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PubMed2001

Tactual performance test trials: internal consistency reliability using the Gilmer-Feldt coefficient.

Internal consistency reliabilities using the Gilmer-Feldt coefficient were calculated for the Tactual Performance Test for the Preferred Hand (n=298), Nonpreferred Hand (n = 302), and Both Hands (n = 314) trials, and total time. Reliabilities were reported for the total sample and three groups: 118 normal volunteers, 95 inpatient alcoholics, and 103 undiagnosed patients sent for neuropsychological assessment. The reliabilities ranged from .5584 to .8953.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Hereditary neuromuscular disease and multicomposite subjective health status: feasibility, internal consistency and test-retest reliability in the French version of the Nottingham Health Profile, the ISPN.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, internal consistency and reproducibility of the French version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) completed by adults with hereditary neuromuscular disease. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with evaluation at 15 +/- 7 days for NHP test-retest. SETTING: Multidisciplinary rehabilitation consultations in Reims. SUBJECTS: Sixty-four neuromuscular disease outpatients completed the NHP consecutively between April 2002 and December 2003. MAIN MEASURES: French version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Barthel Index and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: The average completion percentages for the different dimensions was 84.2% (range 72-97%). With respect to the completion feasibility of the physical mobility subscale, 7-20% of neuromuscular disease patients failed to complete four items out of eight. In the pain subscale, the same difficulty was encountered for three items out of eight. Internal consistency as assessed by Cronbach's alpha was acceptable for the subscales physical mobility (0.88), emotional reaction (0.74), sleep (0.77), and pain (0.81); it was less reliable for the subscale social isolation (0.61), and poor for the subscale energy (0.47). Test-retest agreement measured by intraclass correlation coefficient was in all instances greater than 0.70. CONCLUSION: Some items in the pain and physical mobility subscales pose problems related to the relevance of the wording for patients confined to wheelchairs. Recoding of the measure makes it possible to avoid missing data from these dependent patients. Scores differ statistically according to the coding used. In study reports, details of such procedures should be provided for comparison of ISPN results with those from other studies in the literature.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Internal consistency of the object relations and social cognition scales for the Thematic Apperception Test.

We examined 8 data sets to determine whether it is possible to attain acceptable levels of internal consistency (coefficient alpha) reliability for the 4 Object Relations and Social Cognition scales (ORSC; Westen, Lohr, Silk, Kerber, & Goodrich, 1989) for the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) when cards are considered as items in a scale. Number of cards used in the data sets ranged from 4 to 10, and the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula was applied to estimate the number of cards that would be required to attain alpha levels of different magnitudes. The two more structural subscales (Complexity of Representations and Understanding of Social Causality) have somewhat higher consistencies than the two more affective ones (Affect Tone and Capacity for Emotional Investment and Moral Standards). The results suggest that the use of 10 to 12 cards provides internal consistencies of alpha > or = .70 across each of the 4 ORSC scales.

Cognition↗

PubMed1999

The Behavioural Assessment Scale: internal consistency and factor structure for an elderly psychiatric population.

The subscales of the Behavioural Assessment Scale (BAS) (Language, Mobility, Physical Independence, Occupation and Orientation, and Social Integration) were designed to measure specific areas of functioning. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the psychometric structure of the BAS in a sample of 275 geriatric psychiatry inpatients. This psychometric assessment was carried out using 2 methods: measures of internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis. The measures of internal consistency suggested that only the Language and Physical Independence subscales measured a unified construct. The subsequent factor analysis revealed 3 highly correlated factors that accounted for 65% of the item variance. These factors were interpreted as Daily Living Skills, Communication/Social Skills, and Problem Behavior. The high intercorrelations between the factors were interpreted as a general sensitivity of the BAS to global decline in functioning associated with dementia (i.e., severity of illness). The computation of factor-based subscales and a general functioning aggregate were recommended for clinical use of the BAS.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1998

Internal consistency of the Warrington Recognition Memory Test.

The Recognition Memory Test is frequently used to assess memory; however, one of the commonly cited limitations is a lack of data on reliability. The current study was undertaken to estimate the internal consistency reliability of the test with a sample of 72 persons with traumatic brain injury. Acceptable estimates of internal consistency for both subtests were obtained.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Internal consistency reliability of resting EEG power spectra in schizophrenic and normal subjects.

The reliability of resting electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra was assessed for 49 normal and 44 schizophrenic subjects. We specifically examined internal consistency reliability to determine how much EEG data are necessary to ensure small measurement error. Twenty-one 8-s epochs of resting EEG were collected from each subject from site Cz. Epochs containing artifacts or blinks were eliminated. Power was computed in the bands delta (0.125-3 Hz), theta (3.125-8 Hz), alpha (8.125-13 Hz), beta1 (13.125-20 Hz) beta 2 (20.125-25 Hz) and beta 3 (25.125-30 Hz). Internal consistency was computed using coefficient alpha (Cronbach, 1951). Results for both groups indicated that eight artifact-free epochs of data were sufficient to give a coefficient alpha value of around .9. The schizophrenic and normal groups did not differ with respect to coefficient alpha. The proportion of artifacts in the data from the schizophrenics indicated that to obtain eight artifact-free epochs from members of each group, 40% more data would be required from the schizophrenics.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Feasibility, acceptability and internal consistency reliability of the nottingham health profile in dementia patients.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated subjective health status in dementia patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determinate the feasibility, acceptability and internal consistency reliability of measuring subjective health status in dementia patients with the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). DESIGN: The French version of the NHP was administered to 145 dementia patients and their proxies (family caregivers and formal caregivers). MEASURES: The refusal rate, type of administration and time for completion were used as indicators of feasibility. Internal consistency reliability was determined with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test-retest reliability assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest values. The measurements obtained were compared by source of information (patient and proxies). RESULTS: The 145 subjects had an average age of 82 and 78% were women. 73% had a Mini-Mental State <16. Ninety-four percent of the items were correctly filled in, but an interviewer had to be present because of problems in attention or comprehension. The test-retest reliability for subjects was good (rho < 0.7), but response agreement between patients and their proxies was just acceptable for physical domains (rho < 0.6) and poor for psychological and social domains (rho < 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Self-rating of perceived health status by dementia patients seems feasible with the questionnaire with adaptations in the administration, but other methods are needed to approach the more subjective domains of the quality of life.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dimensionality, internal consistency, and item analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys activities of daily living instrument among patients with report of low back pain.

OBJECTIVE: To measure selected psychometric properties of individual item responses from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) activities of daily living (ADL) instrument among a population of patients with low back pain (LBP). METHODS: The study group consisted of 926 individual attendees of a traditional medical appointment. All subjects had self-reported LBP and completed questions within the NHANES ADL instrument, a 16-item questionnaire designed to represent the internal latent construct of ADL. Data analyses included exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency measures, and polytomous (graded) item response theory. RESULTS: The NHANES ADL instrument is a unidimensional and internally consistent measure of ADL. Graded item response theory analyses indicated that although some variability exists, all 16 single items were sensitive measures of the latent construct of ADL. Most item responses demonstrated high discrimination. CONCLUSION: Individual use of selected items of the NHANES ADL instrument may further improve the capacity of the health care provider in measuring and recording dysfunction associated with LBP.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Minor physical anomalies in mentally healthy subjects: Internal consistency of the Waldrop Physical Anomaly Scale.

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of minor physical anomalies in mentally healthy subjects by using the Waldrop Physical Anomaly Scale and to assess the reliability (internal consistency) of the scale. The subjects were 82 mentally healthy individuals (42 men, 40 women) of Bulgarian origin who were examined for minor physical anomalies. Mentally healthy individuals show a low mean score of minor physical anomalies. The anomalies prevail in the craniofacial region. The correlations between the anomalies are low, which implies poor internal consistency of the scale, probably due to the heterogeneity of the anomalies in terms of location, character, and time of prenatal development and adversity. Providing a base for comparative studies of developmental disorders, the findings infer the necessity of a more reliable scale for examination of informative morphogenetic variants which can distinguish between minor malformations and phenogenetic variants and suggest the period of prenatal adversity.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Starting at the beginning: an introduction to coefficient alpha and internal consistency.

Cronbach's a is the most widely used index of the reliability of a scale. However, its use and interpretation can be subject to a number of errors. This article discusses the historical development of a from other indexes of internal consistency (split-half reliability and Kuder-Richardson 20) and discusses four myths associated with a: (a) that it is a fixed property of the scale, (b) that it measures only the internal consistency of the scale, (c) that higher values are always preferred over lower ones, and (d) that it is restricted to the range of 0 to 1. It provides some recommendations for acceptable values of a in different situations.

Canada↗

PubMed2006

Factor structure and internal consistency of the Young Schema Questionnaire (Short Form) in Korean and Australian samples.

We investigated cross-cultural differences in the factor structure and psychometric properties of the 75-item Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF). Participants were 833 South Korean and 271 Australian undergraduate students. The South Korean sample was randomly divided into two sub-samples. Sample A was used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and sample B was used for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). EFA for the South Korean sample revealed a 13-factor solution to be the best fit for the data, and CFA on the data from sample B confirmed this result. CFA on the data from the Australian sample also revealed a 13-factor solution. The overall scale of the YSQ-SF demonstrated a high level of internal consistency in the South Korean and Australian groups. Furthermore, adequate internal consistencies for all subscales in the South Korean and Australian samples were demonstrated. In conclusion, the results showed that YSQ-SF with 13 factors has good psychometric properties and reliability for South Korean and Australian University students. Korean samples had significantly higher YSD scores on most of the 13 subscales than the Australian sample. However, limitations of the current study preclude the generalisability of the findings to beyond undergraduate student populations.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Madrid adaptation of the Wisconsin card sorting test: a comparative study of internal consistency].

INTRODUCTION: WCST (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) is still a widely used neuropsychological test for evaluation of disorders of the frontal lobes. Recent studies have cast doubt on the validity of WCST as a marker for frontal dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: We present a simplified version of WCST specially designed to evaluate the capacity to change the criteria for attention. Our objectives were to examine the difference in standards and in internal consistency between our adaptation and the conventional WCST. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The two tests were applied to a group of 60 young persons with no cerebral disorders. The principal components of both tests were analysed for determine their internal structure. RESULTS: We found statistically significant differences between the scores of Spanish persons and the standard data for WCST. Analysis of the main components showed a solution of two components in the conventional WCST and a solution of three components in our adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: The American rating system underestimated the level of performance in the Spanish sample. Analysis of the internal consistency showed the excessively redundant and simple factorial structure of the conventional WCST. Our adaptation was shown to have a richer internal structure, with the order of error scores more in accord with the type of cognitive process involved. These advantages may be attributed to more exact analysis of non perseverant errors, subclassified as efficient errors (i.e. linked to comparison of hypotheses) and random errors (i.e. linked to loss of criteria for attention).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Personality disorders in DSM-III and DSM-III-R: convergence, coverage, and internal consistency.

Although many sections of DSM-III-R reflect few changes from DSM-III, the diagnostic criteria for the personality disorders involve more substantial revisions. This study examined the impact of DSM-III-R revisions in terms of convergence with DSM-III, the diagnostic coverage of patients with personality disorders, and the internal consistency of the personality disorder criteria sets. The results demonstrated a substantial divergence between DSM-III and DSM-III-R diagnoses, increased coverage accompanied by a large increase in overlap among personality disorders, and internal consistency estimates of DSM-III-R criterion sets comparable to those in DSM-III.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Internal consistency reliability and predictive validity of a modified N. Huang clinical scoring system in adult cystic fibrosis patients.

We described a modified N. Huang scoring system and its application as a measure of disease status and progression in a population of adult cystic fibrosis patients. We evaluated the scoring for internal consistency reliability and predictive validity. We applied the scoring system to 109 adult cystic fibrosis patients followed at the Montreal Chest Institute. Complete data were available on 36 deceased patients. The total score represented the sum of the clinical, radiological and pulmonary function subscores, minus the complications subscore. It ranged between 0 (worst health) and 100 points (best health). The total score showed a high degree of internal consistency and reliability with an estimated Cronbach coefficient alpha of 0.934. Both total score and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) percentage predicted were significant predictors of survival at 36 and 24 months. However, there was a progressive decrease in the discriminating power of FEV1 percentage pred for predicting survival at 24, 18, 12 and 6 months. The total score showed a progressive and consistent pattern clearly predicting the outcome. A total score < 41, < 38, < 35 and < 30 points was associated with a poor prognosis for survival at 24, 18, 12, and 6 months, respectively. The clinical and complications subscores were the most discriminating components of the total score. The total score of the modified N. Huang scoring system offered a better discriminating scale, as compared to forced expiratory volume in one second % predicted, in the prognostic evaluation of end-stage cystic fibrosis patients. It could be of value in decisions for lung transplantation in these patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Internal consistency reliability of the Personality Assessment Inventory with psychiatric inpatients.

Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) estimates and standard errors of measurement were determined for the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) with a group of psychiatric inpatients (N = 111). Full-scale reliabilities were large and acceptable, averaging .82. Subscale reliabilities were lower, averaging .66. Reliability estimates for full scales and subscales were comparable to those reported for the clinical portion of the PAI standardization group. Of the 20 full scales examined, only 2 (Somatization and Paranoia) had reliabilities (.85 and .80, respectively) that were significantly lower than comparable values reported for the standardization group. Despite statistically significant differences, these values were still considered large and acceptable.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The Patient Distress Scale questionnaire: factor structure and internal consistency.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: This study examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the Patient Distress Scale (PDS). The PDS is an 11-item questionnaire that was developed to assess acute neurological patients' awareness of emotional disturbances during early rehabilitation. RESEARCH DESIGN: A retrospective cohort of patients seen for inpatient rehabilitation following brain injury. PROCEDURES: The PDS was administered to patients and family members upon admission to the neurorehabilitation unit as part of their neuropsychological evaluation. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Subjects were heterogeneous sample of acute neurological inpatients (n = 84) and their relatives (n = 64). A principle components factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded a three factor solution, which together accounted for 62% of the variance. The factor solution provided partial support for the initial structure of the PDS. Analyses revealed relatively strong reliability coefficients for patients (r = 0.82) and relatives (r = 0.86) on the PDS total score. Acceptable reliability coefficients were also found for patients and relatives on each of the factor scores. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings support the utility of the PDS as a measure of awareness in acute neurological patients.

Brain Injuries↗

PubMed1990

Internal consistency and factor structure of the Chinese Health Questionnaire.

The internal consistency and factor structure of the Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ) were investigated in 2 samples in Taiwan, one from 3 communities (n = 1023) and the other from consecutive attenders for health screening in a general hospital (n = 386). Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated to be 0.84 and 0.83 for the 12-item and 0.90 and 0.92 for the 30-item CHQ version. Four factors similarly extracted for the CHQ-30 in both samples include somatic symptoms, anxiety and worrying, social dysfunction, and depression and poor family relationship. The implications of these findings were discussed from a cross-cultural perspective.

Anxiety Disorders↗

PubMed1999

Internal consistency, temporal stability and neuropsychological correlates of three cognitive components of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Comprehensive models of schizophrenia have increasingly included symptoms of cognitive dysfunction as an important feature of schizophrenia. Factor analytic studies of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) have consistently established cognitively disorganized symptoms as a separate domain from positive and negative symptoms. However, the individual symptom composition of the cognitive domain varies from model to model. The present study explores the temporal stability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity for three published PANSS factor analytically derived cognitive components (Bell et al., 1994a, Psychiatry Res., 52, 295-303; Dollfus et al., 1991. Eur. Psychiatry, 6, 251-259; Kay and Sevy, 1990. Schizophr. Bull., 16, 537-544). Analyses were conducted using PANSS data from 120 patients with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Results indicate that the Bell et al. and Kay and Sevy models have similar psychometric properties including adequate temporal stability, internal consistency, and discriminant validity. The Kay model demonstrated somewhat better concurrent validity with cognitive test measures, while the Dollfus model demonstrated relatively poor psychometrics. The symptom composition of a narrowly defined cognitively disorganized subtype and a more broadly defined cognitively impaired subtype are discussed in terms of their value for schizophrenia research.

Adult↗