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Internal consistency and reliability of a questionnaire assessing organizational innovation in two schools of dentistry.

The objective of this study was to test the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of a questionnaire designed to assess the status of and factors associated with organizational innovation in schools of dentistry. The questionnaire included thirty-three questions that assessed the following six domains: innovation/environment, innovation/leadership, innovation/personal, feedback/environment, feedback/personal, and feedback/interpersonal. A seventh domain, evidence-based learning, assessed the reaction of dental faculty to a scenario where the scientific evidence found a current treatment to be ineffective in improving the health status of patients. The questionnaire was mailed three times to a systematic sample of fifty-six dental faculty working at a research-intensive dental school (RES) and all thirty-nine dental faculty working at a dental school where the emphasis is on clinical education (CL). The two U.S. dental schools had similar numbers of students; however, they differed significantly in their research portfolios. The response rate was 70.5 percent. The seven domains had alpha coefficients ranging between 0.60 and 0.89. The test-retest reliability for the seven domains ranged between 0.65 and 0.92. Dental faculty of the RES school had significantly higher average scores than faculty of the CL school on innovation/leadership, innovation/environment, feedback/environment, and feedback/personal domains. Regression analyses found no differences between the two schools in innovation/environment scores. The innovation/environment scores were significantly associated with innovation/leadership, feedback/environment, feedback/interpersonal, and age. The evidence-based learning domain was negatively associated with the innovation/environment domain, indicating that faculty who were willing to abandon teaching of a treatment found to be ineffective felt that their school environment was not highly innovative. In conclusion, this preliminary study found that the questionnaire reliably assessed six domains representing innovation and feedback. This preliminary study also found that an innovative environment in two schools of dentistry is associated with presence of leaders who promote change and innovation, an environment that encourages feedback, and faculty members who value interpersonal feedback.

Age Factors↗

Caregiving in schizophrenia: development, internal consistency and reliability of the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire--European Version. EPSILON Study 4. European Psychiatric Services: Inputs Linked to Outcome Domains and Needs.

BACKGROUND: In international research on the consequences of psychiatric illnesses for relatives of patients, the need for an internationally standardised measure has been identified. AIMS: To test the internal consistency and the test-retest reliability of the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire (IEQ) in five European countries. METHOD: The IEQ was administered twice to a sample of relatives or friends of patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficients and standard error of measurement. Reliability estimates were tested between sites. RESULTS: Test sample sizes ranged from 30 to 90 across sites, and retest sample sizes ranged from 21 to 77. Cronbach's alpha values of IEQ sub-scales and sumscore were substantial at most sites; but at two, alpha values were moderate. Intraclass correlation coefficients were substantial to high at all sites. The standard errors of measurement differed across sites, indicating differences in performance. CONCLUSION: The reliability of the IEQ in five languages varies across sites, but is sufficiently high in at least four out of five.

Analysis of Variance↗

Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP): construction, internal consistency and normative data.

OBJECTIVE: A thorough revision of the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) was made by reducing the number of items and improving the psychometric quality as concerns face validity, internal consistency and response differentiation. The revised version was labelled The Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP) and now include 91 items divided into 13 scales. METHOD: The SSP were evaluated in a normative, randomly drawn sample (n = 741). All scales were found to be approximately normally distributed. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.59 to 0.84. The mean inter-item correlations (MIIC) ranged from 0.17 to 0.43. The scale intercorrelation matrix yielded a three-factor solution with Factor 1 reflecting Neuroticism; Factor 2 Aggressiveness; and Factor 3 reflecting Extraversion. CONCLUSION: The original KSP scales were revised, shortened, modernized and psychometrically evaluated. The psychometric properties and the usefulness of the test battery were found to be substantially improved.

Adult↗

Internal consistency of the Sport Competition Anxiety Test.

The Sport Competition Anxiety Test was administered to 77 university athletes, 55 men and 22 women whose ages ranged from 18 to 27 yr., to ascertain internal consistency of responses to the questionnaire. Both methods used (Guttman and Kuder-Richardson) indicated that the test satisfied the basic requirements with regard to interitem consistency normally imposed for self-report inventories: .85 and .82, respectively.

Adolescent↗

The internal consistency of the child abuse potential inventory with adolescent mothers.

In this study, 105 adolescents completed the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) at an average of 2 months postpartum. The purpose was to assess the reliability (internal consistency) of the CAP with adolescent mothers. The second purpose was to begin to establish a line of inquiry that examines the value of using the CAP with this population. The results showed that the alpha reliabilities were low for the CAP abuse scale (0.65) and low to moderate for its six subscales (range 0.59-0.74). The conclusion was drawn that further research is needed to understand the psychometric properties of the CAP with adolescent mothers.

Adolescent↗

Internal consistency and discriminant validity of the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III.

This research presents data pertaining to the development of the recently revised Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-III. The final version of this test battery consists of 31 clinical scales yielding 35 scores. The battery was given to 109 non brain-injured controls and 119 brain-injured subjects. High internal consistency was demonstrated for each clinical scale. Results further indicated that the test battery was very effective at discriminating between normal and brain-injured subjects, as significant between-group differences on 33 of 35 scores were observed. Significant between-group differences were also observed on 25 of the 35 scores when age and education were covaried out of the analyses; those scales not displaying significant between-group differences generally measured very basic over-learned skills.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of the mini-mental state examination's internal consistency in a community-based sample of Mexican-American and European-American elders: results from the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging.

This study examined the effect of scoring method, education, and language usage on internal consistency of the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Trained bilingual staff administered the MMSE in participants' homes as part of the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging home-based assessment battery. Subjects included 833 community-dwelling Mexican-American (MA) and European-American (EA) elders, aged 65 and older, residing in three socioculturally distinct neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas. Three methods of scoring the MMSE were examined: serial sevens only, spelling only, and serial sevens or spelling, whichever was higher. Mean MMSE scores+/-standard deviation ranged from 27.7+/-2.4 to 28.5+/-1.9 for EAs, from 25.6+/-3.2 to 27.2+/-2.9 for MAs interviewed in English, and from 22.5+/-4.5 to 25.5+/-3.5 for MAs interviewed in Spanish, depending on scoring method. Across the three ethnic-language subgroups, the lowest mean scores, largest coefficients of variation, and highest alpha coefficients were observed using serial sevens only. Stratification by educational level showed that alpha coefficients for all three scoring methods were consistently lower in high school graduates than in less-educated groups. Serial sevens only was the only scoring method that yielded acceptably high alpha coefficients across all ethnic, language, and education subgroups. Thus, clinicians should use the serial sevens-only method when administering the MMSE and be alert to the increased potential for false-negatives in more highly educated EA and MA elders, particularly in EAs and MAs proficient in English.

Aged↗

The Motivation Assessment Scale: inter-rater reliability and internal consistency in a British sample.

Inter-rater reliability of the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) was assessed for independent ratings of 12 adolescents and adults with severe/profound mental handicap. Correlations of item and subscale scores across raters were low. The internal consistency of subscales and total scores of the MAA was high. It is suggested that future research using the MAS should include an analysis of the reliability of this measure and features of the raters and subjects which might limit the robustness of the MAS.

Adolescent↗

Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and sex differences on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in an Australian sample with trauma.

The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory is designed to measure positive changes that can emerge after traumatic experiences. This study established that the high internal consistency and sound test-retest reliability of the inventory can be generalised from U.S. college students to an Australian sample drawn from the general community who had experienced major traumatic events. Interestingly, the 75 women endorsed more positive change overall than the 54 men, confirming earlier findings. However, there was no sex difference on items reflecting the perception of new possibilities in life.

Adolescent↗

Comparing measures of childhood loneliness: internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis.

Compared 6 self-rating measures of loneliness and associated phenomena, designed for use with elementary-school children. Three samples of children in Grades 5 and 6 (total N = 758) completed various combinations of these instruments. In terms of internal consistency, the Children's Loneliness Scale (CLS) and the peer-related loneliness subscale of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents (LACA) were most reliable. Substantial support was obtained for the convergent validity of the measures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 2 samples and exploratory factor analysis on a third sample indicated that the 13 scales and derivative subscales of the 6 measures tapped 4 different but interrelated latent constructs: peer-related loneliness, family-related loneliness (in some cases restricted to parent-related loneliness), negative attitude toward being alone, and positive attitude toward being alone. Recommendations are offered for conditions under which each scale may be useful. Limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Child↗

Evaluation of the Chinese version of the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH-HKPWH): cross-cultural adaptation process, internal consistency and reliability study.

UNLABELLED: The Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) was translated into Chinese by a physiotherapy team of the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong (DASH-HKPWH). OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the cross-cultural adaptation process, face validity, internal consistency and reliability of the DASH-HKPWH. METHOD: Language officers and medical professionals from different fields were invited to translate and evaluate the face validity of the DASH-HKPWH. 88 patients were recruited to complete two DASH questionnaires on two occasions 1-2 weeks apart. RESULTS: Some adjustments were made to the translations based on the cultural and linguistic practice in Hong Kong. The face validity was satisfactory with a mean endorsement score of 3.2. The difference between the mean of DASH scores was not significant (t = -0.35, p = 0.73). The ICC (1,1) and Cronbach's alpha for the 30-item Disability/Symptom of the DASH-HKPWH was 0.77 and 0.94, respectively. CONCLUSION: The translation was valid and reliable and acceptably equivalent to the original version. The questionnaire is suitable for measuring changes experienced by patients with any upper extremity disorders.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Internal Consistency Analysis: a method for studying the accuracy of function assessment for health outcome and quality of life evaluation.

Social, mental and physical function are major components of health outcomes and health related life quality, but the accuracy of function measurement is difficult to study rigorously. Internal Consistency Analysis (ICA) uses multiple sources of evidence from a survey interview to study the accuracy of a classification. It was developed to study function classifications for a general health outcome measure, the Quality of Well-being (QWB) scale. ICA is described and evidence of its utility in improving the classifications needed for the QWB is presented.

Aged↗

Internally consistent libraries of fluorogenic substrates demonstrate that Kex2 protease specificity is generated by multiple mechanisms.

Kex2 protease from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the prototype for a family of eukaryotic proprotein processing proteases. To clarify understanding of the interactions responsible for substrate recognition in this family of enzymes, we have carried out a systematic examination of Kex2 substrate specificity using internally consistent sets of substrates having substitutions at only one or two positions. We examined Kex2 sequence recognition for residues at P3, P2, and P1 using two types of fluorogenic peptide substrates, peptidyl-methylcoumarinamides and internally quenched substrates in which cleavage occurs at an actual peptide bond. Kinetic analysis of the two sets of substrates gave comparable data on specificity at these three positions. For the best substrate sequences, high catalytic constants (kCM/KM) of (2-5) x 10(7) M-1 s-1 were seen for cleavage of both peptidyl-methylcoumarinamides and peptide bonds. While no evidence for positive interactions with the P3 residue emerged, Kex2 was found to discriminate against at least one residue Asp. at this position. Specificity at P2 was shown to rely primarily on recognition of a positive charge, although steric constraints on the P2 side chain were also apparent. Kex2 was demonstrated to be exquisitely selective for Arg at P1. Substitutions with similar charge (Lys, ornithine) or similar hydrogen-bonding capability (citrulline) do not confer efficient catalysis. Comparison of otherwise identical substrates having either Arg or citrulline at P1 showed that the positive charge of the Arg guanidinium group stabilizes the transition state by approximately 6.8 kcal/mol.

Arginine↗

The internal consistency and factor structure of the Choice Assessment Scale.

Development of methods to identify potential reinforcers is an important service need. The Choice Assessment Scale (CAS: Research in Developmental Disabilities 20 (1999) 379-384) is a 60-item instrument to identify potential reinforcers for people with severe and profound mental retardation. The CAS had very high internal consistency. A factor analysis of the CAS yielded four factors, which were characterized as edibles, items requiring manipulation associated with tactile stimulation, tangible items associated with construction, and sensory items which were predominantly visual. Future directions in the development of measures of potential reinforcers are discussed.

Adult↗

Severity and internal consistency of self-reported anxiety in psychotic outpatients.

To assess the severity of self-reported anxiety in psychiatric adult outpatients (> or = 18 yr. old) who were diagnosed with psychotic disorders, the Beck Anxiety Inventory was administered to 55 (50%) women and 55 (50%) men who were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or delusional disorders. The internal consistency of the scores was high (coefficient alpha=.92), and the scores were not significantly correlated with sex, being Euro-American, or age. Furthermore, the mean cores of the three diagnostic groups were comparable. Based on the interpretive cut-off score guidelines given in the manual, 24% of the patients were mildly anxious, 22% were moderately anxious, and 18% were severely anxious. The results are discussed as indicating that there is a high prevalence of self-reported anxiety in outpatients who are diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

Ambulatory Care↗

Internal consistency of dynamometer measurements in healthy subjects and stroke patients.

Measurements of strength from six muscle groups described in two previously completed reports were analyzed further using Cronbach alpha. The coefficients were greater than .948 for a small sample of stroke patients and a larger sample of healthy individuals. This finding shows in diverse samples that the measures possess internal consistency and are measuring the same underlying construct.

Aged↗