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PubMed2000

Measurement of fatigue in cancer patients: further validation of the Fatigue Symptom Inventory.

Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms experienced by cancer patients, yet until recent years it has received little systematic attention, due in part to the lack of adequate instruments to measure fatigue. The primary aim of this report is to further validate a recently developed measure of fatigue for use with cancer patients: the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI). This 13-item self-report measure was designed to measure the intensity and duration of fatigue and its interference with quality of life. The FSI was originally validated in a sample of breast cancer patients and a sample of healthy individuals. In this study, the FSI was evaluated in an outpatient sample that included male and female cancer patients, as well as some older patients, with a variety of cancer diagnoses. A seven-item interference scale was found to have good internal consistency, with alpha coefficients above 0.90. Convergent validity was demonstrated via comparisons with an existing measure of fatigue. Construct validity was demonstrated via comparisons with measure of life satisfaction and depression as well as comparisons among subgroups of patients expected to differ in their experience of fatigue. Overall, the FSI was further established as a valid and reliable measure of fatigue in cancer patients. The potential application of this measure in psychosocial oncology research is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Feasibility, validity and test-retest reliability of scaling methods for health states: the visual analogue scale and the time trade-off.

The feasibility, validity and reliability of the Time Trade-Off (TTO) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) methods in obtaining preference values for health states were compared in a random sample of the Spanish population (n = 294). Respondents valued 43 EuroQol-5D health states in face-to-face interviews. Convergent validity was assessed by examining the relationship between values, and the effect of sociodemographic and health variables on values was used as a means of assessing construct validity. Test-retest reliability was analysed in a subgroup of 50 respondents, using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and generalisability theory. Rates of non-response and missing data were low on both methods, though the VAS took considerably less time to administer. VAS and TTO values correlated highly (r = 0.92), though there were differences in the ordering of health states between methods, and in the number of health states rated worse than death. VAS values were compressed into a considerably smaller valuation space than TTO values. Respondents in higher educational categories assigned higher TTO values to 12 health states. Mean ICCs (95% CI) at individual level were 0.90 (0.88-0.92) and 0.84 (0.81-0.87) for the VAS and TTO, respectively. Generalisability analysis showed variance due to time to be 0 for both methods. In conclusion, the VAS was more feasible and slightly more reliable than the TTO, whilst doubt can be cast on the degree of convergent validity existing between the two methods. The compression of VAS values means that the TTO is likely to discriminate better between health states, and it may have greater construct validity if results from larger samples confirm that there are genuine differences between sociodemographic subgroups.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Validation of bioanalytical methods.

Validation of bioanalytical methods used to generate data for pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies is approached by a variety of techniques and is subject to many different methods of interpretation. This Review puts the various techniques into perspective and discusses pitfalls which may occur in interpretation of validation data. Recovery studies, standardization techniques, and selectivity/specificity are discussed with regard to the intrinsic value of various techniques that are used in validation. Models used for analytical calibration curves are explained in terms of their validity and limitations, along with a presentation of the most common ways to validate the model. Analytical sensitivity and detection limits are presented and discussed with regard to the usefulness of the various definitions. Appropriate means of testing precision and accuracy, the most important factors in assessing method quality, are presented. Stability and ruggedness testing are discussed along with a presentation of ways to assess data acceptability on a daily run basis.

Biopharmaceutics↗

PubMed2002

Validity beliefs and ideology can influence legal case judgments differently.

Jurors sometimes enter a case both with prior beliefs about its likely validity and with more general ideologies that are relevant to the case. Although prior validity beliefs may serve as heuristics, directly biasing decisions when cognitive capacity is low, we hypothesized that ideology may bias systematic thought even when cognitive capacity is high. This experiment studied simulated individual juror decisions in a sex-discrimination case, measuring validity beliefs about such cases as well as feminist ideology, and exposing participants to 1 of 3 case versions under time pressure or no time pressure. Validity beliefs had a direct, heuristic impact on judgment only under time pressure. However, feminist ideology had a mediated influence on judgment via valenced thoughts about the evidence, even under no time pressure. Also, people with initially proplaintiff beliefs judged a woman's sex-discrimination suit more negatively than did prodefendants if the evidence was weak. The results suggest that when jurors can fully process information, validity expectancies might backfire if not supported by case evidence, but ideology can have a more pervasive influence on the decision-making process.

Attitude↗

PubMed1999

Validation of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory for Axis II disorders: does it meet the Daubert standard?

Relevant to forensic practice, the Supreme Court in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1993) established the boundaries for the admissibility of scientific evidence that take into account its trustworthiness as assessed via evidentiary reliability. In conducting forensic evaluations, psychologists and other mental health professionals must be able to offer valid diagnoses, including Axis II disorders. The most widely available measure of personality disorders is the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and its subsequent revisions (MCMI-II and MCMI-III). We address the critical question, "Do the MCMI-II and MCMI-III meet the requirements of Daubert?" Fundamental problems in the scientific validity and error rates for MCMI-III appear to preclude its admissibility under Daubert for the assessment of Axis II disorders. We address the construct validity for the MCMI and MCMI-II via a meta-analysis of 33 studies. The resulting multitrait-multimethod approach allowed us to address their convergent and discriminant validity through method effects (Marsh, 1990). With reference to Daubert, the results suggest a circumscribed use for the MCMI-II with good evidence of construct validity for Avoidant, Schizotypal, and Borderline personality disorders.

Expert Testimony↗

PubMed2003

Measuring health: improving the validity of health assessments.

A large number of test batteries, instruments, indices and scales promise to provide reliable and valid information about an individual's health status. It is often neglected, however, that the data gathered using these measures are based entirely on self-reports and are susceptible to a variety of biasing factors. This is of particular concern for health research because many questions are inherently ambiguous and require considerable interpretive work on the part of the respondent. A single term may cover a wide range of health-related symptoms, experiences, or events, making health-related questions highly susceptible to contextual influences. This article discusses a number of possible influences on individual responses and suggests several determinants of self-report validity. The paper is organized into two major parts. The first part demonstrates that the validity of survey responses can be enhanced substantially when knowledge about conversational dynamics is taken into account during the design stage of the questionnaire. The second part argues that respondents are motivated and able to provide valid information about their overall health status. The validity of global single-item measures of health status is examined, and a cognitive model is introduced that outlines how subjective health evaluations are made.

Health Services Research↗

PubMed1999

Refining quality of life: validating a multidimensional factor measure in the severe mentally ill.

Quality of life measurement has historically been characterized by a focus on physical functionality, great variability in definitions and insufficient attention to psychometric properties of measures. The present study examined four core subscales of the Quality of Life Enjoyment Scale (Q-LES-Q) designed to assess subjective quality of life (i.e. physical health, subjective feelings, leisure activities and social relationships) administered to 151 male and female subjects with severe mental illness admitted to a residential community treatment center or a university psychiatric hospital. The use of factor analysis is a common approach to examining construct validity of instruments through the examination of correlated clusters of item responses. Those sets of highly correlated item responses should identify a construct or dimension of related items (i.e. a factor). Two factor approaches, exploratory (i.e. the maximum number of possible factor is unspecified) and restricted (i.e. the maximum number of factors allowed is specified), were employed to examine construct validity of the four Q-LES-Q subscales. In addition, both orthogonal (i.e. independence between factors is maximized) and oblique (i.e. correlated factors are allowed) rotations (arrangements) of factor structure were also investigated to define subscale validity further. Results supported good construct validity for each subscale with either factor approach, i.e. the four proposed subscales were clearly identifiable in the factors (groupings) of correlated item responses from the sample. In both cases, the orthogonal (independent) rotation produced the simplest structure, i.e. the clearest groupings of items. These results indicate that the Q-LES-Q does appear to measure valid dimensions matching those proposed by the subscales and, thus, may be a useful and reliable tool for clinical applications.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

The ecological validity of neuropsychological tests: a review of the literature on everyday cognitive skills.

Evaluating the ecological validity of neuropsychological tests has become an increasingly important topic over the past decade. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the research on the ecological validity of neuropsychological tests, as it pertains to everyday cognitive skills. This review is presented in the context of several theoretical issues facing ecological validity research. Overall, the research suggests that many neuropsychological tests have a moderate level of ecological validity when predicting everyday cognitive functioning. The strongest relationships were noted when the outcome measure corresponded to the cognitive domain assessed by the neuropsychological tests. Several other factors that may moderate the degree of ecological validity established for neuropsychological tests are in need of further exploration. These factors include the effects of the population being tested, the approach utilized (verisimilitude vs. veridicality), the person completing the outcome measure (significant other vs. clinician), illness severity, and time from injury until evaluation. In addition, a standard measurement of outcome for each cognitive domain is greatly needed to allow for comparison across studies.

Cognition Disorders↗

PubMed2005

Development, validation and clinical use of the FLQA-I, a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for patients with lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: It is known from clinical practice that lymphatic diseases can be associated with reductions of quality of life (QoL). Due to the lack of validated methods, only few studies however have systematically investigated the QoL in lymphedema. The aim of the study was 1) to develop a standardized QoL questionnaire specific for lymphedema and 2) to assess the QoL in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We developed and tested the FLQA-l, a novel QoL questionnaire developed specific for use in lymphedema on the basis of the previously validated FLQA vein questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 92 items that refer to the following scales: Physical status, everyday life, social life, emotional well-being, treatment, satisfaction and profession/household. 392 patients with primary (n = 246) and secondary (n = 146) lymphedema were included in the validation study. RESULTS: The FLQA-l showed good internal consistency; Cronbach's alpha was higher than 0.75 in all scales. There were no floor and ceiling effects and satisfactory item selectivity. The test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change and convergent validity with other psychometric instruments were satisfactory. Clinically, patients with lymphedema showed markedly impaired QoL in all fields, compared to persons with early stage venous insufficiency, and comparable reductions of QoL, compared to patients with venous leg ulcer. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the FLQA-l is a reliable and valid questionnaire for the assessment of QoL in lymphedema. Since the QoL is impaired in many patients with lymphedema, QoL evaluation may be helpful for clinical diagnostics as well as for outcome measurement of specific edema therapy.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

An Australian validation study of the temperament and character inventory.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of the temperament and character inventory (TCI) measure in an Australian sample. METHOD: A sample of depressed subjects completed the TCI and a measure assessing personality disorder constructs (PDCs), while family members and psychiatrists also returned PDC ratings. RESULTS: Factor analyses generally supported the TCI constructs, when the temperament and character scales were analysed separately. Self-reported PDC scores were validated against corroborative witness ratings and used to assess the TCIs concurrent validity. Validation analyses supported all TCI temperament scales, but the Self-transcendence Character scale was unassociated with PDC scores. The remaining two character scales (i.e. cooperativeness and self-directedness) were non-specifically associated with all PDC scores. CONCLUSION: Study results support the validity of the TCI scales, but question the best model for conceptualizing the TCI. It is suggested that two character scales quantify disordered functioning, while temperament scales quantify style, constructs that may be inter-related or independent in individual subjects.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Quantifying construct validity: two simple measures.

Construct validity is one of the most central concepts in psychology. Researchers generally establish the construct validity of a measure by correlating it with a number of other measures and arguing from the pattern of correlations that the measure is associated with these variables in theoretically predictable ways. This article presents 2 simple metrics for quantifying construct validity that provide effect size estimates indicating the extent to which the observed pattem of correlations in a convergent-discriminant validity matrix matches the theoretically predicted pattern of correlations. Both measures, based on contrast analysis, provide simple estimates of validity that can be compared across studies, constructs, and measures meta-analytically, and can be implemented without the use of complex statistical procedures that may limit their accessibility.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Construct validity of a Physical Work Environment Satisfaction Questionnaire.

Many theories of behavior at work fail to consider the effects of the physical environment on employees' behavior and attitudes. The purpose of this research was to gather evidence of the construct validity of the Physical Work Environment Satisfaction Questionnaire (PWESQ) and of the validity of the physical work environment satisfaction construct. Evidence of the construct validity of the PWESQ was sought through its administration, along with a number of established measures of work attitudes, to 641 employees in 8 organizations. The data provided evidence of the validity of both the physical work environment satisfaction construct and the PWESQ as a valid measure of that construct. Practical and theoretical implications, as well as implications for future research, are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

A new frame for frame-of-reference training: enhancing the construct validity of assessment centers.

The authors undertook a comprehensive examination of the construct validity of an assessment center in this study by (a) gathering many different types of evidence to evaluate the strength of the inference between predictor measures and constructs (e.g., reliability, accuracy, convergent and discriminant relationships), (b) introducing a theoretically relevant intervention (frame-of-reference [FOR] training) aimed at improving construct validity, and (c) examining the effect of this intervention on criterion-related validity (something heretofore unexamined in the assessment center literature). Results from 58 assessees and 122 assessors suggested that FOR training was effective at improving the reliability, accuracy, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of assessment center ratings. Findings are discussed in terms of implications and future directions for both FOR training and assessment center practice.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

A meta-analytic study of general mental ability validity for different occupations in the European community.

A comprehensive meta-analysis of the validity of general mental ability (GMA) measures across 12 occupational categories in the European Community (EC) is presented. GMA measures showed that there is validity generalization and large operational validities for job performance and training success in 11 occupational groups. Results also showed that job complexity moderated the magnitude of the operational validity of GMA tests across three levels of job complexity: low, medium, and high. In general, results were similar to those found in the United States, although the European findings showed a slightly larger magnitude of operational validity in some cases. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for personnel selection are discussed. ((c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved)

Aptitude↗

PubMed2004

Validity of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) general test scores for admissions to colleges of veterinary medicine.

From the standpoint of test validation, veterinary medicine provides both a unique context in which to study the validity of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test scores and a singular opportunity to address the shortcomings typical of many GRE validity studies. This article documents a study of the validity of the GRE General Test for predicting 1st-year grade averages in a comprehensive sample of veterinary medical colleges. For each of 16 veterinary medical colleges, statistical corrections were applied to correct for the effects of range restriction in the predictors and unreliability of the criterion. When fully corrected for both range restriction and unreliability, the resulting validity coefficients were, on average,.53 for the combination of all 3 GRE General Test scores,.59 for undergraduate grade point average, and.71 for GRE scores and undergraduate grade point average together.

Aptitude Tests↗

PubMed2004

Eating disorder diagnostic scale: additional evidence of reliability and validity.

The authors conducted 4 studies investigating the reliability and validity of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (HDDS; E. Stice, C. F. Telch, & S. L. Rizvi, 2000), a brief self-report measure for diagnosing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Study 1 found that the HDDS showed criterion validity with interview-based diagnoses, convergent validity with risk factors for eating pathology, and internal consistency. Studies 2 and 3 found that the EDDS was sufficiently sensitive to detect the effects of eating disorder prevention programs. Regarding predictive validity, Studies 3 and 4 found that the EDDS predicted response to a prevention program and future onset of eating pathology and depression. Results provide additional evidence of the reliability and validity of this scale and suggest it may be useful in clinical and research applications.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Reproducibility and validity of coffee and tea consumption in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: The reproducibility and validity of coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea intake has not been adequately studied, particularly in Italy, where coffee drinking is peculiar in terms of type and amount of coffee consumed. DESIGN: We compared coffee and tea consumption, measured by two interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), with average intake derived from two 7-day dietary (DD) records (the reference method) on 395 volunteers. The Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were used to assess both reproducibility and validity of information on coffee intake. RESULTS: A satisfactory level of reproducibility and validity of the pattern consumption was observed for coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea. The reproducibility for both sex combined showed r of 0.74-0.78 for coffee, 0.57-0.65 for decaffeinated coffee and 0.61-0.67 for tea. The validity was about 0.70 for coffee, around 0.58 for decaffeinated coffee and 0.56-0.60 for tea intake. CONCLUSIONS: The FFQ is a satisfactorily reliable and valid instrument for collecting information on coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea intake.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The reliability and validity of Arizona sexual experiences scale in Turkish ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Although sexuality was the fifth most important life stressor cited by dialysis patients, sexual dysfunctions (SD) receive a very limited attention in the follow-up of these patients. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in Turkey. The instrument's reliability and validity were assessed in 43 ESRD outpatients undergoing dialysis. All patients were assessed at baseline and at 6 months. ASEX showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha's 0.89 and 0.90) and test-retest reliability (r=0.88, P<0.001). Convergent validity of ASEX was measured by means of the scales' correlation with the psychiatrists' assessment for the presence of SD (r=0.53, P<0.001). The results of receiver operating characteristics analysis for criterion validity revealed that ASEX scores could discriminate well (0.85+/-0.06 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.90), P<0.001) between patients with 'no SD (n=26)' and 'with SD (n=17)'. A total ASEX score of < or =11 was found to be the best cutoff point (sensitivity=100%, specificity=52%) for screening in this group of patients. The findings of this study indicate that the ASEX is a valid and reliable instrument for use in clinical trials on sexual functioning of ESRD patients undergoing HD.

Adult↗