Alpha For Subscales Research Articles

Developing a questionnaire on the quality of working life for female medical and healthcare professionals

This study aimed to develop a questionnaire on the quality of working life among female medical and healthcare professionals and examine its validity and reliability. The questionnaire was developed from an item pool drawing on the literature. The four trait scales included 40 items, covering female-specific stress in continuing a career, stress of lifestyle in maintaining personal values, job satisfaction and social support network. The questionnaire’s validity and reliability were assessed using data from 1,784 female doctors, dentists, and nurses. Validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis on each trait for construct validity, and multitrait scaling analysis for convergent and discriminant validity. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha for trait subscales and scales. Exploratory factor analysis on each trait was convergent. One trait derived three subscales, and another two. The remaining two traits were convergent for one factor. Multitrait scaling analysis showed that all scales and subscales were independent. The questionnaire was therefore internally consistent and had construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.85 for the total and between 0.72 and 0.83 for the subscales. These results validate the four-trait combination questionnaire and suggest that it would be suitable for use in future research, perhaps in combination with other existing scales.

Tools to study the severity of itch in 8- to 17-year-old children: Validation of TweenItchyQoL and ItchyQuant.

Validated pruritus-specific quality of life and self-reported severity instruments exist primarily for adults. Clinical trials to develop therapeutics for children with chronic pruritus are hampered by the paucity of appropriate outcome measures. To address this gap, we aimed to develop validated instruments to measure itch-specific quality of life and self-reported severity in children. We conducted in-depth, open-ended interviews of itchy children and generated concepts to develop TweenItchyQoL. We administered TweenItchyQoL, ItchyQuant, a cartoon-annotated self-reported pruritus severity numeric rating scale (NRS), and a non-cartoon NRS to 175 itchy children aged 8-17years. We analyzed the data for feasibility, preference, reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness. Average completion time was 4.8minutes for TweenItchyQoL and 33seconds for ItchyQuant. The majority of patients either preferred ItchyQuant or found no difference between ItchyQuant and the NRS. Cronbach's alpha for TweenItchyQoL total and subscales ranged from 0.84 to 0.95. Test-retest reliability coefficients were ≥0.7 for TweenItchyQoL and 0.4 for ItchyQuant. A 3-dimensional bifactor model was most appropriate (RMSEA = 0.048) on the confirmatory factor analyses. As a function of those reporting worsening, improvement, or no change at their final visit, TweenItchyQoL and ItchyQuant scores in those cohorts changed as expected. This new set of validated and feasible instruments shows promise to quantify itch severity and QoL impact in older children.

Validation of the fear of the COVID-19 scale in Nigeria: Implications for public health practice

ObjectiveThe fear of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a wide range of health-related attitudes and behaviours worldwide. However, within an African population, it is not clear how the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic may be particularly important for formulating public health policies and their consequent implementation. As a first step, it is important to validate a psychometrically sound instrument to assess the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic using an African population. This study presents a preliminary validation of the fear of the COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) using a sub-Saharan African population from Nigeria. MethodsThree hundred and eighty-nine people responded from a total of 1000 invitees. The participants were requested to fill a web-based (Google forms) FCV-19S questionnaire. The responses, together with their socio-demographic data, were analysed using descriptive statistics and a confirmatory factor analysis. ResultsThe age of the participants ranged between 21 and 30 years (mean 25.84 years). The study participants comprised 220 males (56.6%) and 169 females (43.4%). The factor loadings of all seven items of the FCV-19S questionnaire reached statistical significance and, therefore, were retained. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the two-factor structure of the FCV-19S questionnaire was a better fit for the Nigerian subpopulation under consideration. Cronbach's alphas for both subscales were acceptable. ConclusionsThe FCV-19S is a valid, suitable, and effective tool for the African population. Additionally, the implications of its use for public health practice in Africa are essential.

Measuring client trust in community health workers: A multi-country validation study.

BackgroundClient trust in community health workers (CHWs) is integral for improving quality and equity of community health systems globally. Despite its recognized conceptual and pragmatic importance across health areas, there are no quantitative measures of trust in the context of community health services. In this multi-country study, we aimed to develop and validate a scale that assesses trust in CHWs.MethodsTo develop the scale, we used a consultative process to conceptualize and adapt items and domains from prior literature to the CHW context. Content validity and comprehension of scale items were validated through 10 focus group discussions with 75 community members in Haiti, and Kenya. We then conducted 1939 surveys with clients who interacted with CHWs recently in Bangladesh (n = 1017), Haiti (n = 616), and Kenya (n = 306). To analyze the 15 candidate scale items we conducted a split sample exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA), and then assessed internal consistency reliability of resulting set of items. Finally, we assessed convergent validity via multivariable models examining associations between final scale scores with theoretically related constructs.ResultsFactor analyses resulted in a 10-item Trust in CHWs Scale with two factors (sub-scales): Health care competence (5 items) and Respectful communication (5 items). The qualitative data also underscored these two sub-domains. The full scale had good internal consistency reliability in Bangladesh, Haiti and Kenya (alphas 0.87, 0.86, and 0.92, respectively; all alphas for subscales were also > 0.7, most > 0.8). Greater scores on Trust in CHWs were positively associated with increased client empowerment, familiarity with CHWs, satisfaction with recent client-CHW interaction, and positive influence of CHW on client empowerment. Scale scores were not influenced by the age, sex, parity, education, and wealth quintiles in across countries and may be affected by contextual factors.ConclusionsThe Trust in CHWs Scale, which includes Health care competence and Respectful communication sub-scales, is the first such scale developed and validated globally. Our findings suggest this 10-item scale is a reliable and valid tool for quantifying clients’ trust in CHWs, with potential utility for tracking and improving CHW and health systems performance over time.

Validation of a social emotional wellness survey among Japanese elementary school students

ABSTRACT Objective: This study investigated the validity of the Social Emotional Health Survey–Primary (SEHS-P;Furlong et al., 2013), which assesses four wellness dispositions (gratitude, optimism, zest, and persistence) associated with positive youth development. Method: The sample included 995 Japanese elementary school students (Grades 4-6) attending one of four schools in and nearby Tokyo. A confirmatory factor analysis tested the fit of the hypothesized SEHS-P factor structure. Results: The model adequately fit the data. As hypothesized, items showed good factor loadings on the corresponding four factors. All parameter estimates were statistically significant (p < .01). Criterion validation examined associations between the SEHS-P and measures of psychological distress and satisfaction with classroom life. Validation coefficients were moderate to large size (.37 to .57). Reliability was good for each subscale (Alpha and Omega coefficients = .83 to .97). Conclusion: This preliminary validation of the Japanese version of SEHS-P provides a step towards introducing a much-needed, whole-school universal screening approach to support positive education in Japanese schools.

Assessment of prevalence of Anxiety in adult population and development of anxiety scale: A study of 819 patients with anxiety disorder.

Objective:To develop an indigenous anxiety scale for adults and to assess the prevalence of anxiety among the adults.Methods:Descriptive explanatory research design was carried out from 1st January 2018 to 31st May 2019 at the Department of Psychology, University of Gujrat. The indigenous anxiety scale for adults was used for data collection. Scale consisted on three sub scales which are used to assess the cognitive symptoms, behavior and physiological symptoms through CFA value and alpha reliability. Sample of adequacy is .965, Confirmatory Factor Analysis value .914, alpha reliability .974 were taken as standard. In cognitive symptoms subscale’s alpha was 0.958, Behavior subscale .943 and Physiological symptoms subscale alpha was α .912.Results:The prevalence of anxiety in 20-29 years individuals exhibited 17.5% (male 38.8%; female 62.2) symptoms of anxiety. 30-39 Years people showed 12.9% (male =56.9%; female=43.1%) , 40-49 years individuals showed 16.5% of anxiety and in late adulthood 50-60 years old people showed highest level of anxiety 22.10% (male=68.3%; female= 31.7).Conclusion:The anxiety scale for adults is a reliable indigenous scale for measuring anxiety in adults. Further, the prevalence rate of anxiety in adult population is alarming indication and middle and late adulthood suffered more anxiety as compare to early adulthood.

Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the clinical learning environment comparison survey.

AimTo translate The Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey (CLECS) into Norwegian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version.DesignA cross‐sectional survey including a longitudinal component.MethodsThe CLECS was translated into Norwegian following the World Health Organization guidelines, including forward translation, expert panel, back‐translation, pre‐testing and cognitive interviewing. Nursing students at a Norwegian university college were invited to participate in the study (psychometrical testing) based on informed consent. Reliability and validity of the translated version of CLECS were investigated using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach's alpha and test–retest analysis.ResultsA total of 122 nursing students completed the questionnaire and Cronbach alphas for the CLECS subscales ranged from 0.69 to 0.89. CFA goodness‐of‐fit indices (χ2/df = 1.409, CFI = 0.915, RMSEA = 0.058) showed acceptable model fit. Test–retest ICC ranged from 0.55 to 0.75, except for two subscales with values below 0.5

Predictive Validity of a Cybercrime Awareness Tool: The Case of Senior High School Students in a Philippine Secondary School

The advent of technology paves for a better understanding of the various realities the world contains. However, misuse of these instruments’ impacts people's way of living and education, especially in the new normal. Thus, an analysis was carried out to classify cybercrime awareness indicators as viewed by senior high school students at Dolores National High School using a researcher-developed unidimensional questionnaire. An 18-item Likert scale researcher-developed questionnaire, termed Cybercrime Awareness Tool (CcAT), was administered to a total of 200 students, with 50 respondents per senior high school strands using Google Form. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) also known as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied to the collected data which gave rise to four factors named; 1) Awareness on Phishing, 2) Awareness on Spamming, 3) Perceived effectiveness of antivirus software, and 4) Bullying on the web. The CcAQ was also found to have adequate internal consistency of .823 Cronbach alpha for the overall instrument, and subscale alphas ranging from .772 to .858. The multivariate analysis of variance on the interaction of sex and senior highs school strand showed a significant link to the respondents' cybercrime awareness. Hence, the researchers recommend this tool to assess schools' cybercrime awareness on the four factors.&#x0D; Keywords: Cybercrime Awareness, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Senior High School Strands

An Investigation of the Factor Structure of the Persian Version of the Dysphagia Handicap Index

Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia harms all aspects of a person’s life, including behaviors, activities, and social situations. Quality of life is a multidimensional concept. The dysphagia handicap index (DHI) is a patient-reported outcomes tool that evaluates the different dimensions of quality of life in three physical, emotional, and functional factors in English-speaking countries. The validity of the Persian version of the dysphagia handicap index (DHI) has been evaluated in a study, but the reliability and factor analysis of the Persian version has not been investigated in any study. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factor structure analysis and reliability of the Persian version of the dysphagia handicap index (P-DHI). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia (mean age 55.69 ± 15.04, 53 women) completed the dysphagia handicap index (DHI). The severity of dysphagia was defined as follows: 1 for no dysphagia (normal), 2 and 3 for mild, 4, and 5 for moderate and 6 and 7for severe. Construct validity was examined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were performed to evaluate the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the P-DHI, respectively. Results: The results of CFA provided support for a second-order three-factor model of P-DHI (χ2 = 484.61, df = 273, (P = 0.0001), χ2/df = 1.77; CFI = 0.901; RMSEA = 0.088 and SRMR = 0.010). The Cronbach’s alpha for physical, functional, and emotional subscales and total score were 0.751, 0.836, 0.773, and 0.900, respectively. The test-retest reliability of the P-DHI for the total score and subscales was high (ICC: 0.952 - 0.988). Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the P-DHI total score and self-reported severity of dysphagia (P = 0.0001), while there were no relationships between P-DHI total score and age (P = 0.223), sex (P = 0.936), level of education (P = 0.113), disease duration (P = 0.126). Conclusions: The P-DHI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the disabling effects of swallowing disorders on the one’s Quality of Life in Iranian patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia due to a variety of diseases. Also, the CFA findings provide support for the tree-factor structure of the P-DHI and the use of the subscales as distinct variables.

A CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION OF THE OXFORD ELBOW SCORE: THE ARABIC VERSION

Background: Oxford Elbow Score, abbreviated OES, is a tool used for measurement of a patient’s experience post elbow surgery. The tool is formulated as a questionnaire. OES has three subscales: pain, elbow function and social-psychological effects. The patient may complete the questionnaire and the results used as an outcome measure post elbow surgery. Objectives: The study aims to develop and evaluate the Arabic version of the OES for reliability, validity concerning patients after elbow trauma and surgery. Material and Methods: Fifty two patients participated in this survey at the baseline (14 days after the operation) and follow-up (after 60 days). We calculated internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Also, Pearson’s correlation was calculated for construct validity verification. Results: The values for Cronbach’s alpha for psychological, function and pain subscales were 0.701, 0.704 and 0.779, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha for the questionnaire had a value of 0.743. We confirmed construct validity using correlation coefficients of values [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] as compared to DASH. Conclusion: The Arabic OES is an internal consistent tool with good construct validity, which can be used to estimate the patient’s condition after the elbow surgery.

Validation and revision of the questionnaire to explore human factors and their technical potential for lower limb prosthetics.

A variety of instruments exist to measure human factors for lower limb amputation and prosthesis research. Yet, there is no valid or reliable tool available that focuses on technical potentials. This study aimed to validate and revise the Questionnaire to Explore Human Factors and their Technical Potential. Cross-sectional study METHODS:: A total of 150 persons with lower limb amputation from Germany participated in the study. Statistical properties, including Cronbach's alpha, item difficulty, item-total correlation, and distribution of missing values were calculated. Thresholds for acceptable psychometric properties were defined, unsuitable items were removed, and problematic items were reviewed regarding formulation. The Cronbach's alpha for subscales within the Questionnaire to Explore Human Factors and their Technical Potential were between 0.72 and 0.89. A total of 56 items showed acceptability, and 14 items had problematic item property values. Four of those items were reformulated, five were excluded, six were left in the scale, and an additional one was added to the scale. Evaluation of the Questionnaire to Explore Human Factors and their Technical Potential indicates it exhibits good internal consistency and acceptable psychometric properties. The scale was revised and is recommended to explore aspects of technical prosthesis development. Our results show that the revised Questionnaire to Explore Human Factors and their Technical Potential may serve as a reliable and valid means, when designing prostheses, both during development and clinical evaluations and fittings, to assess the technical potential of lower limb prostheses directly according to the needs of users with lower-limb amputations.

Abstract PR17: The mediating role of unmet social support needs on the racial/ethnic disparity in psychosocial stress among breast cancer patients

Abstract Background: A breast cancer diagnosis is a stressful life event that can reduce quality of life and put a patient at increased risk for additional health problems and may also affect survivorship more generally. Greater levels of psychosocial stress (PSS) have been reported among non-Latina (nL) Black and Latina women when compared to nL White patients, and the absence of adequate social support among cancer patients has been associated with greater psychosocial stress. The goal of these analyses was to examine whether there existed a racial/ethnic disparity in three validated measures of psychosocial stress and how racial disparities are explained by distal mechanisms (i.e., SES) and proximal mechanisms (i.e., unmet social support needs) among recently diagnosed urban breast cancer patients in the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago (BCCC) study (2005-2008). Methods: The BCCC was a cross-sectional study of 989 recently diagnosed breast cancer patients, including 397 non-Latina White (white), 411 non-Latina Black (black), and 181 Latina patients diagnosed with a first primary breast cancer (in situ or invasive) aged 30-79. Income, education and tract level disadvantage and affluence were summed to create a standardized socioeconomic status (SES) score. Low SES was defined as less than one standard deviation below the sample mean. Three measures of PSS were defined based on the Cohen perceived stress subscale (inter-item reliability or alpha = 0.74), UCLA felt loneliness scale (alpha=0.79), and the Cockburn psychological consequences scale (alpha=0.93). High PSS was defined as &amp;gt;1 standard deviation above the mean for each. Unmet emotional, spiritual, informational, financial, and practical support were based on questions regarding support needed and received. We conducted structural equations models in M-Plus in order to disentangle the separate mediating roles of SES and unmet social support needs on disparities in PSS. Results: Black and Latina patients reported greater levels of loneliness (32% vs. 23% vs. 16%, p&amp;lt;0.001), stress (23% and 21% vs. 12%, p=0.001) and psychological consequences (24% and 23% vs. 12%, p&amp;lt;0.001) compared to white patients. Black and Latina patients also reported greater levels of unmet emotional, informational, financial and practical need (p=0.001 for all). In mediation models, all of the disparity in the three PSS outcomes could be explained by SES, with a substantial portion of the mediating influence of SES being further transmitted by unmet financial and practical support needs. Neither tumor nor treatment characteristics appeared to mediate the disparity in PSS. Conclusions: A substantial disparity in distress among breast cancer patients exists and underlying inequities in SES appear to be a “root” cause of the PSS disparity, as opposed to being driven by tumor and treatment differences. Results suggest that providing equitable financial (e.g., health insurance coverage) and practical (e.g., navigation) resources could narrow the racial/ethnic gap in PSS. This abstract is also being presented as Poster C094. Citation Format: Carola T. Sánchez Díaz, Garth H. Rauscher, Yamile Molina. The mediating role of unmet social support needs on the racial/ethnic disparity in psychosocial stress among breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr PR17.

Validation of the Serbian Translation of the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale (DPSS)

Disgust represents a feeling of revulsion and is manifested as a response to adverse stimuli and indicates a motivation to withdraw from the stimulus. Several attempts were made to measure disgust, the earliest being the Disgust Sensitivity Scale (Haidt et al., 1994) that relied on responses to disgust elicitors, and the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale (DPSS, Cavanagh &amp;amp; Davey, 2000) that focused on the feeling itself, not on the strength of the reaction to specific disgust elicitors. There are two proposed models of the DPSS, one with two subscales, disgust propensity (DP) and disgust sensitivity (DS), and the other with three subscales where the self-focused/ruminative disgust (SFR) split from DS. This study aimed to validate the Serbian translation of the scale. We used two samples, a student sample (N = 437) and a social network user sample (N = 344). We used confirmatory factor analysis in both samples and the yielded results have shown that the three-factor solution is superior. The internal consistency of the subscales was marginally acceptable, while SFR subscale alpha value lagged in the social network user sample. Significant gender differences in subscale values were detected as expected, adding to the scale validity. Also, DP and DS registered a weak positive correlation with trait Neuroticism, negative affect, stress, depression, and anxiety. These results will further our claims that our translation of the DPSS is valid. In conclusion, we believe that the Serbian translation of the 12 item DPSS scale is viable for use in future research on this subject.

Psychometric Properties of Sinhala Version of Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF MPQ-2-Sin) among Patients with Cancer Pain in Sri Lanka.

Introduction Pain is one of the most common and unpleasant symptoms that distress the well-being of patients with cancer. Considerable evidence supports the validity and reliability of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and its short forms, the SF MPQ and SF MPQ-2—which are the most widely used tools for pain assessment—in terms of patients with cancer. Pain and its characteristics are best assessed using validated and culturally adapted tools developed in participants' mother tongue. Although many pain assessment tools are available worldwide, only a limited number of them have been translated into Sinhala language and validated in Sri Lanka. We aimed to translate SF MPQ-2 into Sinhala language and validate using Sinhala-speaking patients suffering from cancer pains in Sri Lanka. Materials and Methods Translation has been conducted according to the guidelines laid down by Mapi Research Trust, in five stages, namely, forward translation, backward translation, expert opinion, cognitive debriefing interviews, and proofreading. The questionnaire was administered among 207 patients attending Apeksha Hospital, Sri Lanka, who are suffering from cancer pain. Content validity was tested using expert opinion, and face validity, by interviewing patients with cancer pain. Factor structure was tested through a factor analysis, and reliability, by internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. Results A total of 207 participants (112 males and 95 females), aged between 20 and 80 years, were included in the study. Factor analysis identified four factors compatible with studies done in other countries, which explained 53.5% of the variance. The analysis of data indicated Cronbach's alpha of neuropathic, affective, intermittent, and continuous subscales as 0.768, 0.791, 0.824, and 0.789, respectively, which were over the acceptable threshold of 0.70. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor model. Conclusion SF MPQ-2-Sinhala version is a statistically proven reliable and valid pain descriptor which can be utilized to evaluate pain suffered by patients with cancer in Sri Lanka whose mother tongue is Sinhala.

Development of an instrument based on the theory of planned behavior variables to measure factors influencing Iranian adults' intention to quit waterpipe tobacco smoking.

BackgroundTheory of planned behavior (TPB) is one of the most widely used theoretical frameworks to explain addictive behaviors, such as tobacco smoking. The aim of this study is to develop and validate an instrument based on TPB variables to measure factors influencing Iranian rural adults’ intention to quit waterpipe tobacco smoking.MethodsThis study was performed on a sample of rural adult waterpipe consumers living in two villages in Shiraz, Southern Iran. In the beginning, the initial items of instrument were extracted from the literature review and interviews with 20 waterpipe consumers. After that, face validity and qualitative content validity of the items were appraised. To measure quantitative content validity index (CVI) and the content validity ratio (CVR), a panel of experts reviewed the items. In addition, the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to characterize the construct validity of the instrument. Finally, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were computed.ResultsCVI and CVR of items were within the ranges of 0.89–0.95 and 0.85–0.96, respectively. EFA indicated the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (=0.71) and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (=912.36, df=105, p<0.0001). Principal component analysis revealed that 15 items could be grouped into four subscales that accounted for 64.97% of the variance. Based on CFA, two items were deleted. CFA results showed that the remained data were fit to the model. The Cronbach’s alpha and ICC of subscales were, respectively, in the ranges of 0.72–0.87 and 0.64–0.82. Finally, a 13-item instrument with four subscales was confirmed.ConclusionsThe findings reveal that the developed TPB instrument is a reliable and valid scale to identify the determinants of the intention to quit waterpipe smoking among Iranian rural adults.

Transformative learning in community college human geography: a mixed methods study

ABSTRACTThe study explores the extent to which transformative learning occurs using quantitative and qualitative methods in a human geography course (N = 35) and explores student affect in relation to the learning environment. We used the eight-scale Transformative Learning Environments Survey (TLES) instrument for the quantitative analysis and an aligned analysis of student reflective work to capture the “voice” of the student as a qualitative approach that provided a rounded perspective of transformative learning. The TLES proved reliable where the sub-scale Alpha reliability ranged from 0.71 to 0.93 and a separate affect scale of Satisfaction was 0.95. The standardized regression coefficient between Satisfaction and the sub-scale of Student-Acting demonstrated the strongest positive association (0.27), followed closely by Disorienting Dilemma-Environment (0.24). The qualitative results supported the quantitative associations in most cases, but not all. The qualitative aspect to this present study offers a deeper look – beyond just statistical outcomes – using students’ own voices to explain their perspectives related to transformative learning.

Development and psychometric properties of the tobacco and nicotine consequences scale (TANCS) to screen for cigarette and e-cigarette misuse in community settings

IntroductionTo date, there are no existing measures of tobacco or nicotine misuse (i.e., negative consequences). The goal of the present study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a novel scale, the Tobacco and Nicotine Consequences Scale (TANCS) to assess tobacco and nicotine misuse among cigarette smokers and e-cig users. MethodsThis cross-sectional study collected data using an anonymous survey to assess tobacco and nicotine use expectancies, behaviors, and negative consequences of use. Of the 607 participants who attempted the survey, 491 participants (80.8%) completed the TANCS items. A split-half validation method was used to assess the structure and validity of the TANCS using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. ResultsThe exploratory factor analysis produced a five-factor solution, and the confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure with results providing an excellent fit to the data (CFI = 0.995, TLI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.015, SRMR = 0.052). A total of 17 items were retained. The overall scale showed excellent reliability (α = 0.91) with subscale alphas between 0.68 and 0.90.The scale was significantly correlated to nicotine dependence and smoking expectancies, measured by the Fagerstrom Test Cigarette Dependence and Smoking Effects Questionnaire, respectively, suggesting the TANCS is a valid measure of tobacco and nicotine misuse. Total and subscale scores differed between participants preferring cigarettes or e-cigarettes. ConclusionsThe TANCS is a brief, reliable measure of tobacco and nicotine misuse that is correlated to tobacco and nicotine expectancies, use, and dependence. Future work should explore the test-retest reliability and incremental validity of the scale for tobacco use disorder.

Assessing the Suitability of The Adapted Scientific Epistemic Beliefs Questionnaire in Namibia

This study adapted and validated a questionnaire for assessing Namibian students’ scientific epistemic beliefs and explore their relation to achievement in science, gender, grade and socioeconomic status. The study was correlational, with a sample of 944 (45% male; 55% female) Grades 11 and 12 students with the mean age M=17.9, SD= 1.4. A Likert scale questionnaire comprised of four dimensions of beliefs: source; certainty; development; and justification of scientific knowledge. The adapted questionnaire had good reliability with the Cronbach’s alpha of subscales ranging from .80 to .83 and the overall reliability of .70. Model fit analysis yielded good statistical fit with Chi-square ratio to degrees of freedom= 2.71, RMSEA= 0.043, CFI= 0.95, TLI= 0.94, SRMR= .032. The overall regression model was significant F (4, 939) =8.218, p &lt;.001, R2= .034. Two dimensions, certainty (b=.154, p&lt;.001) and justification (b=.100, p&lt;.05) statistically significantly predicted achievement in science. There was statistically significant difference in beliefs about source in terms of gender and grade and about certainty in terms of grade. The results show that the questionnaire works well with the Namibian sample used given the good model fit for the data and reliability. Results are discussed in terms of 21st century skills development.

Triggers of Lapse and Relapse of Diet and Exercise in Behavioral Weight Loss.

This study aimed to (1) develop instruments to evaluate situations that lead to lapse and relapse in diet and exercise and (2) prospectively investigate when and which psychosocial situations predict failure to lose weight in a clinical trial of intentional weight loss. Participants were 469 individuals with overweight or obesity participating in a behavioral weight loss program (age: mean=53.6years, SD=11.4; BMI: mean=35.7kg/m2 , SD=6.5). The Cronbach alphas for the Diet Lapse and Relapse Triggers Scale and the Exercise Lapse and Relapse Triggers Scale were 0.93 and 0.91, respectively. Subscale alphas ranged from 0.60 to 0.96. Lapse and relapse were assessed at 3 and 9months for associations with weight loss at 12months. At 9months, diet triggers were negative emotional states (beta=0.11, P=0.02) and urges (beta=0.14, P=0.01). Predicted social situations showed the opposite (beta=-0.09, P=0.02). Exercise subscales were all nonsignificant. Findings suggest the ongoing importance of addressing negative emotional states and the contributing influence of urges. The novel finding that participants whose difficulties arise in social situations may do better over time requires further study.

Understanding the Roles, Responsibilities, and Competencies of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses: Instrument Development and Psychometric Testing.

Demand for primary care providers increases value for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to assume more independent roles. The purpose was to develop a reliable, valid instrument to measure roles, responsibilities, and competencies reflective of autonomous practice for APRNs. Conceptual literature motivated development of a new instrument. Validity was initially evaluated through expert content review. Reliability of proposed scales was evaluated and possible underlying constructs were identified through factor analysis using data from a pilot study. Content validity for the instrument was high (content validity index [CVI] 88). The 16-item instrument is highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha of 0.81). Cronbach's alphas for subscales ranged from 0.60 to 0.75. Factor analysis identified four components. The Petersen Sieloff Assessment of Advanced Practice (PSAAP) demonstrated initial reliability. Additional examination is warranted to further improve the factor structure.