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PubMed1992

The assessment of sexual function in cancer patients.

The sexual function of cancer patients may be compromised by their disease or treatment. This is infrequently assessed as an outcome variable and methodological differences between reported studies make comparison difficult. Where sexual function is being assessed as one dimension of a more comprehensive assessment of quality of life, a single item concerned with frequency of intercourse or satisfaction may be sufficient, but many studies require more detailed information. Methods developed for clinical assessment of sexual dysfunction are generally too long and detailed for this purpose. The best developed scales for cancer patients are embedded in lengthy and expensive questionnaires. A pool of items can be identified from which a scale could be derived to assess the relevant aspects of sexual experience. The development of an appropriate and psychometrically sound scale is now required to encourage greater consideration of the impact of disease and treatment on cancer patients' sexual function.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A self-report measure of violence risk, II.

A brief self-report scale designed to measure the risk of violence was developed. Scale scores were found to be significantly related to a history of violence, or violence as a reason for admission, in psychiatric inpatients. Internal reliability was found to be high. A group of psychiatric inpatients could be significantly discriminated from a normal group of individuals, both on total scale score as well as on each individual item. Sensitivity and specificity were also determined. The value of the scale is in its brevity, in its focus on overt behavior as well as feelings, and in the fact that it defines a profile of characteristics that have been found to be associated with violent behavior. It thus represents a useful tool for future research on human aggression.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Normative data for the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) in Swedish adolescents.

The Swedish translation of a new scale developed for childhood and adolescent anxiety, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), was studied regarding reliability and convergent validity and to obtain norms in a general population. Four hundred and five adolescents, reasonably representative of Swedish adolescents, were asked to rate their anxiety symptoms on the MASC. In order to study the convergent validity, they also rated their depressive symptoms on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), their attitude to their body on the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA) and filled in demographical data on themselves. The MASC showed adequate internal consistency both for the whole scale (alpha = 0.87) and for subscales (range 0.64-0.84). The scale showed convergent validity through a moderate correlation with the CDI (r=0.400, P=0.0001) and the BESAA (r= - 0.29, P=0001). Girls scored higher (mean = 38.9) than boys (mean = 31.9) on the MASC total score (t(385) = 5.14, P=0.0001) and on the subscales, except Harm avoidance. Using the MASC as a general screen for anxiety, scores of 48 for boys and 56 for girls using MASC total scores, or scores of 15 for boys and 17 for girls using the Anxiety Disorders Index could be employed (both representing the 90th percentiles). The MASC appears to be a reliable and valid scale both on the global and on the subscale level.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Cross-cultural similarity in the love attitudes scale: short form.

Recently, Hendrick, Hendrick, and Dicke presented two short forms of the Love Attitudes Scale, the first using 24 items with 4 items for each subscale and the second using 18 items with 3 items for each subscale. Their data indicated that the two short versions have even stronger psychometric properties than the original scale. This study reports an 18-item short form of the scale developed independently in Taiwan using 460 graduate and undergraduate students in the fall semester of 1997. The results demonstrated a remarkable cross-cultural similarity in the development and response to the short form of the scale and its applicability to a broader cultural setting.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[A study on the relationships of discomfort, self-esteem, personality and life satisfaction in persons with rheumatoid arthritis].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of discomfort, self-esteem, personality and life-satisfaction in persons with rheumatoid arthritis and to provide basic data to help them attain a better quality of life. From Jan. 27 to Feb. 24, 1988, 53 patients, registered at a rheumatic clinic at one general hospital in Seoul, were accepted as subjects for this study. The instruments used for this study were a discomfort scale and life-satisfaction scale developed by the researcher, Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and Wallston and Wallston's Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MEILC) Scale. The reliability of the scales were tested by Cronsbach's alpha. The collected data were analyzed by the SAS program using unpaired t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's Correlation Coefficients. The results were as follows: 1. There was a significant difference in the subjects perceived discomfort level (t = -3.49, p = .0010) between the onset of the disease (14.87 +/- 9.02) and the present (19.87 +/- 8.44). 2. There was a significant correlation between the MHLC-internal score and the MHLC-chance score (r = -.4366, p = .0011). 3. The findings related to the demographic variables regarding the MHLC scores were as follows: 1) Regarding sex, there was a significant difference for the MHLC-internal score (t = 4.2572, df = 15.2, p = .0007) between male (32.13 +/- 2.47) and female (27.56 +/- 4.17). But the MHLC-chance score for male (15.13 +/- 2.85) was lower (t = 3.153 9, df = 21.8, p = .0047) than for female (19.47 +/- 6.29). 2) Regarding educational background, the MHLC-chance score for the below-high school group (20.52 +/- 5.81) was higher (t = 2.5450, df = 51.0, p = .0140) than the college graduate group (16.41 +/- 5.76). 4. The average Self-esteem score was 26.87 (S.D. = 5.29) and there was a significant correlation between the Self-esteem score and the MHLC-chance score (r = .3122, p = .0026). 5. It was found that the subjects' Discomfort score was correlated with the Self-esteem score (r = -.3788, p = .0051) and the Life-satisfaction score (r = -.3570, p = .0087). It was also found that subjects' Self-esteem score was correlated with the Life-satisfaction score (r = .4474, p = .0008).

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMed1992

Clinical and laboratory measures of postural balance in an elderly population.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare scores on the Balance Scale with laboratory measures of postural sway and other clinical measures of balance and mobility. Thirty-one elderly subjects were assessed on the clinical measures and the laboratory tests of postural sway while standing still and in response to pseudorandom movements of the platform. The average correlation between the Balance Scale and the spontaneous sway measures was -.55. It was slightly lower (r = -.38) for the same parameters measured during the pseudorandom tests. There were high correlations between the Balance Scale and the Balance Sub-Scale developed by Tinetti (r = .91), Barthel Mobility sub-scale (r = .67), and timed "Up and Go" (r = -.76). The Balance Scale was the most efficient measure (effect size > 1) to statistically discriminate between subjects according to their use of each type of mobility aide (walker, cane, no aids). These data contribute to existing information on the performance of the Balance Scale and supports the validity of the Balance Scale in this geriatric population.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Development of a scale to measure adolescents' beliefs and attitudes about postponing sexual initiation.

PURPOSE: To develop a scale to measure adolescent beliefs and attitudes about postponing sexual initiation (PSI). METHODS: A theory-based, 12-item scale measuring beliefs about PSI was developed and administered via a mailed questionnaire to those participants in an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of adolescents who had not yet initiated sexual intercourse. Internal consistency reliability, content validity, factorial validity, and construct validity were assessed using cross-sectional data. RESULTS: Mean age for boys was 14.4 (+/- 1.6) years and for girls 14.3 (+/-1.6) years (range 11 to 19 years), and 93% of respondents were white. The beliefs about PSI rated as most important by both girls and boys were concern about pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Cronbach alpha for the scale was 0.83 for girls and 0.88 for boys. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the items loaded on four factors consistent with the theoretical basis of the model and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good fit of the overall model. The PSI scale score was associated with hypothesized sociodemographic, psychological, and behavioral variables, supporting construct validity of the scale. A higher score was associated with female gender; age < or = 14 years; higher global and social self-esteem; more frequent attendance at religious services; less peer pressure to have sexual intercourse; nonuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, and cigarettes; and no intention to initiate sexual intercourse in the next year. CONCLUSIONS: The PSI scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. Future research is needed to evaluate the utility of this scale in predicting sexual initiation and in interventions aimed at postponing sexual initiation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Comparison of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales--survey form, and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development with infants evaluated for developmental delay.

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales is an extensive revision of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale; however, research comparing the two scales with different populations and measures of intelligence is limited. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales--Survey Form, the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, and the mental scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to 44 infants referred for evaluation of developmental delay. The differences between means were compared and shared variance examined. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales--Survey Form scores were significantly higher than those of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale and the Bayley Mental Development Index. No significant differences were found between the means of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development--Mental Development Index. Correlations were .59 between the Bayley Index and scores on the Vineland--Survey Form and .72 between the Bayley Index and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Between versions of the Vineland scale r = .39. Implications for diagnosis and educational classification are discussed.

Developmental Disabilities↗

PubMed2001

Anxiety sensitivity in the prediction of pain-related fear and anxiety in a heterogeneous chronic pain population.

The present study evaluated anxiety sensitivity, along with depression and pain severity, as predictors of pain-related fear and anxiety in a heterogeneous chronic pain population (n=68). The results indicated that the global anxiety sensitivity factor, as indexed by the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI: Reiss, Peterson, Gursky & McNally, 1986: Reiss, S., Peterson, R. A., Gursky, M. & McNally, R. J. (1986). Anxiety, sensitivity, anxiety frequency, and the prediction of fearfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24, 1-8) total score, was a better predictor of fear of and anxiety about pain relative to the other relevant variables. Additionally, the physical concerns subscale of the ASI was a better predictor of pain-related fear dimensions characterized by high degrees of physiological symptoms and behavioral activation on both the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III (FPQ-III; McNeil & Rainwater, 1998: McNeil, D. W. & Rainwater, A. J. (1998). Development of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III. Journal of Behavioral Medicine.) and Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS; McCracken, Zayfert & Gross, 1992: McCracken, L. M., Zayfert, C. & Gross, R. T. (1992). The Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale: Development and validation of a scale to measure fear of pain. Pain, 50, 67-73). In a related way, the ASI psychological concerns subscale was a better predictor of pain-related anxiety dimensions characterized by cognitive symptoms of anxiety. Overall, these findings reiterate the importance of anxiety sensitivity in understanding pain-related fear and anxiety, and suggest anxious and fearful responding can be predicted more accurately with higher levels of correspondence between a particular anxiety sensitivity domain and events that closely match that fear.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Identifying video game addiction in children and adolescents.

There is a current trend of thought among some scholars of gambling that arcade video game playing in some adolescents may develop into a behavior which resembles a gambling addiction. A scale, developed to identify arcade video game addiction in adolescents, was administered to 467 secondary school children in a coastal town in the UK. Initial psychometric tests show that the scale has acceptable internal consistency reliability and factorial validity, and is significantly related to alternative means of assessing excessive video game play. The implications of the study findings are discussed together with its limitations and suggestions for future research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Effect of firmness of mattress on chronic non-specific low-back pain: randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial.

BACKGROUND: A firm mattress is commonly believed to be beneficial for low-back pain, although evidence supporting this recommendation is lacking. We assessed the effect of different firmnesses of mattresses on the clinical course of patients with chronic non-specific low-back pain. METHODS: In a randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial, we assessed 313 adults who had chronic non-specific low-back pain, but no referred pain, who complained of backache while lying in bed and on rising. Mattress firmness is rated on a scale developed by the European Committee for Standardisation. The H(s) scale starts at 1.0 (firmest) and stops at 10.0 (softest). We randomly assigned participants firm mattresses (H(s)=2.3) or medium-firm mattresses (H(s)=5.6). We did clinical assessments at baseline and at 90 days. Primary endpoints were improvements in pain while lying in bed, pain on rising, and disability. FINDINGS: At 90 days, patients with medium-firm mattresses had better outcomes for pain in bed (odds ratio 2.36 [95% CI 1.13-4.93]), pain on rising (1.93 [0.97-3.86]), and disability (2.10 [1.24-3.56]) than did patients with firm mattresses. Throughout the study period, patients with medium-firm mattresses also had less daytime low-back pain (p=0.059), pain while lying in bed (p=0.064), and pain on rising (p=0.008) than did patients with firm mattresses. INTERPRETATION: A mattress of medium firmness improves pain and disability among patients with chronic non-specific low-back pain.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Scaling satan.

The influence on social behavior of beliefs in Satan and the nature of evil has received little empirical study. Elaine Pagels (1995) in her book, The Origin of Satan, argued that Christians' intolerance toward others is due to their belief in an active Satan. In this study, more than 200 college undergraduates completed the Manitoba Prejudice Scale and the Attitudes Toward Homosexuals Scale (B. Altemeyer, 1988), as well as the Belief in an Active Satan Scale, developed by the authors. The Belief in an Active Satan Scale demonstrated good internal consistency and temporal stability. Correlational analyses revealed that for the female participants, belief in an active Satan was directly related to intolerance toward lesbians and gay men and intolerance toward ethnic minorities. For the male participants, belief in an active Satan was directly related to intolerance toward lesbians and gay men but was not significantly related to intolerance toward ethnic minorities. Results of this research showed that it is possible to meaningfully measure belief in an active Satan and that such beliefs may encourage intolerance toward others.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Self-report multiple mood instruments.

Some dozen mood measurement instruments are surveyed with an emphasis on multiplicity of mood measurement with applications reviewed under topic headings as follows: Mood scales, Group studies, Drugs and drug use, Alcohol and mood, Mood and smoking behaviour, Birth control and menstrual cycle, Mood and hypnotizability, Sleep and mood, Age, sex and mood, Mood and aesthetics, Mood state manipulation, Scale development and relationships, Recommendations. It is pointed out that any scale to be recommended to prospective users should (a) be relatively easy for self-administration, (b) have unambiguous scales, (c) be easy to score, (d) be quite short in administration time, (e) provide the maximum possible information.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Validation of an outcome scale for use in adult psychiatric practice.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the usefulness, acceptability, sensitivity, and validity of version 4 of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS), a scale developed to meet the requirement for a clinically acceptable outcome scale for routine use in mental illness services. DESIGN: Patients with a range of mental illnesses were rated on the HoNOS at the beginning and end of an episode by interviews with mental health professionals. SUBJECTS: 934 patients from eight diagnostic categories were rated by 129 mental health professionals at 17 sites; 250 were also rated on a range of comparison scales. OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of patients' scores at the beginning and end of an episode using individual item scores, dimensional subscores, and the total score. RESULTS: HoNOS scores decreased by almost 50% between the beginning and end of episodes. They varied with the severity of the setting and discriminant analysis showed that the HoNOS had a moderate level of discriminatory power. Correlation analysis showed acceptable levels of agreement with independent scales, although the accuracy of ratings of some items at the beginning of an episode was affected by information deficits. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that HoNOS is sensitive to change across time and to differences in illness type and severity, and has a sufficient degree of both construct and criterion related validity to fulfil the requirements of a mental health outcome scale for routine use in clinical settings.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

Correlation between plasma chlorpromazine and its metabolites and clinical ratings in patients with acute relapse of schizophrenic and paranoid psychosis.

Nine patients diagnosed as having acute schizophrenic psychosis were treated with chlorpromazine. Their clinical response to drug treatment was measured by the use of a clinical rating scale developed from the Present State Examination, and a nurses rating scale. Plasma levels of chlorpromazine (CPZ), 7-hydroxychlorpromazine (7OHCPZ), monodesmethylchlorpromazine (NOR1CPZ) and chlorpromazine sulphoxide (SOCPZ), were monitored during the period of hospital treatment. Correlations were made between the increase in plasma levels of drug or metabolites and improvement in the different PSE scores. These showed that the most significant correlations occurred when symptoms with high diagnostic significance for schizophrenia (Group 1) and symptoms rating perceptual disorders (P) were correlated with plasma 7OHCPZ levels in plasma samples taken before the first morning dose of CPZ. The ration of 7OHCPZ to CPZ in these samples increased significantly as clinical ratings improved, this correlation being most highly significant against the Group 1 and P scores. The ratio of 7OHPCZ to SOCPZ increased significantly only in the case of Group 1 and P scores. This indicates a preferential shift of CPZ metabolism towards the formation of the active 7OHCPZ during the period of clinical improvement.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1989

[A study on factors related to daily activities of post myocardial infarction patients].

The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to daily activities of post myocardial infarction patients. Data were collected from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, 1988 through an interview schedule lasting for about 30-60 minutes by the investigators. Tools for this study were a daily activities scale and a subjective physical symptom scale developed by the researchers, and Zung's self rating depression scale. The subjects were 45 men 18 women post myocardial infarction patients who were receiving follow up care at SNU Hospital. The data were analyzed by percentage, mean, t-test, ANOVA, the Pearson moment Correlation Coefficient test, and Cronbach's a reliability test. The results were as follows. 1. Reliability of the daily activities scale was 0.91 by Cronbach's a. In the daily activities scale, items about transfer, exercise, and job related activities were most highly rated as meaningful to the post myocardial infarction patients. 2. The average daily activities score of these patients was 3.30 (maximum point:4) all scores were high except for exercise and job related activities. 3. There was a significant difference in daily activities according to sex; men had a higher daily activities score than women (T=2.32, P less than 0.05). 4. There was a significant difference in daily activities according to job status. Subjects having a job had a higher daily activities score. 5. The lower the depression score, the higher the daily activities score (gamma=-0.5748, P less than 0.05). 6. The lower the subjective physical symptoms score, the higher the daily activities score (gamma=-0.6015, P less than 0.05).

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1996

A quality tool for health insurers. A new scale measures "quality orientation" from the customer's point of view.

This study defines a company's quality orientation as "all process-related activities that can be discerned by customers." This even includes certain processes internal to the company that can be seen and evaluated by customers. One significant contribution this study provides is scale development centered on customer rather than employee perceptions. To generate scale items, input was gathered from experts involved in the study, senior managers employed with the target company, focus groups of employees working on the front line with customers, and users of the services. Because the sale measures customer perceptions of quality in comparison with the firm's closest competitor, it provides managers with information for benchmarking performance relative to others in the marketplace.

Consumer Behavior↗

PubMed2002

Psychometric evaluation of the Demands of Immigration Scale with Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Each year thousands of people move across national borders and become immigrants of another country. They face several demands and sources of distress during resettlement. The Demands of Immigration (DI) Scale developed by Aroian et al. (1998), is the only instrument available to nurses (and other clinicians and researchers) to measure immigration-specific distress. This scale, however, is written in English and has only been tested with former Soviet immigrants in the Boston area of United States of America (USA) for psychometrics. AIM: This instrumentation pilot study is designed to evaluate the readability and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the DI Scale. INSTRUMENT: This selected scale is a 23-item, 6-point Liket type scale. Six dimensions are included: loss, novelty, occupation adjustment, language accommodation, discriminations, and not feeling at home. High scores indicate high levels of distress related to the demands of immigration. METHODS: The study uses a descriptive, cross-sectional design with a multimethod approach. Seventy-three Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants (> or = 18 years) in the USA responded to the scale and a demographic questionnaire. Eighteen of them contributed to the interview data that were collected for assessing content validity of the scale. Observations during the interviews and participants' questions were also documented for the evaluation. Scale format, wording of items, distribution of responses, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, and construct validity are examined. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: Analyses suggest that the Chinese version is easy to read and understand. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability are satisfactory. This scale could be used with Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants as a generic measure of immigration-related distress. Nonetheless, three main problems with its use with Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants and Chinese immigrants at large are revealed in the study. Each problem is discussed. Suggestions for further development of the Chinese DI Scale are addressed.

Adult↗