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 1,261 records · Page 70Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Development and testing of an instrument to measure interactions in synchronous distance education.

The advance of computer and network technology has made it possible for students to flexibly acquire real-time information through distance education, allowing life-long learning. As in previous studies, the researchers found that students generally experienced less instructional interaction in distance education as compared to the traditional classroom setting. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate instructional interactions in synchronous distance education. Based on a literature review and researcher experience, a 36-item interaction scale was developed and administered to 100 students from two different schools. Data were collected and the reliability and validity of the scale were tested. The results showed that the scale had a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.901. Factor analysis was used to test the construct validity and 29 items were extracted and divided into seven different interaction factors. These seven factors explained 72.69 % of the total variance. Furthermore, the results showed that the scale had good internal consistency and construct validity, and would therefore provide an effective and useful tool for evaluating interaction in synchronous distance education. Use of this instrument can help teachers to understand interactions taking place in a synchronous distance education environment and provide guidance for the future development of distance education programs for various disciplines.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Validity and reliability testing of the Quality of Life Scale, Swedish version in women with fibromyalgia -- statistical analyses.

One consequence of constant widespread pain is a low quality of life. The purpose of the study was to examine whether the Quality of Life Scale, Swedish version (QOLS-S), regarded as a generic quality-of-life instrument, is a reliable and valid instrument for use in women with fibromyalgia (FM). Women with FM (n = 113) contributed data on the QOLS-S and other standardized instrument at three points in time. Internal consistency reliability estimates ranged from 0.89 to 0.92. Convergent construct validity was indicated by moderate agreement with a global life satisfaction question. Discriminant construct validity was denoted by low correlations with the physical functioning subscale of the SF-36. In a factor analysis three factors emerged: 'personal and social well-being', 'relations with others' and 'active participation'. A few of the items have high cross-loadings, and the instrument could be improved by rewording those items to more closely reflect one specific factor. Overall, these results provide evidence that the QOLS-S has acceptable validity and reliability for use in women with FM.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

The Neurotoxicity Scale--II. Results of a patient-based scale assessing neurotoxicity in patients with epilepsy.

The Neurotoxicity Scale was devised as a patient-based report scale to assess the adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs on cognitive function. In a previous report we reported the clinical validity of the scale, tested in a double-blind randomized study, using a benzodiazepine in normal volunteers. In the present study, the clinical sensitivity, construct validity and reliability of the scale was tested in patients with epilepsy. Patients (n = 189), selected from both participating centres, representative for the patients with chronic epilepsy were included in the study. Reliability was tested with Cronbachs alpha and yields an almost maximal score (.95). Clinical sensitivity was compared with the previous normal volunteer study and was evaluated as satisfactory. Construct validity showed a five-factor structure, explaining 66.5% of the variance, with 'fatigue and slowing' as the dominant factor. In line with the assumptions for this scale and with the results obtained in normal volunteers, the scale appears to be unsuitable for differential assessment of type or severity of drug-induced impairment. The most valid primary outcome measure is the overall score that renders a global ('all or nothing') evaluation indicating that a subject experiences cognitive impairment and associates this with the antiepileptic treatment. Other factors that may impair cognitive function, such as seizure frequency do not influence this score. The scale has therefore maximal applicability as a screening instrument in outpatient practice and in early (phase II, IIIa) drug trials.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Measurement of continuity of care in cardiac patients: reliability and validity of an in-person questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Breaks in continuity of care occur during the care of patients with cardiac conditions, such as congestive heart failure (CHF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), during their hospitalization, the discharge process or follow-up care. Recently, to measure continuity of care for such patients, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed to reflect the cardiac patient's perspective on multifaceted aspects of continuity of care. OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of an in-person interview questionnaire for the measurement of continuity of care in patients recently hospitalized with CHF or AF. METHODS: The Heart Continuity of Care Questionnaire (HCCQ) was administered to 350 cardiac patients (176 with CHF and 174 with AF) at least six months after discharge from hospitals in two urban centres. The questionnaire was assessed by item and principal components analysis. Factors derived from principal components analysis were assessed for internal consistency and construct validity against variables of comorbidity, health status and symptom severity. RESULTS: A principal components analysis produced three subscales. These subscales were internally consistent, and demonstrated construct validity through expected correlations with other variables and theoretical constructs. CONCLUSION: The present study supports the reliability and validity of the HCCQ for measuring continuity of care. The HCCQ subscales correspond to the theoretical components of continuity of care that have been proposed, namely relational, informational and management continuity. The HCCQ subscales may be of value for identifying problems in continuity of care and for evaluating interventions aimed at improving continuity of care for cardiac patients after hospital discharge.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

How to measure comorbidity. a critical review of available methods.

The object of this article was to systematically review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess their validity and reliability. A search was made in Medline and Embase, with the keywords comorbidity and multi-morbidity, to identify articles in which a method to measure comorbidity was described. The references of these articles were also checked, and using a standardized checklist the relevant data were extracted from these articles. An assessment was made of the content, concurrent, predictive and construct validity, and the reliability. Thirteen different methods to measure comorbidity were identified: one disease count and 12 indexes. Data on content and predictive validity were available for all measures, while data on construct validity were available for nine methods, data on concurrent validity, and interrater reliability for eight methods, and data on intrarater reliability for three methods. The Charlson Index is the most extensively studied comorbidity index for predicting mortality. The Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) addresses all relevant body systems without using specific diagnoses. The Index of Coexisting Disease (ICED) has a two-dimensional structure, measuring disease severity and disability, which can be useful when mortality and disability are the outcomes of interest. The Kaplan Index was specifically developed for use in diabetes research. The Charlson Index, the CIRS, the ICED and the Kaplan Index are valid and reliable methods to measure comorbidity that can be used in clinical research. For the other indexes, insufficient data on the clinimetric properties are available.

Comorbidity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a Cultural Competence Assessment instrument.

This article describes initial testing of an instrument designed to provide evidence of cultural competence among health care providers and staff. The Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA) instrument was based on a model describing cultural competence components (fact, knowledge, attitude, and behavior). Content and face validity were confirmed through expert panel review, subject feedback, and field-testing. The CCA was administered to an interdisciplinary health care team in a community hospice setting. Preliminary findings suggest that the CCA performed well. Internal consistency reliability for the scale was 0.92. Construct validity by factor analysis demonstrated that 25 items had loadings above 0.42. Construct validity was supported with a significant correlation to the widely used Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence among Health care Professionals (IAPCC). Validity also was supported by significant differences between individuals with different educational levels and prior diversity training. The CCA is a promising tool to measure cultural competence in populations with a wide range of educational levels and backgrounds.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The intragroup conflict scale: development and psychometric properties.

Managers in health care organizations spend an average of 20% of their time dealing with conflict. Hence, a well-developed measure of intragroup conflict is needed to assess work environments. The Intragroup Conflict Scale was developed to measure views of conflict, perceptions of behavior, and perceptions of affective states, that occur in the core process of conflict. The scale was pilot tested with a sample of 184 staff nurses and was later used in a study of antecedents and effects of intragroup conflict in the nursing unit (n = 141). Data from the two studies were merged (n = 325). Using PCA with varimax rotation in the analysis of merged data, three factors that explained 69.2% of variance were extracted. Factor 1 reflects opposition processes and negative emotion; factor 2 reflects trust and freedom of expression; and factor 3 reflects views of conflict. Factor loadings ranged from .60 to .88 on factor 1, from .62 to .79 on factor 2, and from .69 to .80 on factor 3. Coefficient alpha for the three factors were .89 for factor 1, .88 for factor 2, and .79 for factor 3. Correlations with existing scales provided support for construct validity. The scale has evidence for its reliability and validity, and may have the potential to contribute to the understanding of intragroup conflict in organizations. The new Intragroup Conflict Scale demonstrates sufficient construct validity to warrant its continued evaluation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Validation of the PRQ85 social support measure for adolescents.

The purposes of this study were to factor analyze the 25-item Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) 85-Part II, a social support measure, and to establish construct validity for the instrument among adolescents by testing two hypotheses derived from theoretical propositions by Weiss (1974) concerning the relational provisions of social support. The purposes were accomplished using a sample of 325 adolescents, aged 12 to 21. According to the criteria used in this study, a four-factor structure, resulting from a principal components analysis with an oblique rotation, best represented the multidimensionality of the PRQ85-Part II in adolescents. A second-order factor analysis indicated that the four first-order factors correlated to form one factor, which consisted of 17 items and was labeled Perceived Social Support. Evidence in support of construct validity for both the 17-item and 25-item PRQ85-Part II was provided by statistically significant correlations found between the two scales and the theoretically relevant variables of perceived health status and symptom patterns. The contributions of this study to the psychometric properties of the PRQ85-Part II can be used in future research concerning social support in adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Reliability and validity of the Dutch adaptation of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to determine whether a Dutch translation of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) retains the high levels of reliability and validity of the original English version and to determine whether it is therefore more practical to translate this scale, and possibly other scales, than to generate language- and culture-specific instruments. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 120 individuals with chronic low back pain. METHODS: The QBPDS was filled out at the beginning of the study, after 1 week, and after 4 months. Reliability was determined by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients in addition to Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation at the beginning of the study and after 4 months. Validity was examined by correlating the QBPDS scores to external criteria scores at a single point in time (cross-sectional) and over a period of time (longitudinal). RESULTS: Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability were .90. Cronbach's alpha was .95. The cross-sectional construct validity coefficients were .80 (RDQ) and .70 (pain severity). The longitudinal construct validity coefficients were .60 (RDQ), .53 (pain severity), and .35 (course of the complaint). CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Our results support previous findings of the English and French versions of the QBPDS. Whether this instrument can be used as an evaluative instrument remains unknown.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The validity and reliability of EQ-5D health state valuations in a survey of Măori.

This note reports on a 2000 study of the content validity of the EQ-5D's representation of health for 66 Măori (New Zealand's indigenous people, comprising 14.5% of the population) accessed through cultural networks. Also examined was the construct validity of the health state valuation instrument and its test-retest reliability based on repeated valuations for the two extreme health states. The possibility that the EQ-SD fails to capture what Măori regard as 'health' derives from the so-called 'Măori health model' that augments biological health with mental, spiritual and family well-being. Seventy six percent of respondents considered the EQ-5D's representation of health to be adequate. This proportion is not statistically significantly different from the rates for non-Măori and Măori respectively in an earlier study and might suggest the EQ-5D has content validity for Măori. However, the high prevalence of missing valuations, particularly for dead, and logical inconsistencies suggests that the health state valuation instrument lacks construct validity, although there is evidence of test retest reliability.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire to measure the impact of lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life: the Leicester Impact Scale.

AIMS: To develop a condition specific quality of life measure for males and females with urinary storage symptoms of urgency, frequency, nocturia and incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of community dwelling males and females aged 40 years or more who were taking part in an epidemiological study provided data for development and validation of the scale. Questions were developed from literature review and discussions with clinicians and patients. Inclusion of items was dependent on levels of missing data and principal components analysis. Validity was assessed by comparison with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Bradburn Negative Affect Scale and single questions concerning the problematic nature of symptoms. Construct validity was assessed by comparing cases and non-cases, and patients with different symptom patterns. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability statistics were calculated for individual items. Responsiveness to change was measured in subjects taking part in a randomised controlled trial of a nursing intervention. RESULTS: The scale showed high levels of internal consistency and measures of construct validity were as hypothesised. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability was moderate to excellent. The distribution of scores was skewed with low levels of impact but the questionnaire was responsive to conservative treatments in patients receiving a nursing intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable interviewer administered instrument for measuring impact of urinary symptoms.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Meta-analysis of the reliability and validity of Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction across studies.

Nurses' job satisfaction is a crucial factor in health care organizations. This study uses meta-analysis for reliability generalization and synthesis of construct validity of Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS), a measure of job satisfaction. Meta-analysis was performed including assessments of study quality and descriptive coding of studies. Rater reliability was assessed for all coding and extraction of data. The mean reliability of Part B scores of the IWS based on 14 studies was .78 (df = 13, p < .05). The mean score reliability was .77 for university settings, .73 for community/acute care hospitals, .77 for multi-site studies, and .90 for other settings. For studies rated high and low quality, the mean score reliability was .77 and .83, respectively. Scores on Part B of the IWS correlated -.38 with turnover intent, .60 with organizational commitment, and -.53 with job stress. Scores on Part B of the IWS are reliable for measuring job satisfaction of nurses across samples. Construct validity needs additional testing.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Adaptation of the Functional Independence Measure for use in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) for use in Turkey and to assess its validity and reliability. DESIGN: After the translation procedure, reliability was assessed using internal consistency, inter-rater reliability (kappa) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Construct validity was tested by association with impairments and by fit of data to the Rasch model. SETTING: The study was undertaken in an inpatient rehabilitation unit of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ankara. SUBJECTS: Consecutive stroke (n = 51) and spinal cord injury (SCI) (n = 62) patients admitted for rehabilitation over a period of three years were assessed at admission and discharge. RESULTS: Internal consistency was good for stroke, and for SCI. The level of agreement between two raters was sufficient with kappa levels of above 0.48 for SCI and above 0.44 for stroke. Minimum ICC found was 0.90. Construct validity showed expected associations with the impairment scales. However, Rasch analysis showed that bladder and bowel items compromise unidimensionality in the motor scale. CONCLUSION: Adaptation of the FIM has been successful and it can be used in Turkey as long as the limitations are recognized.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Comparing doctor- and nurse-led care in a sexual health clinic: patient satisfaction questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: A new model of comprehensive care nurse-led clinics has enabled experienced genitourinary medicine nurses to co-ordinate the first-line, comprehensive care of female patients presenting with sexually transmitted infections and other sexual health conditions and issues. AIM: This paper describes the development of a patient satisfaction questionnaire to compare the satisfaction of women attending nurse-led or doctor-led clinics at a central London genitourinary medicine clinic. METHODS: A previously validated questionnaire was adapted using the findings of qualitative interviews exploring patient expectations of the service. The draft questionnaire was tested for internal consistency, sub-scale homogeneity, construct validity and stability. The final version consisted of a 34 item, five-point Likert scale, which was found to be both reliable (Cronbach's alpha 0.91) and stable (test-retest 0.95). There was some evidence of construct validity. The questionnaire was then distributed to a convenience sample of 132 women attending a nurse-led clinic and 150 seen at a doctor-led clinic. RESULTS: There was a 90% response rate. The median total satisfaction scores, out of a total of five, were 4.47 and 4.30 for the nurse-led and doctor-led groups, respectively (P = 0.05). Significantly higher scores on the sub-scales measuring quality and competence of technical care (P < 0.001), provision of information (P = 0.01) and overall satisfaction (P = 0.01) were seen for the nurse-led group. No significant differences were found in the sub-scales measuring service attributes and specific attributes of interpersonal relationships. CONCLUSION: The rigorous development, piloting and testing phases of this satisfaction questionnaire led to reliable and valid results. This study demonstrated that nurse-led clinics within this service are an acceptable alternative to the existing doctor-led clinics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Informational coping styles: a validity study.

Informational coping style may be an important determinant of coping with threatening situations that has important implications in terms of matching nursing interventions to patients. Two studies were conducted to examine aspects of the construct validity of a pen-and-paper instrument designed to measure informational coping style, the Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS). In Study I, the MBSS was administered to 271 university students to examine item response frequencies, item correlations and internal consistency of the subscales. In Study II the coping responses to a series of different hypothetically threatening situations were examined in a sample of 60 students drawn from the sample used in Study I. The results of Study I indicate a need for revision of the items in the MBSS. The results of Study II provide modest evidence of construct validity and underrepresentation of the MBSS in terms of coping strategies. Furthermore, there was evidence to suggest that the structural approach used in the MBSS fails to capture the precise context in which a coping strategy would be applied and the extent to which a strategy would be used.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Measuring patients' perceptions on their functional abilities: validation of the Haemophilia Activities List.

Recently, the Haemophilia Activities List (HAL), a haemophilia-specific self-assessment questionnaire to assess a patient's self-perceived functional ability, was introduced and a limited pilot study warranted its further development. The present study finalizes the HAL and assesses the convergent and construct validity, as well as the internal consistency of its definitive version. Three questionnaires (HAL, Dutch-Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 and the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire) were completed by 127 patients with severe haemophilia (<1% clotting activity), as well as four performance tests (button test, 50 metre walking test, timed-up-and-go test and figure-8 walking test). After removal of 15 non-informative items from the provisional HAL, three components within the questionnaire were identified (upper extremity activities, basic lower extremity activities and complex lower extremity activities). The internal consistency of these components was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93-0.95), as was internal consistency for the seven domains of the HAL (alpha = 0.61-0.96). The convergent validity of the HAL when compared to the other two questionnaires was good (r = 0.47-0.84). The construct validity of the HAL when compared to the four performance tests was generally lower (r = 0.23-0.77). The final version of the HAL has good internal consistency and convergent validity and gives the clinician insight into a patient's self-perceived ability to perform activities of daily life. It is likely that self-assessment instruments (questionnaires) and performance tests consider different concepts of functional health status and it is therefore recommended that both types are included when clinicians assess a patient's functional abilities.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1994

Quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: validation of a Spanish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Spanish-AIMS)

OBJECTIVE: To translate and validate The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) to be used by Spanish speaking populations. METHODS: We administered the questionnaire to 97 outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during routine patient care, in most cases with a trained interviewer. Reliability was assessed in stable patients using test-retest at a one-month interval. Internal consistency was evaluated with the coefficient of reliability. Convergent and construct validation was tested using ARA functional class, disease severity, disease activity, patient global assessment, and pain scores. Responsiveness was evaluated with one-tailed Student's t test and percentage of change. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was statistically significant for all scales except Activities of Daily Living and Anxiety. The coefficient of reliability was > 0.7 for all scales. Convergent and construct validity was detected with the constructs employed (Pearson's r > 0.4). Four/nine scales detected improvement (p < 0.05) in those patients in whom clinical change was recorded. CONCLUSION: The Spanish-AIMS retained the methodological properties of the original version and can be used as an outcome measure in Spanish speaking patients with RA.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Bell object relations inventory for adolescents and children: reliability, validity, and factorial invariance.

The Bell Object Relations Inventory (BORI; Bell,1995) is a self-report instrument that measures deficits in object relations ego functioning. It has demonstrated clinical and research utility in adult populations. This article reports the development of a version of the BORI for children ages 11 to 17, including studies of reliability, validity, and factorial invariance. Data of 705 children from public schools and 110 children from clinics and residential treatments were used. Of the 45 original BORI true/false items, 3 were dropped as inappropriate and most others were rewritten for easier reading. An additional 16 items were created to capture unique features of adolescent experiences in relationships. Items were tested in focus groups and revised accordingly. Eight items were dropped because of low communalities, so that 50 items were included in the final factor analysis. Assessments using self-report items from Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Camphaus, 1992) and the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) were also obtained to test concurrent validity. Oblique rotation yielded 5 factors. Four were very similar to the 4 from the adult version and were named accordingly: Alienation, Insecure Attachment, Egocentricity, and Social Incompetence. The fifth scale was comprised mostly of new items and was called Positive Attachment. Scales showed excellent factorial invariance and good internal consistency. Scales generally had very low intercorrelations reflecting their relative independence. Although differences were found for gender and race, the effect sizes were small. Support for construct validity came from moderate correlations with concurrent BASC and PIA scores, analyses of variance showing greater deficits in object relations in pathological subgroups compared with normals, and a trend analysis showed that Alienation scores followed a lawful relationship with increasing severity of psychopathology. These initial findings support the psychometric integrity of the instrument and its construct validity. Results indicate continuity of constructs between the adult and adolescent versions. The Positive Attachment subscale may prove a valuable addition for clinical and research applications.

Adolescent↗