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Results for “scale development”

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PubMed1989

Cohesion, alliance and outcome in group psychotherapy.

Cohesiveness has been viewed as the group psychotherapy equivalent of the therapeutic alliance in individual treatment. Although researchers have attempted to study the concept of cohesion in group treatment, understanding of this so-called "curative" group factor remains quite primitive. In this study of 12 time-limited psychotherapy groups, with a total of 90 nonpsychotic outpatients, we explore the relationships between cohesion, alliance and treatment outcome. Our cohesion measure is a new instrument, the Harvard Community Health Plan Group Cohesiveness Scale, developed for use with group therapy videotapes. To measure alliance we have modified the Penn Helping Alliance Scale (Group Alliance Scale) to be scored from videotapes of group sessions. Both of these instruments use trained observers to make ratings for the group-as-a-whole. The outcome battery for patients in these groups included a widely varied set of measures, enabling us to view change from a number of perspectives. Our findings indicate that cohesion and alliance as measured here are related concepts. We also find that both cohesion and alliance appear to have strong relationships with improved self-esteem and reduced symptomatology for patients in these groups. In addition, it appears that outcome is most related to cohesion in the first 30 minutes of a group session. Implications of these and other findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Coma scale for use in brain-injured children.

The association between admission coma score and eventual outcome was assessed using a coma scale developed for children with a variety of central nervous system injuries. As opposed to the Glasgow coma scale, this scale does not demand assessment of verbalization, and thus can be applied to the preverbal or previously intubated child. Cortical function is graded from 6 (purposeful, spontaneous movements) to 0 (flaccid), and brainstem function is graded from 3 (intact) to 0 (absent and apneic). Maximum total score is 9. In 91 children treated for intracranial hypertension, the association was moderately good. The scale was better in predicting the outcome of patients with hypoxic encephalopathy and head trauma than that of patients with Reye's syndrome, meningitis, or encephalitis. No child with a score of less than 3 survived in spite of intensive therapy. Most of these children were flaccid with depressed or absent brainstem reflexes. No child with flaccidity on admission survived.

Brain Injuries↗

PubMed1985

Measuring activism regarding the nuclear arms race.

A 14-item questionnaire measure of activism regarding the nuclear arms race is described. Scale development analyses were conducted on 227 subjects, and internal consistency reliabilities ranged from .56 to .91 for scales assessing four aspects of activism on this issue. High correlations were obtained between these brief scales and corresponding measures derived from a 50-item long form. Responses of five subject groups were also compared: workers in defense industries, participants in a Republican party meeting, graduate students in psychology, religious teachers, and peace activists. Applications of this measure for study of the behavioral component of responses to the nuclear arms race are discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1985

MMPI Scales for measuring Eysenck's personality factors.

Four new MMPI Scales were constructed to identify Eysenck's personality factors of psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism as well as a lie score. The scales showed good construct validities against the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Friedman Overlap Scales developed from items in the MMPI. The study also supported the construct validity of the Friedman overlap scales.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1991

The distribution of Tyr- and Glu-microtubules during fish scale regeneration.

Cyclic rearrangements of the microtubules (Mts) occur in the hyposquamal scleroblasts which synthesize the highly ordered three-dimensional collagen network forming the basal plate of the fish scale. The distribution of Mts containing tyrosinated and detyrosinated alpha-tubulin (Tyr-Mts and Glu-Mts, respectively) was analyzed in relation to the frequency of Mt reorganization in the teleostean elasmoid scale during collagen deposition using two specific monoclonal antibodies. In the very flat hyposquamal scleroblasts of fully developed scales (with a very low synthetic activity) two microtubule populations were identified. Most contain Tyr-tubulin while Glu-tubulin is found in some "stable" Mts. In the tall prismatic scleroblasts of regenerating scales (active in collagen synthesis) only Tyr-Mts have been revealed. In late stage of regeneration, when the synthetic activity decreases and the scleroblasts flatten, an increasing centriole and Mt labeling with Glu-tubulin antibody was observed. The intimate relationship of intracellular microtubule arrangement and extracellular collagen fibril pattern reported earlier (Zylberberg et al., Cell Tissue Res. 253, 597-603 (1988], together with the results presented here, support the hypothesis that a changing Mt pattern is involved in the generation of the collagen plywood.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

[The Pain Perception Scale--a differentiated and change-sensitive scale for assessing chronic and acute pain].

Presented is a diagnostic instrument to assess chronic and acute pain, that allows multifaceted and standardized quantification of pain experience. This tool--the Pain Experience Scale ("Schmerzempfindungsskala"--SES)--measures two dimensions of subjectively felt pain, the affective characterization as well as modes of sensory characterization of pain. Applications range from degenerative or inflammatory joint and back pain to headache/migraine, neuropathias and other pain-related diseases (age 16 to 80 years). Completion, evaluation, and interpretation are done easily. Scale development had comprised 3 steps of research for obtaining a model of invariant structure and homogenous factors. Scale analyses demonstrated the instrument's reliability, and numerous studies illustrated the validity of the scale. They showed that factorial, convergent and discriminant validity can be regarded as given. Moreover, the scale proved to be sensitive in experimental pain studies. Additionally, specific patterns of scores could be observed validly for 18 different groups of disease/pain. Special efforts were invested to show its sensitivity to change in the course of pains. Here, the Pain Experience Scale proved to be suitable in postoperative pain, drug-based pain therapies, different psychological pain management approaches, physiotherapeutic prevention, and a multimodal treatment programme of a specialized pain clinic. In German-speaking countries, the SES has been in use for several years as a well-proven instrument in medical care, clinical research as well as field evaluation.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1997

Family stress, perception of pregnancy, and age of first menarche among pregnant adolescents.

Family-of-origin stress, age of first menarche, and the perception of pregnancy as a life event were examined in 97 pregnant adolescents ages 13 to 18. This study investigated whether family-of-origin stress levels were significantly related to the pregnant adolescent's perception of her pregnancy as a life event. The study also examined whether age of first menarche was related to the subject's level of family stress. Family stress levels were assessed through the Adolescent-Family Inventory of Life-Events and Changes (A-FILE) developed by McCubbin & Thompson (1987). Perception of pregnancy as a life event was measured on a Likert scale developed by the researcher. Age of first menarche was obtained via self-report. Results indicated high levels of family stress among subjects with only a moderate level of impact or stress experienced from the pregnancy. As a group, the subjects experienced first menarche between 12 to 13 years of age, which is the average age supported by other studies within the United States.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

The development of a 10-item self-report scale (EPDS) to screen for Postnatal Depression in the community is described. After extensive pilot interviews a validation study was carried out on 84 mothers using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for depressive illness obtained from Goldberg's Standardised Psychiatric Interview. The EPDS was found to have satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, and was also sensitive to change in the severity of depression over time. The scale can be completed in about 5 minutes and has a simple method of scoring. The use of the EPDS in the secondary prevention of Postnatal Depression is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Life satisfaction and adverse effects in renal transplant recipients: a longitudinal analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Previous cross-sectional analyses have identified significant associations between quality of life (QOL), comorbidities and adverse effects in renal transplant recipients. This report examines the longitudinal relationship between adverse effects and QOL, with particular attention to the relative impact of adverse effects associated with immunosuppression. METHODS: The Transplant Learning Center (TLC) is a program designed to improve QOL and preserve graft function in transplant recipients. Self-selected enrollees filled out questionnaires at roughly 3-month intervals. Each questionnaire included QOL scales developed for the program. Repeated measures multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the QOL scales, comorbidities, adverse effects, adjusting for other factors. RESULTS: A total of 4247 TLC enrollees were included in the analysis, with a mean time since transplant of 5.1 yr. Comorbidities and adverse effects were common, with high blood pressure reported by 87% of respondents and unusual hair growth reported by 69.6%. In bivariate analysis, emotional/psychological problems and headaches had the largest impact on QOL. In multivariate analysis, emotional/psychological problems decreased sexual interest or ability, and headache had the largest adverse QOL effect. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified QOL issues that have been previously underemphasized in transplant recipients. These findings open new areas of research to further explore and define these issues. They provide new opportunities for interventions to address factors adversely impacting QOL and to develop strategies to improve QOL in these patients. Clinicians should actively solicit information about adverse effects of medications, particularly information about sexual and relationship issues, when evaluating renal recipients. These issues should be taken into account when making therapeutic decisions.

Comorbidity↗

PubMed1995

Cross-cultural validation of existing quality of life scales.

Health care has recently tended to take a more global perspective when considering the individual patient. In addition to a measure of functional status, the integration of the disease into the daily life of the individual, or his quality of life, is now being evaluated. This concept, while relatively recent, is the result, in part, of changes in attitudes towards diagnosis and treatment of patients, particularly those with chronic and severe diseases. Over time, what is sought is a measurement of change in the level of well-being during the evolution of an illness. In clinical trials, the different levels that exist between 2 groups may be measured. The validation of a quality of life scale requires both a qualitative and a quantitative approach with attention being paid to the methodological issues in scale development. Specific statistical techniques are used to modify evolving versions. The cross-cultural adaptation of an existing scale into another language requires a rigorous qualitative phase before the quantitative phase is begun. The end product of this approach should be an equivalent scale, rather than a literal translation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Scaling DNAPL migration from the laboratory to the field.

A particular problem with the release of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) into the environment is identifying where the DNAPL is and if it is still moving. This question is particularly important at sites where thousands of cubic meters of DNAPLs were disposed of. To date, results from laboratory models have not been scaled to predict analogous migration at the larger length and time scales appropriate for sites where large volumes of DNAPLs were released. Modified inspectional analysis is a technique for developing scaling relationships through nondimensionalizing the governing equations. It was applied in this study to scale observations of DNAPL migration in a laboratory model to four hypothetical scenarios in the field where large volumes of DNAPL were released. One scenario was compared to a large DNAPL spill site. The length and time scales of DNAPL movement predicted from our analysis are consistent with those predicted from a numerical model of this site. To our knowledge, this is the first application of modified inspectional analysis for release of DNAPLs in a laboratory model. This methodology may prove useful for scaling results from other laboratory investigations of DNAPL migration to field-scale systems.

Hazardous Waste↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The readability of original articles in surgical journals.

BACKGROUND: Readability indices have been developed based on sentence length and the use of long words. One such measure is the Reading Ease Scale developed by Rudolf Flesch. Texts that are easy to read have high scores: texts with scores below 30 are similar to legal contracts. This study uses Flesch scores to evaluate the readability of surgical journals. METHODS: Flesch scores were calculated for articles published in the Archives of Surgery, the British Journal of Surgery, and the ANZ Journal of Surgery. The first 30 original articles published in each journal in 2005 were selected for study. Excluded from study were editorials, reviews and case reports. RESULTS: The overall median score was 15.1 (0.0-29.1). The median scores for each of the journals were 12.4 (Archives of Surgery), 14.4 (British Journal of Surgery), and 18.6 (ANZ Journal of Surgery). There was only a minor link between Flesch scores and the use of surgical terms. CONCLUSION: Original articles published in surgical journals contain too many long sentences and complex words. Readability indices are useful tools because they promote the use of simple English. It is realistic for authors to aim for Flesch scores above 30 when creating manuscripts.

Comprehension↗

PubMed2001

[Examination of validity of the subjective fatigue scale for young adults].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a new type of Subjective Fatigue Scale for young adults (SFS-Y). METHODS: The SFS-Y consisted of 24 item questions representing 6 sub-scales of difficulty of concentrated thinking, languor, reduced activation, reduced motivation, drowsiness and feeling of physical disintegration. The SFS-Y, subjective symptoms index (SSI), chronic fatigue symptoms index (CFSI), multidimensional fatigue index (MFI) and the Chalder fatigue scale (CFS) were administered to 5435 students aged 15-20 yr. RESULTS: It was inferred that SFS-Y can evaluate individual differences from the viewpoints of score distribution and discrimination power. It was considered that the SFS-Y has high generality because it includes many question items with a similar content to existing fatigue scales and it can do multiple evaluations covering almost all aspects of existing scales. The relationships between sub-scales in the SFS-Y and existing fatigue scales were high in sub-scales with similar names and was low in ones with different names. CONCLUSION: The Subjective Fatigue Scale developed to evaluate subjective fatigue for youths was considered to be excellent in validity and to be effective scale.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Measurement characteristics of two asthma symptom diary scales for use in clinical trials.

The measurement characteristics of two asthma symptom diary scales developed for use as health outcome measures in clinical trials of asthma therapy were investigated. A daytime diary scale was designed to capture the frequency and inconvenience of daytime asthma symptoms and their effects on activities, and a nocturnal asthma symptom diary scale was designed to capture awakenings with asthma symptoms. The internal consistency, reliability, validity and responsiveness of both asthma diary scales were assessed in 346 adult asthma patients in two placebo-controlled clinical trials of an investigational asthma therapy, a leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitor. The daytime symptom scale showed sufficient internal consistency (0.90-0.92), and the daytime and nocturnal symptom scales showed sufficient test retest reliability (0.69-0.87). Construct validity was demonstrated by generally moderate-to-strong correlations for changes in the diary scales with changes in other measures of asthma status, such as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and puffs of beta-agonist inhaler. Both scales demonstrated significant responsiveness to change in asthma due to therapy in one of the clinical trials. Based on these results, the daytime and nocturnal asthma symptom diary scales show measurement characteristics appropriate for use as asthma outcome measures in clinical trials of asthma therapy.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Development and validation of the Stirling Eating Disorder Scales.

The development and reliability/validity check of an 80-item, 8-scale measure for use with eating disorder patients is presented. The Stirling Eating Disorder Scales (SEDS) assess anorexic dietary behavior, anorexic dietary cognitions, bulimic dietary behavior, bulimic dietary cognitions, high perceived external control, low assertiveness, low self-esteem, and self-directed hostility. The SEDS were administered to 82 eating disorder patients and 85 controls. Results indicate that the SEDS are acceptable in terms of internal consistency, reliability, group validity, and concurrent validity.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Denver developmental screening test and preterm infants.

The results of Denver developmental screening test and Griffiths mental development scales examination performed on 198 preterm children during the first three years of life and compared. Using real age the former identified children with developmental delay, but labelled up to 42% of babies as having questionable or abnormal development. Using corrected age very few children showed less than normal development, and in the first year those whose Griffiths scales results showed delay were often assessed as normal by the Denver test. In view of its less satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity it is suggested that both age lines should be drawn when using the Denver test with preterm children so that undue anxiety can be allayed while appropriate action is taken to ensure adequate follow up.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1998

Extension of a typology of alcohol dependence based on relative genetic and environmental loading.

Mild, severe, and dyssocial subtypes of alcohol dependence, previously identified among Caucasian men from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, were also identified among Caucasian men and women with DSM-IV alcohol dependence from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (n = 2,703; 1,746 respectively). These subtypes were not identified among African American and Hispanic American men or women with DSM-IV alcohol dependence. Among Caucasians with alcohol dependence, the subtypes were characterized by differential loading on three dimensions: genetic, general environmental, and dyssocial environmental symptom scales developed in a prior twin study. The mild subtype (60% of men and 66% of women) was distinguished by low mean scores on all three scales; the dyssocial subtype (24% of men and 20% of women) by low mean genetic and general environmental scores but high mean dyssocial environmental scores; and the severe subtype (16% of men and 14% of women) by high scores on the genetic and general environmental scales. These subtypes also showed the expected distinctions in clinical characteristics. The severe subtype showed greater comorbid drug dependence and major depression, more treatment seeking, and a higher prevalence of parental alcoholism. The severe subtype also showed significantly greater genetic influence adjusted for overall severity of alcohol dependence (genetic ratio). Only the severe subtype showed a pattern of scale scores and clinical characteristics suggestive of substantial genetic influence. The present study indicates a robustness of the typology originally developed among DSM-III alcohol-dependent Caucasian men by empirical extension of the subtypes to a different sample of Caucasian men and, separately, Caucasian women. The use of this typology may aid in distinguishing between Caucasian alcohol-dependent individuals on the basis of relative genetic influence, enabling genetic, behavioral, and epidemiological investigations to reduce genetic or environmental "noise" and better focus on specific aspects of alcohol dependence.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The PedsQL in pediatric cancer: reliability and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module.

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents ages 2-18 years. The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales are multidimensional child self-report and parent proxy-report scales developed as the generic core measure to be integrated with the PedsQL disease specific modules. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed to measure fatigue in pediatric patients. The PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module was designed to measure pediatric cancer specific HRQOL. METHODS: The PedsQL Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module were administered to 339 families (220 child self-reports; 337 parent proxy-reports). RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability for the PedsQL Generic Core Total Scale Score (alpha = 0.88 child, 0.93 parent report), Multidimensional Fatigue Total Scale Score (alpha = 0.89 child, 0.92 parent report) and most Cancer Module Scales (average alpha = 0.72 child, 0.87 parent report) demonstrated reliability acceptable for group comparisons. Validity was demonstrated using the known-groups method. The PedsQL distinguished between healthy children and children with cancer as a group, and among children on-treatment versus off-treatment. The validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was further demonstrated through hypothesized intercorrelations with dimensions of generic and cancer specific HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the reliability and validity of the PedsQL Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module in pediatric cancer. The PedsQL may be utilized as an outcome measure in clinical trials, research, and clinical practice.

Activities of Daily Living↗