Discriminant Validity Correlations Research Articles

Translation and psychometric evaluation of composite feedback-seeking behavior questionnaire among Iranian medical residents

BackgroundProactively seeking feedback from clinical supervisors, peers or other healthcare professionals is a valuable mechanism for residents to obtain useful information about and improve their performance in clinical settings. Given the scant studies investigating the limited aspects of psychometrics properties of the feedback-seeking instruments in medical education, this study aimed to translate the feedback-seeking behavior scales (frequency of feedback-seeking, motives of feedback-seeking, and promotion of feedback-seeking by supervisors) into Persian and evaluate the psychometric properties of the composite questionnaire among medical residents at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, feedback-seeking behavior scales were translated through the forward–backward method, and its face validity and content validity were assessed by 10 medical residents and 18 experts. The test-retest reliability was evaluated by administering the questionnaire to 20 medical residents on two testing occasions. A convenience sample of 548 residents completed the questionnaire. Construct validity was examined by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis and concurrent validity was determined by Pearson’s correlation coefficient.ResultsContent validity assessment showed that the CVR (0.66 to 0.99) and CVI (0.82 to 0.99) values for items and S-CVI values (0.88 to 0.99) for scales were satisfactory. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the models were confirmed with eight items and two factors (explaining 70.98% of the total variance) for the frequency of feedback-seeking scale, with 16 items and four factors (explaining 73.22% of the total variance) for the motives of feedback seeking scale and with four items and one factor (explaining 69.46% of the total variance) for promotion of feedback-seeking by supervisors. AVE values greater than 0.5 and discriminant validity correlations significantly less than 1.0 demonstrated that the total scores of the composite feedback-seeking behavior questionnaire had a favorable fit and the questions could fit their respective factors, and the latent variables were distinct. We found positive and significant correlations between the three scales and their subscales.ConclusionThe results of the present study supported the validity and reliability of the Persian composite feedback-seeking behavior questionnaire for assessing feedback-seeking behaviors in medical residents. Applying the questionnaire in residency programs may enhance the quality of clinical education.

Development of a Brief College Embeddedness Scale

Embeddedness is a construct with potential explanatory power in studies of student persistence, retention, and success. The goal of this study was to address a need for a brief embeddedness measure for use in small college undergraduate environments. Three measures of embeddedness were developed: an initial 43-item scale, a reduced 35-item scale, and a final brief 12-item version of the scale. A total of 450 undergraduate students at a small private liberal arts college were included in the study. Internal consistency reliability was assessed with both McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha, test–retest reliability was observed over a one-year period, factor analysis was used in item analysis, structural validity was examined with confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion-related validity was assessed with convergent and discriminant validity correlations. The results provide acceptable initial estimates of reliability and validity.

Validation of the Maternal Identity Scale for Primiparous Thai Teenage Mothers

PurposeThe Maternal Role Attainment Scale Form B (MRAS-Form B) was developed based on Mercer's theory and widely used to assess maternal role attainment among Thai mothers in hospitals. To assess the maternal identity among primiparous adolescent mothers in communities, MRAS-Form B remains indistinguishable due to differences in both mothers' ages and circumstances and was modified to the Maternal Identity Scale (MIS). Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the MIS. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 primiparous Thai teenagers residing with their infants aged 4–12 months. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to confirm the construct validity using Mplus Software. ResultsThe overall model provided fit well to the empirical data (χ2/df = 2.23, comparative fit index = .93, Tucker–Lewis index = .92, root mean square error of approximation = .06, standardized root mean square residual = .05). About 33–66% of the variance among MIS items could be explained by three constructs of maternal identity. Convergent validity showed item loadings ranging from .58 to .81; in addition, average variance extracted and composite reliability ranged from .44 to .54 and .82 to .92, respectively. Discriminant validity correlations between constructs were ranging from .74 to .87. The MIS exhibited very good item discrimination values (.52 ≤ corrected item-total correlation ≤.70) and an excellent reliability (Cronbach's α = .95). ConclusionAppropriately for community health nursing, the MIS was a valid and reliable tool, assessing maternal identity among primiparous teenage mothers one year after delivery.

The "Quantifying Construct Validity" Procedure: Its Role, Value, Interpretations, and Computation.

The current article enhances the test validation process by addressing important issues with the quantifying construct validity (QCV) procedure. The QCV procedure is intended to help researchers systematically and objectively evaluate the degree to which a pattern of convergent and discriminant validity correlations correspond to a priori hypotheses. Although the QCV procedure holds promise as a psychometric tool and has enjoyed some use, at least three factors have likely limited the frequency and accuracy of its use-questions regarding its role and utility in test validation, a lack of clarity about its key concepts, and a lack of integration with widely available statistical software. We address these important issues and provide psychometrically grounded recommendations for applying the QCV procedure. This work facilitates the understanding, computation, and useful application of the QCV procedure, and ultimately it is intended to enhance work in test validation.

An international study of the quality of life of adult patients treated with home parenteral nutrition

Home parenteral nutrition-quality of life (HPN-QOL©) is a self-assessment tool for the measurement of QOL in patients on HPN. The aims of this study were: to re-assess the basic psychometric properties of the HPN-QOL© in a multinational sample of adult patients; to provide a description of QOL dimensions by short and long HPN treatment duration; to explore clinical factors potentially associated to QOL scores. Patients (n=699) from 14 countries completed the HPN-QOL©. The questionnaires were analysed to evaluate data completeness, convergent/discriminant validity and internal-consistency reliability. The association of overall QOL and HPN treatment duration as well as other clinical factors were investigated using multivariable linear regression models. The analysis of the multitrait-scaling and internal consistency indicates a good fit with the questionnaire structure for most items. Item discriminant validity correlation was satisfactory and psychometric evaluation of the HPN-QOL© in the different English, French and Italian language patient sub-groups confirmed psychometric equivalence of the three questionnaire versions. The results of the multivariable linear regression showed that QOL scores were significantly associated with HPN duration (better in long-term), underlying disease (better in Crohn's disease and mesenteric ischaemia) and living status (worse in living alone) and, after adjusting for the other factors, with the number of days of HPN infusion per week. The HPN-QOL©, is a valid tool for measurement of QOL in patients on HPN, to be used in the clinical practice as well as in research.

Psychometric properties of the Ukrainian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ)

Background: The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Ukrainian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) in sick by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) children. Methods: The Ukrainian version of the CHAQ was fully cross-culturally adapted from the original American-English version with 3 forward and 3 backward translations. The CHAQ has been validated in a cross-sectional study in 55 patients with and 30 healthy children. Results: The results were characterized by a high level of internal consistency and good reliability (the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.86 for 8/8 domains). The constructive validity was considered by the correlation of the CHAQ scales with each other. For the discriminant validity correlation of the domains and the disability index with the evaluation of pain was significant. The convergent validity was confirmed by correlation of the CHAQ and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) physical summary score. The divergent validity was confirmed because there was no correlation between the CHAQ items and the CHQ psychosocial summary score. The discovered correlations between disability index and morning stiffness, number of active joints, number of joints with limited range of motion, number of joints with pain, number of swollen joints, Ritchie articular index, DAS, DAS28, SDAI, and CDAI have confirmed the external validity of the CHAQ. Sensitivity of the CHAQ to minimal changes of joints functions in patients with JIA also has been proven. Conclusions: The Ukrainian version of the CHAQ is a reliable, valid, and sensitive tool for the functional assessment of children with JIA.

Survey Satisficing Inflates Reliability and Validity Measures: An Experimental Comparison of College and Amazon Mechanical Turk Samples.

This study examined the predictors and psychometric outcomes of survey satisficing, wherein respondents provide quick, "good enough" answers (satisficing) rather than carefully considered answers (optimizing). We administered surveys to university students and respondents-half of whom held college degrees-from a for-pay survey website, and we used an experimental method to randomly assign the participants to survey formats, which presumably differed in task difficulty. Based on satisficing theory, we predicted that ability, motivation, and task difficulty would predict satisficing behavior and that satisficing would artificially inflate internal consistency reliability and both convergent and discriminant validity correlations. Indeed, results indicated effects for task difficulty and motivation in predicting survey satisficing, and satisficing in the first part of the study was associated with improved internal consistency reliability and convergent validity but also worse discriminant validity in the second part of the study. Implications for research designs and improvements are discussed.

Health-related quality of life in young men with testicular cancer: validation of the Cancer Assessment for Young Adults (CAYA)

Patient-reported outcome instruments are needed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in young adults with cancer. The purpose of this project was to establish a conceptual model and measurement instrument for assessment of HRQOL in young men with testicular cancer. Patient interviews and a literature review were used to develop a conceptual framework of biopsychosocial domains of cancer-related quality of life and an initial pool of questionnaire items. Items were piloted and refined. Revised items were administered to a sample (N = 171) of young (ages 18-29) men with testicular cancer and repeated 4weeks later. Rasch measurement methods guided item reduction and scale construction. Traditional psychometric analyses were also performed to allow for comparison with existing measures. The conceptual framework included seven biopsychosocial domains: physical, sexual, intrapersonal, cognitive-emotional, social-relational, educational-vocational-avocational, and spiritual to form independent scales of the resulting questionnaire, the Cancer Assessment for Young Adults-Testicular (CAYA-T). Each scale fulfilled Rasch and traditional psychometric criteria (i.e., person separation index, 0.34-0.82; Cronbach's alpha, 0.70-0.91; and an expected pattern of convergent and discriminant validity correlations). The CAYA-T can be used to assess HRQOL across a comprehensive set of domains as identified by young men with cancer. It passes strict psychometric criteria and has potential as a useful research and clinical tool. The CAYA-T has potential research and clinical value for addressing inter-related aspects of HRQOL in young adult men with cancer. The measure may assist with assessing and monitoring HRQOL across a range of domains and contributing to more comprehensive assessment of biopsychosocial needs of young adults.

Cross-informant agreement for ratings for social skill and problem behavior ratings: An investigation of the Social Skills Improvement System—Rating Scales.

One of the most consistent findings in rating scale research with children and adolescents is the modest agreement among different informants' ratings. The present study systematically explored patterns of agreement among teachers, parents/caregivers, and students in domains of social skills and problem behaviors using the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS; F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 2008). Two subsamples from the normative sample of the SSIS-RS were used. The first sample of participants consisted of 168 students who had all 3 informants (parent, teacher, and self) complete the SSIS-RS scales, which was necessary to assess agreement across different raters. The second sample consisted of 164 students who had raters in a similar or same role (father-mother, teacher-teacher). The results replicated an extensive literature showing that cross-informant agreements for social skills and problem behaviors are weak to moderate. The current study invoked multitrait-multimethod logic to interpret the correlations among raters derived from different informants and showed that the convergent validity coefficients were consistently stronger than the discriminant validity correlations. Implications for assessment practices and future research are discussed.

Utilisation du modèle de personnalité à cinq facteurs (FFM) dans l’évaluation des troubles de la personnalité du DSM-IV

Introduction Widespread and long-standing dissatisfaction with the current DSM-IV diagnostic system for the personality disorders (PDs) revolves around five specific issues: use of a dichotomous, categorical model; extremely high rates of comorbidity within the PDs, as well as with Axis I disorders; excessive heterogeneity within the PDs; nonempirically derived diagnostic cut-offs and limited coverage of the personality pathology seen by clinicians. Many critics have suggested that the personality pathology might be better characterized using a dimensional trait model of general or pathological personality. Much research documents support relations between the PDs and the five-factor model of personality (FFM), a prominent model of general personality functioning. Recent research has examined the ability of FFM trait configurations to assess the DSM-IV PDs. Initial work focused on matching individual FFM profiles to prototypical PD profiles derived from expert ratings. Although this initial work showed that these FFM-assessed PDs performed like explicit PD assessments, the prototype matching approach was deemed cumbersome and a simpler, alternative count technique derived from the expert profiles was developed. The FFM PD counts sum the facets rated as being particularly prototypic (high or low) of a PD. The current study The current study tests the FFM PD counts by examining their convergent and discriminant validity correlations with explicit measures of DSM-IV PD symptomatology in two clinical samples (one French; one Belgian). In addition, “receiver operator characteristics” (ROC) analyses are used to provide information on the clinical utility of the FFM PD counts. Method The French clinical sample consisted of 100 female inpatients hospitalized for treatment of an eating disorder, whereas the Belgian clinical sample consisted of 130 psychiatric inpatients (47% women) with diverse presenting problems. Translated versions of the NEO PI-R were used to assess the FFM in each sample and to generate the FFM PD counts. DSM-IV PD symptom counts and diagnoses were obtained via structured interview in the French sample and via self-reports in the Belgian sample. Results In the French sample, convergent validity correlations between the FFM PD counts and DSM symptom counts ranged from 0.20 to 0.65 with a median r of 0.47. In the Belgian sample, these correlations ranged from 0.17 to 0.61 with a median r of 0.45. For the French sample, the median discriminant correlations for each FFM PD ranged from −0.23 to 0.35; for the Belgian sample they ranged from −0.13 to 0.28. Finally, ROC analyses were conducted for the PDs in which 10 or more individuals met the DSM diagnosis. ROC analyses provide “areas under the curve” (AUC), as well as other diagnostic efficiency statistics. An AUC of 0.50 indicates that the FFM PD count is no better at distinguishing between those with and without a given PD diagnosis than chance. AUCs were significant for all PDs examined except for the OCPD, ranging from 0.57 to 0.94 with a mean of 0.75. Average diagnostic efficiency statistics were also generally good. Discussion The FFM PD counts adequately assess the majority of extant DSM PDs. With the recent development of normative data and scoring sheets, these FFM counts can be applied in most clinical settings. Importantly, FFM data can be used flexibly with a focus either on the role of specific domains and facets or on specific trait configurations. Additionally, there are theoretical benefits to conceiving of PDs as constellations of FFM trait. Comorbidity is to be expected to the degree that the PDs include the same traits. The FFM PD counts are inherently dimensional, representing approximations to a prototype; thus, concerns surrounding the PDs as categories are rendered inert. Using the FFM to conceptualize the PDs allows basic research on personality to inform research on the etiology, course and treatment of the PDs.

Factor structure and cultural factors of disruptive behaviour disorders symptoms in Italian children

Objective: Poor parent and teacher awareness for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the scepticism of many clinicians on the prevalence of the disorder, make Italy an interesting environment in which to verify neuropsychological constructs generated in a predominantly Northern American cultural contest. The aim of the study was to verify, by factor confirmatory analysis, the empirical validity of the DSM constructs underlying the diagnostic criteria for developmental disruptive behaviour disorders in Italian school-age children. Methods: Scores for DSM-IV inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and for conduct disorder (CD) symptoms in 6–12 years old Italian children were analysed from 1575 parent and 1085 teacher forms of the disruptive behaviour disorders questionnaires collected in four different Italian regions. Results: Reliability indicates high internal consistencies for both parent and teacher rating of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and oppositionality, but not for conduct problems. In accordance with the literature, a relatively low inter-rater convergent and discriminant validity correlation was observed comparing measures obtained by between parents and teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis of both parent and teacher data showed a better fit for a four-factor model, indicating a factor structure in accordance with the DSM-IV taxonomy. When completed by parents and teachers of clinically assessed ADHD, dyslexic or normal children, the disruptive behavioural disorder questionnaires showed a significant predictive diagnostic value. Conclusion: Although an informant variance higher that dimensional (trait) variance was observed, the study provides support for DSM-IV taxonomy for developmental disruptive disorders, showing construct validity of ADHD. ODD and CD could also be distinguished from each other.

Confirmatory factor analyses of posttraumatic stress symptoms in deployed and nondeployed veterans of the Gulf War.

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare 6 models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, ranging from 1 to 4 factors, in a sample of 3,695 deployed Gulf War veterans (N = 1,896) and nondeployed controls (N = 1,799). The 4 correlated factors-intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal, and dysphoria-provided the best fit. The dysphoria factor combined traditional markers of numbing and hyperarousal. Model superiority was cross-validated in multiple subsamples, including a subset of deployed participants who were exposed to traumatic combat stressors. Moreover, convergent and discriminant validity correlations suggested that intrusions may be relatively specific to PTSD, whereas dysphoria may represent a nonspecific component of many disorders. Results are discussed in the context of hierarchical models of anxiety and depression.

Nonverbal assessment of the Big Five personality factors

The Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (NPQ) is an experimental, structured, nonverbal measure of 16 personality traits. Its items lack verbal content and, therefore, the inventory is useful for cross‐cultural research. Our goal is this research was to select a subset of the NPQ items to form a new nonverbal questionnaire based on the Five‐Factor Model of personality. We describe the construction of the Five‐Factor Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (FF‐NPQ), and present data on its psychometric properties. These data include scale internal consistencies, intercorrelations, convergences with verbal measures of the Big Five factors, discriminant validity correlations, correlations with peer ratings, and ability to predict socially important behaviour criteria such as smoking and alcohol consumption. In a second study, we report on the psychometric properties of the FF‐NPQ in an independent sample of respondents from seven different countries. The utility of the new nonverbal inventory for cross‐cultural research is discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development and validation of a patient based measure of outcome in ocular melanoma

BACKGROUNDPatients with uveal melanoma can be treated by a number of modalities. As none of the different treatments offer a survival advantage, a key factor in choosing among treatments is...

Delimitation of State-Trait Curiosity in Relation to State Anxiety and Learning Task Performance

The present study tested the validity of the state-trait curiosity distinction, investigated the effect of manipulating state curiosity upon learning performance, and assessed the reliability and validity of state (C-State) and trait (C-Trait) curiosity scales. Three hundred senior secondary school students were assigned randomly to (i) Curiosity Stimulating Instructions (CSI); (ii) Neutral Instructions (NI); or (iii) Boredom Inducing Instructions (BII) groups respectively. These treatments preceded the first administration of a test-battery (comprised of C-State, a state epistemic curiosity measure; SECS, a state curiosity scale; A-State; and C-Trait). A learning task (prose passage) ensued, followed by a second administration of the test-battery. Finally a posttest of immediate retention permitted assessment of each group's learning performance. Alpha coefficients for both C-State and C-Trait scales ranged from .86 to .92. Stability (test-retest) correlations were higher for the C-Trait scale than for C-State. Both concurrent and discriminant validity correlations were significant. Only tentative support for the state-trait curiosity distinction resulted, since the factor analyses were dominated by reversed and nonreversed items and subscales. Only for females in grade 12 did the instructional sets influence C-State scores and subsequent learning performance as predicted.