Acceptable Discriminant Validity Research Articles

Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System adult profile-57 (PROMIS-57)

BackgroundThe PROMIS-57 is a commonly used self-reported instrument to solve the lack of generalizable and universal measures required to evaluate common symptoms and functions from patients’ perspectives. This study aimed to translate the PROMIS-57 into Chinese and psychometrically test the translated instrument on patients with breast cancer.MethodsTranslation, cross‑cultural adaptation, and psychometric evaluation of the instrument were performed from June 2020 to June 2021. Eligible patients were recruited and completed the PROMIS-57, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), and a sociodemographic questionnaire.ResultsData from 602 patients with a mean age of 48.83 years were analyzed. Most domains in the PROMIS-57 showed an absence of floor and ceiling effects. Multi-trait scaling analysis demonstrated acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. The correlations between the PROMIS-57 scores and the selected FACT-B scores supported the criterion validity via the Pearson correlation test. Measurement invariance was supported by the absence of differential item functioning for most items. Cronbach’s α of the domains ranged from 0.85–0.95. The unidimensional factor structure of all domains was supported using confirmatory factor analyses. Additionally, most items showed acceptable item information curves and item characteristics curve matrices.ConclusionThe Chinese version of the PROMIS-57 was found to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing common symptoms and functions among patients with breast cancer.

Psychometric Properties and Factor Analysis of Family Accommodation Scale For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Interviewer-Rated-Thai Version (FAS-T).

PurposeObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a longstanding and debilitating psychiatric disorder which is related to a level of distress in family members of patients who suffer from it. The Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) for OCD helps medical personnel have a clearer and deeper understanding of the pattern of family accommodation. This study aimed to translate FAS into Thai and examine its psychometric properties and factor analysis.Patients and MethodsThere were fifty participants who were relatives of OCD patients. Demographic data were collected along with completion of the FAS-T, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Pictorial Thai Quality of Life (PTQL), and the Thai Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (FOCI-T), and then analyzed. The severity scales of FOCI-T from 44 OCD patients who had relatives participating in this study were collected from medical records and examined. Psychometric properties and factor analysis of FAS-T were tested.ResultsThe average total score of FAS-T was 8.36±8.77 ranging between 0 to 25. The mean scores of FOCI-severity scale in relatives, PHQ-9, PTQL, and FOCI-severity scale in OCD patients, were 1.04±1.97, 4.04±3.73, 52.31±13.99, 8.95±4.36, respectively. The Cronbach’s coefficient alpha of FAS-T was 0.84, which demonstrated good internal consistency. The item-level CVI and scale-level CVI were at an excellent level. The Spearman’s rho between the FAS and FOCI symptom checklist, FOCI severity score, and PHQ-9 PTQL, were weakly correlated which implied acceptable discriminant validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) suggested a three-factor solution as participation, modification, and facilitation.ConclusionThe Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder—Interviewer-Rated - Thai version is a psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing accommodation in family members of OCD patients.

Diagnostic Values of the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool and the Behavioral Pain Scale for Pain Assessment among Unconscious Patients: A Comparative Study.

BackgroundPain assessment in unconscious patients is a major challenge for healthcare providers. This study aims to compare the diagnostic value of the critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) and the behavioral pain scale (BPS) for pain assessment among unconscious patients.Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. Forty-five unconscious patients were selected randomly from four general intensive care units (ICUs) in the north of Iran. The discriminant validity of CPOT and BPS were evaluated for pain during a nociceptive and a nonnociceptive procedure. For reliability assessment, interrater agreement was obtained using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient and weighted kappa coefficient.ResultsPatients who had been hospitalized in ICU due to surgery or trauma (57.70%) or medical problems (42.30%) were studied. During the nociceptive procedure, the mean scores of CPOT and BPS and all their dimensions, except for the compliance with ventilator dimension, were significantly greater than the nonnociceptive procedure (p <0.05) although the effect size of both instruments was small (0.32 vs 0.18). The Lin's concordance correlation coefficient in nonnociceptive and nociceptive procedures was respectively 0.67 and 0.62 for CPOT and 0.74 and 0.88 for BPS.ConclusionCPOT and BPS have acceptable discriminant validity in differentiating nonnociceptive and nociceptive procedural pain although the effect size of CPOT is larger than that of BPS. Although both instruments have low reliability, the reliability of BPS is better.How to cite this articleNazari R, Froelicher ES, Nia HS, Hajihosseini F, Mousazadeh N. Diagnostic Values of the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool and the Behavioral Pain Scale for Pain Assessment among Unconscious Patients: A Comparative Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(4):472–476.

Developing a Valid and Reliable Cross-cultural Measure of Coparenting Conflict between Divorced Parents: The Portuguese Version of the Acrimony Scale.

Coparenting conflict is predictive of parents’ and children’s adjustment to divorce. An accurate assessment of postdivorce acrimonious coparenting relationships is critical for research, clinical, forensic, and public policy purposes. The Acrimony Scale (AS) is a measure commonly used to assess coparenting conflict. We translated and cross-culturally adapted the AS to the Portuguese context, testing its reliability and validity. Using a web-based survey, data were collected from a community and convenience sample of 196 unrelated divorced parents, assessing sociodemographic characteristics, coparenting conflict, and divorce adjustment. The study consisted of two phases: (1) forward-backward translation and cultural adaptation and (2) psychometric properties analyses: construct and criterion-related validity and internal consistency reliability. The 25-item AS was successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted to the Portuguese language. Principal component analyses (PCA) suggested a three-factor structure solution of 22-items, explaining 57.5% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed the goodness of fit of this tridimensional model. The results also demonstrated acceptable convergent and good discriminant validity and high internal reliability. Scores on the AS suggested good known-groups validity and high discriminative power with 86.7% classification accuracy. The area under the ROC curve was 0.91, establishing a very good predictive value of the scale. We suggest that the AS is a reliable multidimensional measure to assess coparenting conflict after divorce and may be useful, namely, in the psychological assessment of child custody and evaluation of the effectiveness of coparenting conflict-based interventions. We discussed future research and practical implications.

WLEIS as a Measure of Emotional Intelligence of Healthcare Professionals: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Emotional intelligence has been extensively studied in healthcare practices worldwide. It is requisite for a reliable and valid instrument to measure the emotional intelligence of healthcare professionals in India. The Wong and Law emotional intelligence scale (WLEIS) has been a widely used tool to measure trait emotional intelligence. This study examines the validity of this scale in the healthcare context. The original 16 items WLEIS scale has been administered to 98 doctors of the Ahmedabad region of Gujarat. Two competing models, single factor and four factors have been tested against each other. Fit indices of four-factor model ( χ2 (98) = 111.61, ( p &gt; 0.001), CMIN/df = 1.139, CFI = 0.987, SRMR = 0.059, RMSEA = 0.038 and PClose = 0.714) has excellent goodness of fit. Results of confirmatory factor analysis support the original four-factor model. The model also has acceptable reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Further, in order to establish EI construct underneath four factors, secondary factor analysis has been performed. Standardized regression weight of only one dimension, that is, ‘Regulation of emotion’ is acceptable. All fit indices of the second-order model have an excellent fit. WLEIS is a valid instrument to measure the emotional intelligence of health professionals.

Measuring Conceptual Associations via the Development of the Chinese Visual Remote Associates Test.

Multiple versions of the Chinese Remote Associates Test (CRAT) have been developed. Thus far, all CRATs have employed verbal stimuli; other forms of stimuli have not yet been used. In this context, the present study compiled a Chinese Visual Remote Associates Test (CVRAT) that conforms to the Chinese language and culture based on a picture naming database. The developed CVRAT has two versions, CVRAT-A and CVRAT-B, each comprising 20 test questions. A typical CVRAT question consists of three stimuli pictures, requiring respondents to propose a target word that is semantically associated with all the pictures. When compiling the CVRAT, this study first selected target words, sifted through stimuli words and corresponding pictures, and analyzed pilot test questions. After compilation, their reliability and validity were examined. The results showed that the CVRAT had moderate internal consistency reliability, good criterion-related validity for the Chinese Word Remote Associates Test (CWRAT), Chinese Radical Remote Associates Test (CRRAT), Chinese Compound Remote Associates Test (CCRAT), insight problem-solving, as well as acceptable discriminant validity for fluency, flexibility, and originality of a divergent thinking test. In other words, CVRAT can effectively measure remote associative capability and provides a figural creativity test that facilitates the understanding of different kinds of remote associations.

Simple screening models for cognitive impairment in community settings: The IRIDE Cohort Study.

AimCommunity settings often need simple screening, rather than detailed tests, to identify cognitive impairment. This study aimed to develop models to screen older adults with cognitive impairment.MethodsThis study used data from the Integrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia Cohort Study and included 5830 older adults. Individuals were considered cognitively impaired if their Mini‐Mental State Examination score was less than 24. Three screening models were developed: the simple model (age, sex, and education), the base model comprising 13 candidate variables available in the questionnaire, and the enhanced model, where grip strength and gait speed were added to the base model. We performed binary logistic regression analysis with stepwise backward elimination (P < 0.1 for retention in the model) to develop each model. Then, we calculated integer scores from coefficients to develop score‐based models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate discrimination.ResultsParticipants with cognitive impairment accounted for 4.0% (n = 233) of the total. The score‐based simple model comprised three variables (AUC = 0.72, sensitivity: 72%, specificity: 61%). The score‐based base model included nine variables (AUC = 0.76, sensitivity: 70%, specificity: 67%). The score‐based enhanced model comprised eight variables, including grip strength and gait speed (AUC = 0.79, sensitivity: 73%, specificity: 70%).ConclusionsThis study developed three screening models with acceptable discriminant validity for cognitive impairment. These models comprised simple questionnaire‐based items and common physical performance measurements. These models could enable screening of older adults suspected of cognitive impairment without the need to conduct cognitive tests in community settings. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 292–297.

Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Midfoot Scale.

The use of a valid and reliable outcome scoring system is crucial for evaluating the result of different treatment interventions. The aims of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) midfoot scoring system into the Persian language and assess its validity and reliability. In total, 57 patients with midfoot injuries were enrolled. Forward-backward translation and cultural adaptation methods were used to develop the Persian version of AOFAS midfoot scoring system. Reliability and internal consistency were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha. The discriminant and convergent validities of the scoring system were assessed using the total score of the mental and physical component of SF-36. The mean age of the participants was 46.2 ± 16.3 years. The intra-observer reliability of the totals core of the Persian version of AOFAS midfoot scoring system was 0.96 (confidence interval [CI]: 0.92-0.97) and the inter-observer reliability of the scoring system was 0.90 (CI: 0.86-0.95). The Persian version of AOFAS midfoot scoring system had acceptable convergence with physical component scoring system of SF-36 and its subscales (0.57); moreover, it had acceptable discriminant validity with the mental component of SF-36 and its subscales (0.36). The Persian version of AOFAS midfoot is a reliable and valid instrument and could be used by Persian language clinicians and researchers. 3.

INFLUENCE OF PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR ON THE ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SURAKARTA

Purpose – The main objective of this study was to identify the influence of principal instructional leadership on teacher organizational commitment in junior high schools in Surakarta. This issue arises because there are discrepancies in the findings of previous studies as well as the lack of studies in Indonesia. Accordingly, no definitive conclusions can be drawn in relation to this issue which is still pending. Methodology – This study was conducted by applying a quantitative approach and cross-sectional survey design. A total of 264 teachers participated in this study. They were selected using a stratified random technique. Two standardized questionnaires namely the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) developed by Hallinger and Murphy (1985) and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) developed by Allen and Meyer (1990) were used to measure principal instructional leadership and teacher commitment to their respective organizations. To analyze the data, SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the descriptive data, while SmartPLS 3.0 was used to analyze the measurement model and hypothesis testing. Findings – Descriptive statistics showed that the mean score of principal instructional leadership was 3.7 and teacher organizational commitment was 3.3. Both of these mean scores indicated that the level of principal instructional leadership and teacher organizational commitment were at moderate levels. In the assessment of the measurement model, the questionnaires used in the study had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Meanwhile, in hypothesis testing, this study found that principal instructional leadership had a moderate influence (β= 0.397) on teacher organizational commitment. Significance – The findings of this study have contributed to the development of knowledge in the field of instructional leadership and organizational commitment in the context of education in Indonesia. This study suggests that if teachers’ commitment to the school/ organization is to be enhanced, school principals should practice extensive instructional leadership.

Structure of Child Externalizing Behavior and Associated Parental Stress in Family Situations

All three cardinal symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) describe impaired stimulus control over behavior. Children with ADHD require more frequent and explicit behavioral cues from others and thereby increase parental stress. Both self-control deficits and parental stress manifest depending on the situation and possess intra-individual variability. Common measures of externalizing behavior and parental stress rarely address this and target generalized impressions instead. Intraindividual differences in externalizing and stressful child behavior can be assessed with a family situations inventory including two rating scales. It rests on the HSQ and supplements the original with a parental stress scale. Method: Parents of children with (male = 204, female = 33; mean = 8.6 years) and without confirmed ADHD (male = 206, female = 155; mean = 7.6 years) took part. They were asked to rate 16 family situations concerning the extent of child externalizing behavior and their own associated stress. Three established scales (CBCL, PSI, BAP) were employed in the clinical sample to determine the external validity of the German HSQ adaption. Results: Both HSQ scales share the same two-factorial structure with satisfying explained variance (56.02–60.38%) and acceptable external and discriminant validity. “Accomplishments” (factor 2) discriminates better than “agreeableness” (factor 1) between children with and without ADHD. Discussion: “Accomplishments” refers to behavior in regularly recurring situations and demands rule following. Parental stress associated with child externalizing behaviors in family situations appears to represent regulation load rather than mental load.

Computational identity and programming empowerment of students in computational thinking development

AbstractThe participatory view of learning emphasises students' identity construction. However, identity research in the context of programming education to cultivate students' computational thinking is scarce. In this study, an instrument of computational identity with components of engagement, imagination and affiliation, was developed and validated. Convenience sampling was used to select 1066 senior primary school students studying programming to respond to the instrument, and to a programming empowerment instrument developed previously with components of meaningfulness, self‐efficacy and impact. The two instruments' factor structure was confirmed to have acceptable discriminant validity and support gender invariance. There was a positive relationship between programming empowerment and computational identity. Specifically, students' perceived meaningfulness and self‐efficacy of programming related to all aspects of computational identity. The perceived impact of programming is related only to the imaginative aspect of computational identity. The establishment of the instrument enables researchers to investigate further factors related to students' computational identity development. The results also indicate that the programming curriculum should be carefully designed so that students can realise the meaning of the activities and foster their programming self‐efficacy. This, in turn, is critical to enable these primary school students to participate in and become a member of the digital community. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Cultivating students' computational thinking (CT) has become an educational goal in various countries around the world. It is necessary to develop appropriate tools to assess students' CT development. Founded on a participatory view of learning, identity has been employed in different subject areas to assess students' development, but identity research in CT is scarce. What this paper adds An instrument of computational identity with components of engagement, imagination and affiliation is developed and validated with a sample of senior primary students. This study shows the importance of empowerment in developing primary students' computational identity. Students' perceived meaningfulness of programming and self‐efficacy relate to all aspects of identity, but the impact of programming only relates to the imaginative aspect of identity. Implications for practice and/or policy The curriculum for CT should be designed carefully to foster the development of students' computational identity. The curriculum should allow students to see the meaning of programming activities and how young people can make an impact by means of CT. The programming tasks should be designed at an optimal level of difficulty so that students' self‐efficacy can be fostered.

Analysis of factors influencing pharmaceutical sales workforce engagement in pharmaceutical marketing in Nigeria: a structural equation modeling approach

In the pharmaceutical sales and marketing industry, human capital in terms of the sales workforce is essential to organizational success. However, there is a need to ensure that the task-environment is adequately resourced. The application of structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques such as factor analysis is necessary to further understand the underlying relevance of these factors. The objective of the study was to explore the factors influencing pharmaceutical sales personnel's work engagement in pharmaceutical companies using factor analysis. A cross-sectional, qualitative research study used an 11-item literature-guided questionnaire administered online to 406 medical sales professionals in the pharmaceutical supply network in Nigeria using random sampling. The factors evaluated include regularity and impact of training, marketing support, job security as perceived by the employee, incentives, reward for performance, and the prospect of promotion. Others include; minimal work stress, improved career prospects, and an enabling work environment provided for employees involved in pharmaceutical sales operations. The questions were rated on a 3-point Likert scale of 1=fair, 3=poor, and 5=good, to evaluate respondents’ estimation of factors. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was executed on the dataset and thereafter, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the dataset using SPSS AMOS. Statistical significance was set at p-value &lt; 0.05. The majority of respondents were male (72.2%, 293) and female (27.8%, 113). Respondents from Indigenous firms were predominant (249, 61.3%) compared to Multinational firms (157, 38.7%). There were 289 (71.2%) non-pharmacists and 117 (28.8%) pharmacists. EFA measures of adequacy were satisfactory (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0.878, Goodness-of-fit=0.023, Cronbach alpha=0.859, Total variance explained= 51.6%) and produced a 2-factor solution consisting of 9-items (work factors=6, implied factors=3). CFA solution from EFA output produced satisfactory fit estimates (RMSEA=0.044, CMIN/DF=1.787, GF1=0.977, AGFI=0.957, RMR=0.029, and TLI=0.981). The final model had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity values. Job security was considered as the most influential factor (regression coefficient=0.859) and the least was work-life balance (regression coefficient=0.559). The study provided a validated tool to evaluate the pharmaceutical sales workforce’s estimation of the key factors influencing job performance. This serves as an operational template for strategic managers in pharmaceutical companies to improve employee’s perception of management support.

Comparing Rape Myth Acceptance Among Police Trainees and Medical Students: A Preliminary Danish Validation of the Updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale.

Identifying rape myths among criminal justice and medical professionals is central to preventing secondary victimization. We present the first preliminary Danish validation of McMahon and Farmer's updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale using samples of police and medical trainees. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses result in a 14-item, four-factor measure that demonstrates acceptable model fit, satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, and good internal consistency. Although reported rape myth acceptance is generally low in both samples, some subscale scores vary across professional groups, thereby identifying specific targets for intervention in different occupational contexts. Further tests of the scale are recommended.

Behavioural Model for Decision-Makers’ towards the Intention to Adopt Green Information Technology: A Preliminary Study

This preliminary survey investigates and validates the measurement model of factors influencing decision makers’ intentions to adopt Green information technology (Green-IT) in manufacturing sectors in Nigeria. The Norm Activation Model (NAM) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) were used to explore the factors that could influence decision-makers’ intention in adopting Green-IT. Using constructs from the NAM and TPB, this survey proposes a model for identified behavioural factors. A quantitative research approach with a data collection and analysis plan using a cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A sample of 30 decision-makers in the top three manufacturing industries in Nigeria was selected using a purposive sampling procedure for participation in the study. The data collected was analysed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed model. The model was validated in two phases: (i) Initial Measurement Model and (ii) Modified Measurement Model. Findings revealed that Green-IT Attitude, Subjective Norm, Ascription of Responsibility, Awareness of Consequences, Personal Norm, Environmental Concern, and Perceive Behavioural Control were the key elements of the behavioural intention model to adopt Green-IT, with 31 indicators having factor loadings of &gt;0.5, adequate internal consistency reliability, CR &gt; 0.7, and Cronbach’s Alpha, &gt;0.7. The result revealed convergent validity, and acceptable discriminant validity was assessed using AVE &gt; 0.5 and Fornell-lacker’s criterion. The results from the full-scale study would contribute to developing a context-specific model to examine Green-IT adoption in developing nations.

Validation of Death and Dying Distress Scale-Chinese Version and Prevalence of Death Anxiety Among Patients With Advanced Cancer.

Purpose: Death anxiety is commonly experienced by individuals with advanced cancer who have a limited life expectancy. The Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS) is a validated measure that was created to capture this experience; but no Chinese version is available to date. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the psychometric properties of a Chinese version DADDS (DADDS-C) and address prevalence of death anxiety among patients with advanced cancer.Methods: Patients with advanced cancer were recruited from Peking University Cancer Hospital. Measures administered included: DADDS-C, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7), Quality of Life at End of Life in Cancer (QUAL-EC), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-sp). McDonald's Omega, Cronbach's alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used to test DADDS-C's reliability and validity. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for death anxiety.Results: Of 300 patients approached, 256 (85%) provided informed consent and completed the questionnaires. Of these participants, 43 (16.8%) had moderate death anxiety based on scores of ≥45 on the DADDS-C. Three factors (feeling shortness of time, dying and death distress, being a burden to others) explained 71.643% of shared variation with factor loadings ranging from 0.629 to 0.822. Cronbach's alpha was 0.939; Omega total was 0.959. DADDS-C had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Logistic regression analysis indicated that two factors (better relationship with healthcare providers and preparation for end of life) protected patients from death anxiety.Conclusion: DADDS-C is a valid tool for measuring death anxiety in Chinese patients with advanced cancer. The presence of at least moderate death anxiety in a substantial minority of these patients calls for screening for this symptom and for more routine psychological interventions to alleviate and prevent such distress in this population.

Development and Psychometric Testing of the Supportive Care Needs Scale for Patients with Tuberculosis (SCN-TB).

PurposePatients affected by tuberculosis have diverse unmet supportive care needs (SCN) that may seriously affect their treatment adherence. Accurately assessing patients’ SCN is important for providing efficient patient-centred care, but few instruments are suitable for use in clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an SCN scale for patients with tuberculosis (SCN-TB) and to evaluate its psychometrical properties.Patients and MethodsBased on the SCN framework, the SCN-TB was designed via a literature review, Delphi consultation and pilot study. Then, 550 patients from four tuberculosis specialist hospitals in Shaanxi Province were enrolled by convenience sampling to further test the validity and reliability of the SCN-TB.ResultsA total of 518 patients completed the survey. The final scale encompasses 25 items in five domains: physical, practical, psycho-emotional, social, and informational. The content validity for the scale was 0.93, with that for each item ranging from 0.80 to 1.00. Five factors that explained 80.38% of the variance were identified in exploratory factor analysis. A five-factor model was then confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis using maximum likelihood estimation with bootstrapping. The model fit indices were χ2/df=1.062 (Bollen-Stine χ2=281.382, df=265, p<0.001), CFI=0.997, RMSEA=0.016, SRMR=0.053, NFI=0.951, and GFI=0.929. All factors had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. The Cronbach’s α, split-half, and test-retest reliability coefficients of the scale were 0.884, 0.883, and 0.854, respectively.ConclusionThe SCN-TB is a valid and reliable theory based tool for assessing the needs of patients with tuberculosis and can be applied in both clinical practice and research.

Psychometric validation of the EORTC QLQ-HCC18 in patients with previously treated unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

To demonstrate the measurement properties of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Hepatocellular Carcinoma 18-question module (EORTC QLQ-HCC18) within a previously treated, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) clinical trial population that was distinct from the published QLQ-HCC18 validation population. Analyses were conducted using data from BGB-A317-208, an open label, international, clinical trial assessing efficacy and safety of the monoclonal antibody tislelizumab in adult HCC patients. The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and QLQ-HCC18 instruments were assessed at baseline and weeks 3 and 9 follow-up visits. Per US Food and Drug Administration guidance, psychometric validation of the QLQ-HCC18 included reliability (internal consistency and test–retest), construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity and known-groups validity), ability to detect change, and meaningful within-patient change (MWPC). Known-groups validity and MWPC analyses were also stratified on several pre-defined subgroups. A total of 248 patients were included. Only the QLQ-HCC18 fatigue, nutrition, and index domains demonstrated acceptable internal consistency; acceptable test–retest reliability was found for fatigue, body image, nutrition, pain, sexual interest, and index domains. The QLQ-HCC18 fatigue domain achieved the pre-specified criterion defining acceptable convergent and discriminant validity for 13 of 16 correlations, whereas the index domain achieved the pre-specified criterion for 14 of 16 correlations. Clear differentiation of the QLQ-HCC18 change scores between improvement and maintenance anchor groups were observed for body image, fatigue, pain, and index domains, whereas differentiation between deterioration and maintenance anchor groups were observed for fever and fatigue domains. MWPC point estimates defining improvement for the QLQ-HCC18 fatigue and index domains were −7.18 and −4.07, respectively; MWPC point estimates defining deterioration were 5.34 and 3.16, respectively. The EORTC QLQ-HCC18 fatigue and index domains consistently demonstrated robust psychometric properties, supporting the use of these domains as suitable patient-reported endpoints within a previously treated, unresectable HCC patient population.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Patient Health Questionnaire-9

Objectives: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is one of the most commonly used measures for screening, diagnosing and monitoring of depression. So far, four studies have examined some of the psychometric properties of Persian version of PHQ-9 in physical and psychiatric patients; however, some aspects of its psychometrics have not yet been adequately evaluated in the student population. Therefore, this study aims to examine more psychometric properties of the Persian version of PHQ-9 in the student population. Methods: In this descriptive study, 463 students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2018-19 participated who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The reliability of the Persian PHQ-9 was assessed using internal consistency and test-retest reliability for a 2-week interval. Its construct validity was evaluated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. To evaluate its convergent validity, the second version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the depression subscale of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Depression Inventory (DASS-21), the neuroticism subscale of NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the negative affect subscale of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) were used. The openness subscale of NEO-FFI and the positive affect subscale of PANAS were also used to assess its discriminant validity. Results: Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.856 and intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.869 indicated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Persian PHQ-9, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis results showed a one-factor structure, accounting for 47.59% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis results showed that all questions were related to one factor. Positive correlation of the Persian PHQ-9 score with BDI-II (r= 0.769), the neuroticism subscale of NEO-FFI (r= 0.508), the depression subscale of DASS-21 (r= 0.647) and the negative affect subscale of PANAS (r= 0.430) indicated an acceptable convergent validity, while its negative correlation with the positive affect subscale PANAS (r= -0.444) indicated its acceptable discriminant validity; however, its score had no significant relationship with the openness subscale of NEO indicates NEO-FFI (r= 0.116). Conclusion: The Persian PHQ-9 can be used in clinical and research fields to screen, diagnose, and monitor clinical and/or subclinical depression in the Iranian student population.

Evaluation of the Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire: The CPQ-D.

The aim was to create a German version of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire (CPQ-D) and to test its factor structure, reliability, and validity in a non-clinical population. We recruited N = 432 participants via an online panel. The factor structure of CPQ-D was examined. The convergent, discriminative, and incremental validity was assessed in relation to the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Exploratory factor analysis resulted in two factors. Factor 1 represented the over evaluation of striving and Factor 2 was associated to concern over mistakes. Internal consistency was acceptable with ω = .81 for the total score, ω = .77 for Factor 1, and ω = .73 for Factor 2. Convergent, discriminative, and incremental validity was demonstrated. Important to note, Item 12 should be used with caution since it showed low communality and a low item-total correlation and should therefore be further evaluated in future research. The results indicate that the German translated version of the CPQ has acceptable internal consistency, convergent, discriminative and incremental validity. Future research should test the CPQ-D scale further in clinical and non-clinical populations and assess a broader variety of scales to determine validity of the scale.

Psychometric Properties of the German Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ).

The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) is a 15-item short form of the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire. This study aimed to investigate psychometric properties of a German translation of the BEAQ in a student and a clinical population. The BEAQ showed high internal reliability and overall acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. The BEAQ displayed adequate 7- to 13-day test-retest reliability and captured changes in experiential avoidance when experiential avoidance was targeted in treatment. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a bifactor structure where the BEAQ is modeled as one general and five specific factors that correspond to the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire subscales fit the data adequately. All items (except Item 1 in the clinical population) loaded on the general factor and common variance was approximately equally spread across the general and specific factors. The Distress Endurance subscale was not included in this model, since it is represented by only one item, which showed poor performances and low associations to the BEAQ's total score in both samples. We recommend further research into the BEAQ's factor structure to substantiate our preliminary findings.