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Results for “construct validity”

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PubMed2004

The peripheral artery questionnaire: a new disease-specific health status measure for patients with peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND: The most common indication for treating patients with peripheral arterial disease is to improve their health status: their symptoms, function, and quality of life. Quantifying health status requires a valid, reproducible, and sensitive disease-specific measure. The Peripheral Artery Questionnaire (PAQ) is a 20-item questionnaire developed to meet this need by quantifying patients' physical limitations, symptoms, social function, treatment satisfaction, and quality of life. METHODS: Psychometric and clinical properties of the PAQ were evaluated in a prospective cohort study of 44 patients undergoing elective percutaneous peripheral revascularization. To establish reproducibility, 2 assessments were performed 2 weeks apart and before revascularization. The change in scores before and 6 weeks after revascularization were used to determine the instruments' responsiveness and were compared with the Short Form-36 and the Walking Impairment Questionnaire. A series of cross-sectional analyses were performed to establish the construct validity of the PAQ. RESULTS: The 7 domains of the PAQ were internally reliable, with Cronbach alpha = 0.80 to 0.94. The test-retest reliability analyses revealed insignificant mean changes of 0.6 to 2.3 points (P = not significant for all). Conversely, the change after revascularization ranged from 13.7 to 41.9 points (P < or =.001 for all), reflecting substantial sensitivity of the PAQ to clinical improvement. The PAQ Summary Scale was the most sensitive of all scales tested. Construct validity was established by demonstrating correlations with other measures of patient health status. CONCLUSIONS: The PAQ is a valid, reliable, and responsive disease-specific measure for patients with peripheral arterial disease. It may prove to be a useful end point in clinical trials and a potential aid in disease management.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Meeting the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies using established residency training program assessment tools.

BACKGROUND: Most existing residency evaluation tools were constructed to evaluate the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies. METHODS: Before ACGME's six competency based assessment requirements for resident performance were developed, we created a residency evaluation tool with 5 domains important to successful surgical resident performance. Reliability was determined after 6 months of use. Factor analysis assessed whether the evaluation tool was a construct-valid measure of the ACGME competencies. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-three evaluations for 36 surgical residents were tested. The original evaluation tool was highly reliable with an overall reliability of 0.97. Factor analysis defined 4 new combinations of questions analogous to 4 of the ACGME competencies: professionalism (reliability 0.95), patient care (reliability 0.93), medical knowledge (reliability 0.92), and communication (reliability 0.92). The new competency clusters were correlated with each other to a moderate degree. CONCLUSIONS: Our locally developed tool demonstrated high reliability and construct validity for 4 of 6 ACGME competencies. The correlation between factors suggests overlap between competencies.

Accreditation↗

PubMed2003

Discrimination of normal from demented elderly on a Spanish version of the verbal Selective Reminding Test.

The verbal Selective Reminding Test (vSRT) is a frequently used test for evaluating verbal learning and memory. In the present study we investigated the construct validity of a Spanish version of the vSRT by determining its ability to distinguish between a group of healthy elderly subjects and a group of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Further validation of the test was assessed by comparing the pattern of memory deficits found in the group of patients with DAT with findings from previous neuropsychological research concerning with memory impairments in English-speaking patients with Alzheimer's disease. Analyses revealed that the test was able to differentiate normal individuals from patients with DAT. In addition the pattern of memory functioning found in the group of patients with DAT was consistent with findings of previous experimental and clinical reports. These results support the construct validity of the Spanish version of the vSRT.

Aged↗

PubMed1988

Toronto Alexithymia Scale: relationships with measures of patient self-disclosure and private self-consciousness.

The construct validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) was tested by correlations with the Patient Self-Disclosure instrument and the Private Self-Consciousness scale in a study of 333 students at a large midwestern university. The TAS was found to be internally consistent and to yield a replicable factor structure. Scores on the TAS correlated negatively with both overall ratings of the importance of such disclosure and scores on the PSC, and positively with perceived difficulty of patient self-disclosure. Results support construct validity of the TAS and suggest a more generally restrictive communicative style among alexithymic individuals than previously thought.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

A parent completed questionnaire to describe the patterns of wheezing and other respiratory symptoms in infants and preschool children.

AIM: To develop a standardised and validated respiratory symptom questionnaire for use in epidemiological or follow up studies in infants and preschool children. METHODOLOGY: After initial design and development, the questionnaire was administered to two cohorts of subjects, one recruited from a respiratory clinic and the other from a postnatal ward. The two cohorts then repeated the questionnaire, two weeks apart. The qualities of the questionnaire were assessed. RESULTS: Response rate to the initial questionnaire was 100% for the clinic based cohort and 64% for postnatally recruited families (total number of subjects 114). Questions showed good to moderate short term reliability (weighted kappa scores 0.47-0.7; average correct classification rates 0.74-0.91). Four domain concept scores showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach alpha scores 0.87-0.95). Using principal component factor analysis, four new domains were devised showing acceptable construct validity and internal consistency. Criterion validity was assessed using a respiratory physician based diagnosis of asthma (RPBDA) as the gold standard for comparison. All eight scales in the questionnaire could significantly distinguish between infants with RPBDA and well or mildly symptomatic subjects. CONCLUSION: We have developed a practical, acceptable questionnaire with eight concept domains for use in infants and preschool children. The questionnaire has strong construct validity and internal consistency with good short term reliability of questions. More detailed study of criterion validity and the responsiveness of the questionnaire is required using a larger population and including children with the different phenotypes of wheezy illness.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1997

The Patient-Specific Functional Scale: measurement properties in patients with knee dysfunction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Assessing disability is important, and numerous interviewer-assisted and self-report questionnaires are used to accomplish this task. These questionnaires can be classified as being generic, condition or disease specific, or patient specific. The purpose of this study was to determine test-retest reliability, construct validity, and sensitivity to change of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) when applied to patients with knee dysfunction. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 38 physician-referred patients with knee dysfunction. METHODS: The PSFS and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were administered at a patient's initial visit and following 2 to 3 weeks of treatment. An assessment of global change was also made by the patient and clinician at follow-up. These measures allowed the assessment of construct validity and sensitivity to change. To obtain an estimate of reliability, the PSFS was also administered within 72 hours of the initial assessment. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [type 2,1] R = .84 and Pearson's r = .78, respectively). Validity was also confirmed. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Previous investigation on persons with low back pain suggested that the PSFS has promising measurement properties. The results of this study provide further evidence supporting the reliability, validity, and efficiency of the PSFS. Further investigation is needed to determine the extent to which the PSFS can be applied across a variety of conditions and age groups.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1987

A comparison of syndromes derived from the Child Behavior Checklist for American and Dutch boys aged 6-11 and 12-16.

Child Behavior Checklists completed by parents of 1863 clinically referred American and Dutch boys aged 6-11 and 12-16 were subjected to principal components analyses with varimax rotations. For each age group, the construct validity of seven empirically derived syndromes was supported by cross-national correlations ranging from 0.80 to 0.98. These syndromes were designated as Aggressive, Delinquent, Depressed (ages 6-11 only), Hyperactive, Schizoid (ages 12-16 only), Somatic Complaints, Uncommunicative, and Withdrawal (Social Withdrawal for ages 6-11; Hostile Withdrawal for ages 12-16). Cross-national similarities in the distribution of scores for normative samples supported the use of the same syndrome scales by clinicians and researchers in the two countries. The cross-national construct validity of Obsessive-Compulsive and Immature syndromes did not receive adequate support.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Validation of the medical outcomes study family and marital functioning measures in SLE patients in Singapore.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Medical Outcomes Study Family and Marital Functioning Measures (FMM and MFM) in a multi-ethnic, urban Asian population in Singapore. METHODS: English speaking Chinese, Malay or Indian SLE patients (n=120) completed a self-administered questionnaire containing the FFM and MFM at baseline, after 2 weeks and after 6 months. Lupus activity, disease-related damage and quality of life were assessed using the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index and SF-36 Health Survey respectively. Scale psychometric properties were assessed through factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, quantifying test-retest differences and known-groups construct validity. RESULTS: Factor analysis of scores obtained at baseline and after 6 months identified 3 factors corresponding to the FFM (1 factor) and the MFM (2 factors). Both scales showed acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.95 for the FFM and 0.70 for the MFM. Mean (s.d.) test-retest differences were -0.31 (3.82) points for the FFM and -0.70 (4.26) points for the MFM. Eleven out of 13 a priori hypotheses relating both the FFM and MFM to demographic, disease and quality of life variables were confirmed, supporting the construct validity of these scales. CONCLUSION: The FFM and MFM are valid and reliable measures of family and marital functioning in a multi-ethnic cohort of Asian SLE patients in Singapore.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Validity and reliability of the Italian translation of the MOS-HIV health survey in persons with AIDS.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the 35-item Medical Outcome Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) when applied to persons with AIDS. METHODS: The study population consisted of 185 adults with AIDS residing in Rome and participating in a randomised controlled trial on home-care. Diagnosis was made between 1 October 1994 and 1 April 1996, and enrollment took place within 2 months of diagnosis. The MOS-HIV, which measures 10 dimensions of health-related quality of life (QoL), was administered at baseline and every 3 months thereafter during the 1-year follow-up. Tests of convergent and concurrent construct validity were conducted for all scales. RESULTS: Of the 185 trial participants, 146 responded to the questionnaire; 82 responded at least twice (including baseline collection) during follow-up. For the role functioning, general health, and vitality scales, the distribution of scale scores was concentrated at the lower half of the range. Internal consistency reliability was adequate (>0.80) for all scales. Baseline scores tended to increase with decreasing AIDS severity and with increasing age. There were improvements over time in the role functioning, vitality, and health distress scales. CONCLUSIONS: The MOS-HIV had good reliability among persons with AIDS. There was a moderate floor effect for some of the subscales. Tests of convergent and construct validity were generally confirmed. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the responsiveness to changes over time.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

SACRAL: toward the meaning and measurement of friendliness.

Friendliness was regarded as a construct or dispositional tendency consisting of four components: Self-concept (S), the person's beliefs about self related to peer relationships; Accessibility (AC), giving behaviors involving attention and respect; Rewardingness (R), the giving of more tangible rewards, such as money and compliments; and Alienation (AL), personal beliefs about acceptance and the world as a friendly place. A 40-item questionnaire was developed to assess these components of friendliness. Studies of the questionnaire with college students and children supported its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, construct validity, and discriminant validity. Although virtually all respondents reported themselves as friendly, high SACRAL scorers, when compared with low scorers, less frequently experience loneliness and in a variety of contexts claim to be more apt to engage in friendly behaviors. The impression that emerges of relatively low scorers on SACRAL is of people whose professed actions are somewhat inconsistent with their personal beliefs.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

[Instrument for measuring psychological variables and adherence to treatment behavior in persons who are seropositive for HIV (VPAD-24)].

OBJECTIVE: To test the psychometric properties of an instrument for measuring psychological variables and adherence to treatment behaviors in persons with HIV infection or AIDS. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed with 68 subjects who were seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who were being treated in a health facility in the city of Hermosillo (Sonora), Mexico, at the time the study was carried out. Five consecutive statistical testing procedures were applied for data analysis: the Student t test for comparison of means, for assessing the comprehensibility of the questions; an exploratory factorial analysis with varimax rotation for determining construct validity; Cronbach's alpha coefficient for determining reliability; Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) for assessing concurrent validity; and multiple linear regression for determining predictive value. RESULTS: In 25 out of a total of 30 questions, the Student t test for comparison of means gave statistical significance values of P < or = 0.05, P < or = 0.005, P < or = 0.01, and P < or = 0.001. A four-factor structure was found with the factorial analysis with varimax rotation: (1) current adherence behavior and treatment; (2) underlying reasons for adherence or lack of adherence; (3) psychological well-being and social competencies; (4) past adherence behavior with values above 1 that, taken as a whole, explain 65.50% of the variance. An overall alpha coefficient of 0.852 was obtained with the test for reliability. The test for concurrent validity showed correlations between factors 1 and 2 (r = 0.615; P < or = 0.01), between factor 2 and factors 3 and 4 (r = -0.178; P < 0.05 and r = 0.265; P < 0,05, respectively), and between factor 3 and duration of infection in months (r = 0.265; P < 0.05). Finally, multiple linear regression showed that psychological factors 2 and 4, which together explain 48.6% of the variance, predicted current adherence behavior (adjusted determination coefficient [R2] = 0.486). CONCLUSION: According to the results obtained, the instrument has optimal reliability as well as construct validity, concurrent validity, and predictive validity.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-short form.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to evaluate the measurement properties of the Brazilian version of the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP14). METHODS: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study designed to assess the impact of toothache on quality of life during pregnancy. The sample consisted of 504 postpartum women (mean age 24 years; SD 6.2), most of whom had unsolved dental problems and belonged to low-income families. The questionnaire was administered in the form of interviews by two trained interviewers who also performed clinical examinations. Reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency and stability. Construct validity was evaluated based on comparison of the total scores among groups according to: self-perceived and normative oral health care needs, self-perceived general and oral health status, presence of carious lesions and tooth loss. It was also hypothesized that the scores of OHIP14 and Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) would correlate with each other. RESULTS: Both test-retest stability and internal consistency, as measured by the intra-class correlation coefficient (0.87) and by Cronbach's alpha (0.91), proved to be adequate. Construct validity was confirmed as the correlation between OHIP14 scores with self-perceived general and oral health were in the expected direction, and the differences in scores of the groups formed according to the selected attributes were significant at values of P < or = 0.05 (Mann-Whitney test). Moreover, the correlation coefficient between OIDP and OHIP14 was 0.76 (rs). CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of OHIP14 has good psychometric properties, which are similar to those of the original instrument.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Validity and reliability of the migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ Version 2.1).

OBJECTIVE: To assess the scaling properties, reliability, and validity of the revised Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ) (Version 2.1) BACKGROUND: The MSQ is a disease-specific, quality-of-life instrument with three hypothesized scales that has been developed, tested, and revised. METHODS: The study used a multicenter, nondrug, prospective, parallel group, quasi-experimental design. Patients with migraine were recruited at outpatient headache specialty practices and were administered the MSQ, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and migraine symptom questionnaires at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and 4-week test-retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficients) were estimated to assess reliability. Construct validity was assessed using an adaptation of the Campbell and Fiske multitrait-multimethod approach and by correlating MSQ scores with symptom measures. RESULTS: A total of 267 subjects enrolled in the trial. The criteria for summated rating scales were all met. The internal consistency coefficients ranged from 0.86 to 0.96, and the intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.57 to 0.63 across the three dimensions. As anticipated, the MSQ dimensions had low-to-modest correlations with the two component scores of the SF-36 and were modestly to moderately correlated with migraine symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The MSQ is a reliable instrument in the assessment of quality of life for patients with migraine with items that can be summed without weights. The MSQ has demonstrated evidence of construct validity.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

PubMed2003

The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): detecting anxiety disorder and depression in employees absent from work because of mental health problems.

AIMS: To (1) evaluate the psychometric properties and (2) examine the ability to detect cases with anxiety disorder and depression in a population of employees absent from work because of mental health problems. METHODS: Internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were assessed. Furthermore, the ability to identify anxiety disorders or depression was evaluated by calculating posterior probabilities of these disorders following positive and negative test results for different cut off scores of the DASS-Depression and DASS-Anxiety subscales. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the DASS subscales was high, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.94, 0.88, and 0.93 for depression, anxiety, and stress respectively. Factor analysis revealed a three factor solution, which corresponded well with the three subscales of the DASS. Construct validity was further supported by moderately high correlations of the DASS with indices of convergent validity (0.65 and 0.75), and lower correlations of the DASS with indices of divergent validity (range -0.22 to 0.07). Support for criterion validity was provided by a statistically significant difference in DASS scores between two diagnostic groups. A cut off score of 5 for anxiety and 12 for depression is recommended. The DASS showed probabilities of anxiety and depression after a negative test result of 0.05 and 0.06 respectively. Probabilities of 0.29 for anxiety disorder and 0.33 for depression after a positive test result reflect relatively low specificity of the DASS. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the DASS are suitable for use in an occupational health care setting. The DASS can be helpful in ruling out anxiety disorder and depression in employees with mental health problems.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1999

Sequential consequences of therapists' interventions.

Using sequential analysis, the authors examined how therapists' actions related to the verbal disclosure and defensive patterns that followed therapists' interventions within a single therapy hour for 20 patients. At the same time, a new measure, the Psychodynamic Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS), was tested for reliability and construct validity. Results indicated that therapists fit their styles of intervention to patients' levels of distress and functioning. Within the session, patient's emotional elaboration was followed by therapist's defense interpretation, followed by more patient emotional elaboration. Patient elaboration of significance was followed by more transference interpretation, followed by more patient elaboration of significance. Noninterpretive interventions were followed by patient's disclosure of facts, not emotion. Both interpretive intervention process sequences and therapist's use of support predicted posttreatment symptom reduction. The PIRS was shown to have satisfactory reliability and construct validity.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMed2003

Quality of life after hip fracture: a comparison of four health status measures in 208 patients.

OBJECTIVES: We compared four health status measures for the evaluation of quality of life after hip fracture. METHODS: Two hundred and eight elderly hip fracture patients were followed up to 4 months after hospital admission. We used two interviewer-administered instruments (the Rehabilitation Activities Profile (RAP) and the Barthel Index (BI)) that focus on functional status, and two self-assessment instruments (the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the COOP/WONCA charts) that additionally include psychological and social health domains. The score distribution, internal consistency, construct validity, and sensitivity to change were investigated. RESULTS: At 4 months only 18% of surviving patients had reached the same level of functioning as before the fracture and, compared with reference values, lower scores of health status were found in the areas of physical mobility and emotional reactions. The number of comorbidities at hospital admission was the most important prognostic factor for recovery of health status at 4 months. The RAP and the BI both performed well in the assessment of functional status in regard to score distribution, internal consistency and construct validity. In contrast to the BI, the RAP also assessed instrumental activities of daily living and perceived problems with existing disabilities. The generic health status measures produced no added value in the assessment of functional status. The NHP covered a wider range of psychological health dimensions (emotion, pain, energy, and sleep) and had better psychometric properties than COOP/WONCA. None of the four instruments performed well in assessing social functioning. CONCLUSIONS: To assess health status after hip fracture, we recommend the RAP for functional status and the NHP for changes in emotion, pain, and energy. These instruments detected poor recovery in functional and emotional status at 4 months after fracture.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

A cardiovascular extension of the Health Measurement Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the psychometric properties of a cardiovascular extension of an existing utility-based quality of life questionnaire (Health Measurement Questionnaire). The new instrument has been named the Utility Based Quality of life--Heart questionnaire, or UBQ-H. DESIGN: Explored the test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the UBQ-H. PATIENTS: A sample of 322 patients attending cardiac outpatient clinics were recruited from two large metropolitan teaching hospitals. A second sample of 1112 patients taking part in the LIPID trial was also used to investigate the validity and responsiveness of the UBQ-H. RESULTS: Ninety per cent of all UBQ-H questionnaires were returned, and item completion rates were high (median of less than 1% missing or N/A answers). Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency for the scales ranged between 0.79-0.91, and each item was also most strongly correlated with its hypothesised domain than alternative domains. The intra-class test-retest reliability of the UBQ-H scales ranged from 0.65 to 0.81 for patients with stable health. Results supported the construct validity of the UBQ-H. The UBQ-H was significantly correlated with other information on quality of life (for example, General Health Questionnaire) as anticipated. The instrument was able to distinguish between contrasted groups of patients (for example, with versus without symptoms of dyspnoea, prior myocardial infarction versus none, etc), and was responsive to changes in health associated with adverse events requiring hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: The modifications made to the Health Measurement Questionnaire has resulted in an assessment designed for cardiovascular patients that has proved to be both reliable and valid.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed1997

Assessing psychiatric impairment in primary care with the Sheehan Disability Scale.

OBJECTIVE: Several recent studies have documented that substantial functional impairment is associated with many of the mental disorders seen in primary care. However, brief measures of mental health-related functional impairment are not commonly applied in primary care settings. The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), a three-item instrument for assessing such impairment, is evaluated in this study. METHOD: A psychometric analysis of the SDS was conducted with a sample of 1001 primary care patients at Kaiser Permanente In Oakland, California. The SDS and the Symptom Driven Diagnostic System for Primary Care assessments were completed. RESULTS: The internal consistency reliability of the SDS is high, with coefficient alpha of 0.89. The construct validity was substantiated in two ways. A one-factor model fit the data quite well. Furthermore, patients with each of six psychiatric disorders had significantly higher impairment scores than those who did not. Finally, over 80 percent of the patients with mental disorder diagnoses had an elevated SDS score and nearly 50 percent of those with elevated SDS scores had at least one disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of the SDS were evaluated in primary care. The internal consistency reliability was high. The analyses also lend empirical support for the construct validity. The scale is a sensitive tool for identifying primary care patients with mental health-related functional impairment, who would warrant a diagnostically-oriented mental health assessment.

Adolescent↗