cognitive functioning in general. The present study evaluated the construct and discriminant validity of Mindstreams (NeuroTrax Corp., NY), a computerized battery assessing multiple cognitive domains. Twenty-nine young male adults with ADHD diagnosis completed a Mindstreams battery, including a multi-stage continuous performance ('Expanded Go-NoGo') test, and the Conners' CPT-II (Multi-Health Systems Inc., NY). Discriminant validity was assessed by comparisons with cognitively healthy controls of comparable age and education. Expanded Go-NoGo and corresponding CPT-II outcomes were significantly correlated in ADHD participants, and the Expanded Go-NoGo test exhibited excellent discriminant validity, with ADHD participants performing more poorly than controls. ADHD participants also performed more poorly on Stroop and Staged Information Processing Speed tests.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Vertebral deformity as an index of osteoporosis-induced spinal fracture--an external validity construct based on bone density data].

BACKGROUND: In order to test the validity of vertebral morphometry for the assessment of prevalent vertebral osteoporotic fractures, we examined the association between vertebral deformities and bone mineral density (BMD). METHOD: The study population consisted of 595 postmenopausal women and 581 men aged 50 to 82 years who participated in the baseline survey of the European Vertebral Osteoporosis Study (EVOS) in Germany and received BMD measurements by dual-X-ray-absorptiometry (DXA) at the femur and the lumbar spine. RESULTS: In both sexes only vertebral deformities defined by more stringent morphometric criteria (McCloskey; Eastell 4 SD criterion) were significantly and inversely related to BMD (odds ratios 1.42 to 3.21 for a 1 SD [standard deviation] reduction in BMD; p < 0.05). The strength of the association depended on the stringency of the morphometric algorithm applied, and on the site of BMD measurement. The strongest associations were observed with femoral neck BMD in women and with BMD at the lumbar spine in men. In contingency analyses between vertebral deformities and osteoporosis (WHO criteria; European young female BMD reference values), vertebral deformities proved to be highly specific by all methods, even slightly more so in men (87.8 to 97.5%) than in women (86.3 to 96.7%). The predictive value of a positive test with respect to vertebral osteoporosis reached a maximum value of about 50% in both sexes. It further increased up to 72%, when the definition of osteoporosis was based on low BMD values at either the spine or the femoral neck, but only in women. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, for both men and women the likelihood of vertebral deformities to be related to osteoporosis increases with the stringency of the morphometric method, with a similar probability of major deformities to represent vertebral osteoporotic fractures in men as in women. Nevertheless, even the most stringent morphometric criteria are not sufficiently valid instruments for the assessment of the prevalence of vertebral osteoporotic fractures in epidemiological studies.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Neuropsychological correlates of school achievement in young children: longitudinal findings with a construct valid perceptual processing instrument.

A form discrimination and a form copying test developed using constructs from basic research in form perception were administered to first-, second-, and third-grade children. Relationships between performance on these tests and achievement scores were investigated both concurrently and over a 2-year follow-up period. These analyses demonstrated the relevance of visual-perceptual factors to academic achievement at all grade levels. Additionally, the pattern of relationships obtained substantiated the existence of age trends in the relationship between perceptual processing factors and academic achievement as has been hypothesized in the child neuropsychology literature.

Achievement↗

PubMed1989

Multidimensionality of health status in an elderly population. Construct validity of a measurement battery.

Although health is generally accepted to be a multidimensional construct, the relationship among various domains has not been well defined. To understand this issue better we used principal components analysis to examine the relations among a set of health status measures gathered on 590 elderly members of a health maintenance organization (HMO). These included functional health, emotional health, social activity within and outside of the family, and cognitive functioning (all based on patient interview), physicians' ratings of patients' health, and chart-derived data on physiologic health. Support was obtained for the umbrella concept of "health" as well as for six subcomponents: functional health, emotional health, physiologic health, both kinds of social activity, and cognitive functioning. Patients' ratings of their overall physical and mental health were related to functional, physiologic, and emotional health factors, whereas physicians' ratings of overall physical and mental health were never related to the emotional health factor. This suggests that patients may hold a broader frame of reference in gauging overall health than physicians do.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1997

Is alexithymia a culture-bound construct? Validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire.

The possibility remains that alexithymia is a culture-bound construct. The authors examined the validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire, testing two samples of 473 college students and 149 psychiatric outpatients. The face validity and internal consistencies were suggested by factor analysis, adequate internal consistency, relatively high test-retest correlations, and high specificity and sensitivity. The Japanese versions of these two alexithymia scales therefore seem suitable for use among college students and psychiatric outpatients. However, there were several problematic points which may be associated with cultural differences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Construct validity of psychopathy in a female offender sample: a multitrait-multimethod evaluation.

The authors examined the construct of psychopathy as applied to 103 female offenders, using the multitrait-multimethod matrix proposed by D. T. Campbell and D. W. Fiske (1959). Instruments used in the study included the following: (a) Antisocial Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991); (b) Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (R. D. Hare, 1990); and (c) Antisocial scale of the Personality Disorder Examination (A. W. Loranger, 1988). Criterion-related validity was also evaluated to determine the relationship between psychopathy and staff ratings of aggressive and disruptive behavior within the institution. Results revealed significant convergence and divergence across the instruments supporting the construct of psychopathy in a female offender sample. The measures of psychopathy demonstrated moderate convergence with staff ratings of violence, verbal aggression, manipulativeness, lack of remorse, and noncompliance. It is interesting to note that an exploratory factor analysis of the PCL-R identified a substantially different factor structure for women than has been previously found for male psychopathy.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Educationally influential physicians: the need for construct validation.

INTRODUCTION: Educationally influential physicians may be a valuable resource in continuing medical education. Although the idea driving this research--informal learning--converges with research in adult education, organizational learning, marketing, and knowledge diffusion, the results of interventions have proven inconclusive. To actualize the promise of the educationally influential physician (EIP) construct, it is argued that researchers must return to the "classic" studies in this area and resume the process of validating the meaning of the construct. METHODS: A literature review and the occasion of an educationally influential physician identification survey provided an opportunity to contribute to development of this construct. We compared three identification rules used to study 212 physicians. RESULTS: Each rule may identify different people as EIPs. DISCUSSION: To improve the use of educational influentials, research must be completed to validate their role in informal learning.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Pattern reliability of narcotics addicts' self-reported data: a confirmatory assessment of construct validity and consistency.

Pattern reliability, or the invariance of relationships among variables, was investigated in this study. The consistency of theoretical constructs reflected by measures taken at two separate occasions can be tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Self-report data were obtained from 323 narcotics addicts in two face-to-face interviews conducted in 1974/75 and 1985/86. The two interviews overlapped approximately 4 years between 1970 and 1974/75. Through the testing of the invariance of measurement and structural models, pattern reliability was confirmed in one of the models developed. Explication of pattern reliability offers an alternative means of assessing validity of self-report data.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Construct validity of the Bender-Gestalt II: comparison with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III.

This study investigated the relationships of visuomotor constructs as measured by the Bender-Gestalt II with the subtests of the WISC-III. A factor analysis included the standardized Copy and Recall scores of the Bender-Gestalt II and subtest scores of the WISC-III. The Copy score was predicted to load on measures of visual and spatial thinking and the Recall score on a short-term memory factor. The results of a principal components analysis suggest a four-factor solution with the Bender-Gestalt II Copy score loading on a visual and spatial thinking factor primarily with WISC-III Perceptual Organization subtests. The Recall score loaded on a visual and spatial thinking factor as well as a short-term memory factor with the WISC-III Digit Span subtest. The results suggest the Bender-Gestalt II Copy subtest shared commonality with the visual and spatial tasks given the similarity in the visuomotor demands of each test and was less influenced by processing speed or cultural knowledge than other tests on the visual and spatial thinking factor. Also, results suggest Bender-Gestalt II Recall measures elements of both visual and spatial thinking as well as aspects of short-term memory and memory retrieval. Clinical guidelines for co-administration and underlying processing demands are discussed.

Adolescent↗