PubMed HealthSearch

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 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Development of physical ability tests for police officers: a construct validation approach.

A construct validation approach was followed to affirm that 8 physical ability test events were significantly related to two important constructs underlying the job performance of police officers: strength and endurance. A sample of 115 incumbent police officers took 8 physical ability tests and were rated by supervisors on their physical performances in their job. LISREL methods were used to test the model specified, and a reasonable fit was achieved. Portions of the model were tested on an independent sample of 161 applicants; the fit of the model was again acceptable. A nomological network of relationships, in which strength and endurance factors correlated in expected directions with other physiological and demographic variables, was hypothesized and tested. Finally, the data were examined for potential gender differences and bias. Considerable differences were shown between men and women on both test and performance variables, and women would be overpredicted if a common regression line were used for selection purposes.

Adult

The construct validity of aniseikonic lens measures of anxiety.

The construct validity of aniseikonic lens measures of anxiety as a personality trait and of anxiety toward objects was examined in an experimental setting. No evidence of convergent construct validity was found for aniseikonic measures of anxiety as a personality trait. The validity of such measures as indices of anxiety toward objects was also questioned. The findings suggested that familiarity with the object viewed, rather than anxiety, may be the underlying dimension tapped by such measures of ability to perceive aniseikonic distortion.

Adolescent

Separation-individuation, family functioning, and psychological adjustment in college students: a construct validity study of the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence.

We evaluated the construct validity of the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA; Levine, Green, & Millon, 1986). Based on a review of the theoretical literature on separation-individuation issues during late adolescence, predictions were made as to how SITA scores would correlate with aspects of family functioning and psychological adjustment. The SITA and a battery of self-report family and adjustment measures were administered to 454 college students (272 females and 182 males; 74% White, 16% African American, and 10% Asian American or Hispanic). Correlational analyses offered partial support for the construct validity of the SITA. Cluster analyses revealed four distinct groups of subjects (anxious deniers, healthy separators, peaceful detachers, and succorance seekers), each with its own coherent set of scores on the SITA and instruments measuring family relations and positive and negative psychological adjustment. Criticisms concerning the labels and composition of the SITA scales are also discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological

Phenotyping strategies for chronic overlapping pain conditions and internalizing disorders in Veterans: Prevalence, comorbidity, and latent structure as evidence for construct validity.

Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), internalizing (INT) disorders, and opioid use disorder (OUD) are common, comorbid, and difficult to phenotype at scale. Electronic health record (EHR) studies commonly define cases using Any Code (AC; ≥1 ICD-9/10 code) and Multiple Code (MC; ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient codes) phenotyping strategies, but it is unclear whether these thresholds change only case numbers or also the clinical relationships among conditions. This cross-sectional study included approximately 950,000 Million Veteran Program participants with ≥2 visits. AC and MC phenotypes for 17 conditions spanning COPCs, INT, and OUD were compared in prevalence, case characteristics, comorbidity, and latent structure. Random-thinning analysis compared AC-MC differences to case reduction alone. Construct validity was evaluated through correspondence with expected patterns of association and latent organization. Back pain (AC=58.1%; MC=48.1%), major depressive disorder (41.5%; 36.2%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (32.6%; 29.1%) were most prevalent. MC excluded 33.5% of AC cases on average, and MC cases had greater healthcare utilization, diagnostic burden, opioid exposure, and psychiatric medication use than AC-only cases. The observed mean absolute correlation change (mean |Δr|=0.014) was smaller than in all 1000 random-thinning replicates. Both strategies supported a correlated, four-factor model consistent with "Anxious Misery," "Fear," "Diffuse Pain," and "Head Pain" (AC: CFI=0.987, RMSEA=0.015; MC: CFI=0.987, RMSEA=0.014). The MC strategy reduced prevalence and altered case composition but maintained the expected comorbidity and latent organization patterns among conditions. Findings provide evidence of phenotype construct validity and inform selection of EHR phenotyping strategies for epidemiological and genomic research. PERSPECTIVE: Commonly used EHR phenotyping strategies tested in nearly one million Veterans produce broadly similar latent organization across comorbid and prevalent chronic overlapping pain conditions, internalizing disorders, and opioid use disorder. Findings support construct validity and clarify trade-offs involving case inclusion, recorded burden, and healthcare observation in large-scale research.

Chronic overlapping pain conditions

Clinical construct validity of the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI).

With a sample of 64 adult psychiatric patients, we examined the construct validity of the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI) for a clinical population. Factor analysis supported the three-dimensional nature of the HPSI and the appropriateness of the instrument's scoring key. Reliability information confirmed the internal consistency of the inventory's scales. Clinical staff ratings were used as criteria, and analyses indicated that HPSI scales demonstrated convergent validity. Overall, findings extend previous nonclinical research on the HPSI and suggest that the instrument possesses construct validity for clinical applications.

Adult

Age-based construct validation using structural equation modeling.

In this paper we describe some mathematical and statistical models based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using computer programs like LISREL. We focus on SEM methodology for the simultaneous examination of the internal validity of psychological constructs and the external validity represented by age relations. To illustrate these ideas we use a latent variable path model to examine the organization of intellectual abilities measured by the WAIS-R in the standardization sample. We also examine different ways in which age can be used to structure this organization. This is primarily a methodological paper, but we try to integrate conceptual principles of modeling with some substantive issues of research on the psychology of aging.

Aging

Construct validation of the health belief model.

A multitrait-multimethod design was employed to assess the construct validity of the Health Belief Model. The data were obtained from a nonrepresentative sample of 85 graduate students at The University of Michigan's School of Public Health. The traits consisted of the respondents' perceptions of: health interest, locus of control, susceptibility to influenza, severity of influenza, benefits provided by a flu shot, and the barriers or costs associated with getting a flu shot. Each trait was measured by three methods: a seven-point Likert scale, a fixed-alternative multiple choice scale, and a vignette. The results indicate that the Health Belief Model variables can be measured with a substantial amount of convergent validity using Likert or multiple choice questionnaire items. With regard to discriminant validity, evidence suggests that subjects' perceptions of barriers and benefits are quite different from their perceptions of susceptibility and severity. Perceptions of susceptibility and severity are substantially but not entirely independent. Perceived benefits and barriers demonstrate a strong negative relationship which suggests the possibility that these two variables represent opposite ends of a single continuum and not separate health beliefs. These preliminary results provide the basis for developing brief health belief scales that may be administered to samples of consumers and providers to assess educational needs. Such needs assessment, in turn, could then be used to tailor messages and programs to meet the particular needs of a client group.

Attitude to Health

Construct validation of children's behavior problem dimensions: relationship to activity level, impulsivity, and soft neurological signs.

A construct validation study of dimensions of children's behavior problems was carried out with use of multiple linear regression. The Ss were 76 latency-aged boys in residential treatment. The dimensions involved were Conduct Disorder and Inadequacy-Immaturity. The predictor variables were activity level, impulsivity, and soft signs of neurological damage. Results indicated that Conduct Disorder was significantly predicted by activity level, in combination with impulsivity. Inadequacy-Immaturity was significantly predicted by activity level and soft signs. A third dimension, Personality Disorder, was found to be uncorrelated with the three predictor variables.

Child

A test of the construct validity of health locus of control: effects on self-reported compliance for hypertensive patients.

A test of the construct validity of the Health Locus of Control (HLC) scale is presented within the larger framework of Rotter's social learning theory. Self-reported compliance behavior was predicted to relate to the subject's HLC orientation, value toward health, and level of perceived home assistance. In a sample of ambulatory hypertensive patients, a significant two-way interaction effect was calculated between the perceived level of home assistance and the patient's HLC orientation (p = .02). The more internally oriented the patient and the higher the level of perceived home assistance in complying with the prescribed medical regimen, the greater the level of self-reported compliance behavior.

Attitude to Health

Construct validity of the Commitment to Career Choices Scale among late adolescents: another look.

In response to Stead and Watson (1992), we reassessed the construct validity of the Commitment to Career Choices Scale using an age-constrained sample from our aggregate data base. A confirmatory factor analysis yielded findings comparable to Stead and Watson's results, thereby suggesting that their findings were likely due to using a homogeneous sample with truncated scores. Given the theoretical importance of measuring the full range of the two commitment to career choices continua, it seems premature to delete items from the scales for research with South African university students. Alternatively, we encourage the use of norms to interpret scores from the scales.

Adult

Construct validity of a self-stimulation threshold paradigm: effects of reward and performance manipulations.

A discrete-trial current-threshold intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) paradigm has been used extensively to examine the effects of drugs on reward thresholds. However, there is little work to date validating that this specific procedure measures reward. The purpose of the present study was to establish the construct validity of this procedure by testing the procedure's ability to measure reward effects and to discriminate these reward effects from performance effects. The discrete-trial ICSS procedure provides four measures: current thresholds, response latency, extra responses and time-out responses. The effects of a performance manipulation (variations in the force required to operate the manipulandum) and of a reward manipulation (variations in the train duration of the electrical stimulation) were evaluated on the four measures. Reward effects were reflected primarily in changes in thresholds, with no effect on any of the other three measures. Conversely, performance effects were reflected primarily in changes in response latency, extra responses and time-out responses, with only a small effect on thresholds. Finally, the paradigm's potential as a useful tool in the elucidation of the neurobiological basis of reward was demonstrated by investigating the effects of two pharmacological agents, cocaine and curare, on the four measures derived from the discrete-trial current-threshold ICSS procedure. The results suggest that the discrete-trial current-threshold procedure can readily discriminate reward from performance treatments.

Animals

Reliability and construct validity of the Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills.

The Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills (COMPS) is a screening tool for children with motor incoordination. A study of reliability (test-retest, interrater, and internal consistency) and construct validity with 132 children, both with and without developmental coordination disorder, is reported here. Test-retest reliability over 2 weeks was high: .92 for a group of 48 children. Interrater reliability for occupational therapists experienced in pediatrics was also excellent: .87 for a group of 72 children. Internal consistency of the COMPS was high, particularly when one of the seven items (Schilder's arm extension) was deleted. The test discriminates well between children with and without motor problems and has many properties of a good screening test.

Child

Applying psychometric criteria to functional assessment in medical rehabilitation: III. Construct validity and predicting level of care.

A discriminant analysis was performed using Rasch ability estimates derived from four Patient Evaluation and Conference System (PECS) subscales, to distinguish among the functional independence and impairment profiles exhibited by patients admitted into any of three levels of medical rehabilitation delineated by the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (NARF): (1) inpatient hospital, (2) atypical nursing home (intermediate), or (3) day program. Two discriminant functions accounted for 91% and 9% of the between-group variance, respectively. Cross-validated classification of patients into one of the three levels of care, based on discriminant function scores, produced 75% correct classification; a 66% improvement over the percentage of correct classification likely by chance alone. Results support the construct validity of the PECS subscales and indicate they may be useful in validating clinically-based admission decisions among three of the levels of care promulgated by NARF.

Activities of Daily Living

Construct validation in adolescents of the brief current form of the Parental Bonding Instrument.

We have reported elsewhere the development of a brief version of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), which we have called the Parental Bonding Instrument-Brief Current form (PBI-BC), for use in survey research in adolescent samples. It was shown in that report that PBI-BC retained the factor structure of the original instrument. The structure remained stable in adolescents' ratings of their mothers and their fathers. Given the evidence of a relationship between the dimensions from the original scale and psychopathology, it was expected that the PBI-BC would be similarly related to measures of psychopathology, namely, that there would be a set of positive correlations between the perceived parental bonding styles of high control and low autonomy-giving and measures of pathology, with a negative relationship between pathology and perceived parental styles of high care and low rejection. In addition, the present study explored the relationships between perceived parental styles and bipolar positive and negative self-concept measures, with the expectations that high control and low autonomy would be associated with more negative self-concept and that high care and low rejection would be associated with more positive self-concept. The results generally confirmed these expectations, suggesting that the brief instrument has adequate construct validity and would be particularly useful as a brief index in studies of adolescents.

Acculturation

Attachment, positive affect, and competence in the peer group: two studies in construct validation.

2 studies were undertaken to assess the positive affective correlates of secure attachment in infancy and to assess the relation between secure attachment in infancy and competence in the peer group at age 3 1/2 years. In study 1, smiling and smiling combined with vocalizing and/or showing toys distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at age 18 months. Rated quality of affective sharing distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at 18 months and 24 months. Thus, secure attachment involves more than the absence of negative or maladaptive behavior directed toward a caregiver. Study 2 assessed cross-age, cross-situational, and cross-behavioral consistency in quality of social adaptation. Quality of infant-mother attachment relationships at age 15 months was related to Q-sort assessments of personal and interpersonal competence in the preschool play-group at age 3 1/2 years. The results contribute to the validation of attachment as an important developmental construct. They also suggest that age appropriate assessment of developmental social competence constructs can be a useful alternative to the study of homotypic behavioral continuity.

Affect

A construct validation study of the Haan defense scales.

This study tested the validity of the Haan (1965) psychological defense scales, which have shown promise for clinical and research assessment. Three subject samples participated: ex-inpatients (n = 80) from a longitudinal high-risk project, their spouses (n = 104), and private college students (n = 124). Valid defense scales were predicted to show a specific pattern of correlations with MMPI ego-strength and standard scales across all three cohorts, with measures of symptoms among the ex-inpatients, and with overall severity of pathology for all groups in a pattern consistent with Vaillant's defense model. The regression scale showed excellent validity, and projection received equivocal support, but the other scales were not validated. Denial appeared to reflect psychological health.

Adult