Expected Cross-validation Index Research Articles

Core Competencies for Gerontogeriatric Nursing: A Validation Study.

As the aging population grows, facing multifaceted health challenges and escalating care costs, equipping newly graduated nurses with the requisite skills for high-quality gerontogeriatric care becomes crucial. This study assesses the psychometric properties of a Gerontogeriatric Competency (GGC) scale to evaluate the competencies of newly graduated registered nurses (RNs). Using a convenience sampling approach, a nationwide, observational prospective cohort study was conducted among 272 newly graduated RNs. The evaluation framework included a sociodemographic questionnaire, three groups of questions targeting gerontogeriatric nursing education aspects, and the GGC scale, with 64 competencies. Construct validity (via confirmatory factor analysis), known-group validity and reliability (assessed by Cronbach's α) were examined. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed an adequate index fit: the ratio of chi-square to degrees of freedom (χ2/df) = 2.785, the goodness-of-fit index (GFI) = 0.579, confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0.864, the parsimony goodness-of-fit index (PGFI) = 0.526, the parsimony confirmatory-of-fit index (PCFI) = 0.809, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.087, and the modified expected cross-validation index (MECVI) = 24.418. Differences were observed in gerontogeriatric competencies based on curriculum inclusion, self-confidence, knowledge in caring for older adults, and satisfaction with the nursing program content. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.992 for the overall scale and ranged from 0.935 to 0.983 for the GGC dimensions. The GGC scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the gerontogeriatric competencies of new graduate RNs, highlighting its potential to enhance education, training, and, ultimately, the quality of care provided to the older population.

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Nursing Decision-Making Instrument Into European Portuguese.

Nurses are continually faced with multiple demands to make decisions in their clinical practice. The Nursing Decision-Making Instrument (NDMI) assesses nurses' decision-making styles during the several stages of this process. To adapt the NDMI into European Portuguese and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version in a population of Portuguese nurses. Descriptive study design was used to examine psychometric properties of NDMI. Nonprobability convenience sample of 339 Portuguese direct-care nurses. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and professional data and the NDMI-Portuguese version (NDMI-PT). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 125) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 214) were carried out using IBM SPSS (v. 24) and AMOS (v. 22). The EFA revealed a structure of four latent factors, which represent the reorganized stages of the decision-making process. The CFA found a good overall fit of the model (χ2/df = 2.13; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.91; goodness of fit index [GFI] = 0.82; Tucker-Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.90; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.07; maximum-likelihood expected cross-validation index [MECVI] = 3.13). The psychometric analysis of the theoretical structure revealed that the four factors reflect the decision-making stages and have a better overall fit than the empirical structure (χ2/df = 1.82; CFI = 0.94; GFI = 0.86; TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.06; MECVI = 2.55). The analysis of the construct reliability of the NDMI-PT revealed that the overall internal consistency was excellent (α=0.96). This study revealed that the empirical and theoretical structures were appropriate and valid for the sample under analysis. The NDMI-PT is a reliable and valid tool for assessing nurses' decision-making styles. Studies should be conducted to gain further insight into the robustness of this validated tool.

Reliability and Validity Evidence for Health Care-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire on Sexual Health Among Filipino Men: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Background and Purpose: Healthcare-seeking behavior is an issue affecting the promotion of sexual health among Filipino men. However, tools to measure healthcare-seeking behaviors among men, in general, are scarce. This study aimed to find evidence of validity and reliability of the Health Care-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire (HCSBQ). Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among N = 464 Filipino men. Linear Structural Relations (LISREL®) was used for statistical analysis. Results: The HCSBQ demonstrates validity and reliability after data analysis. The overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.94 shows excellent internal consistency. The exploratory factor analysis revealed three latent variables, namely, interactional, intellectual, and active and decision-making. Cronbach's alpha for each latent variable is 0.91, 0.84, and 0.88, respectively. A confirmatory factor analysis shows an excellent goodness-of-fit indices (Adjusted Goodness-of-Fit Index [AGFI] = .95; Goodness-of-Fit Index [GFI] = .97; Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = .99; Incremental Fit Index [IFI] = .99; Expected Cross Validation Index [ECVI] = .45; and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA] = .03). Conclusions: The HCSBQ is a valid and reliable tool to measure healthcare-seeking behaviors among Filipino men.

Reliability and Validity Evidence for Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale Among Filipino Men: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Background and Purpose: It is essential to address sexual health to ensure quality of life and sexual well-being; however, studies to measure sexual attitudes remain scarce. This study aimed to find reliability and validity evidence of the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale (BSAS) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among Filipino men. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Results: BSAS shows coefficient alpha of 0.90. CFA demonstrates goodness of fit (adjusted goodness-of-fit index = .82; goodness-of-fit index = .86; comparative fit index = .91; incremental fit index = .91; expected cross-validation index = 2.27; root mean square error of approximation = .08; [χ2 (213) = 927.45, p ≤ .001], χ2/df ratio = 4.35). Conclusions: BSAS is a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess sexual attitudes among Filipino men. Further research is needed to evaluate sexual attitudes in the promotion of sexual health across cultures.

The European Portuguese Version of the Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory-Revised (DMPI-R).

ObjectivesMeditation practice has beneficial effects on physical and mental health, and barriers to regular practice have been recognized. The Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory (DMPI) was developed and recently revised (DMPI-R). DMPI-R is a 12-item self-report instrument encompassing four dimensions: low perceived benefit, perceived inadequate knowledge, perceived pragmatic barriers, and perceived socio-cultural conflict. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the European Portuguese version of the DMPI-R in a general population Portuguese sample (non-meditators).MethodsA sample comprising 154 participants completed a set of self-report measures online. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and parallel analyses were conducted to decide on the number of factors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was computed in an independent sample (N = 229). Three models were tested and compared. Reliability and validity were analyzed.ResultsThe EFA and parallel analysis revealed a four-factor structure. The three models tested showed a good fit to the data. Models’ comparison pointed that the four-factor model, excluding item 10, was the one with the lower Expected Cross-Validation Index. The DMPI-R factors revealed adequate reliability and test–retest stability. The DMPI-R showed correlations with experiential avoidance and perspectives on meditation. No significant differences were found between men and women on the DMPI-R four factors. No significant associations with age and years of education were found.ConclusionsThe European Portuguese version of DMPI-R is a reliable and valid self-report instrument to assess perceived barriers to meditation, contributing to expand research and support meditation instructors in improving meditation programs.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT SCALE (HRDAS) FOR PAKISTANI UNIVERSITIES’ TEACHERS

The purpose of the study was to develop an assessment scale to investigate the execution of existing human resource development (HRD) practices and to develop an applicable model for Pakistani universities. The scale comprises of ten factors awareness towards HRD, selection and recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, organizational development, mentoring, career development, promotion practices, and working environment. Four universities were selected amongst public and private sector universities applying a random sampling technique. Data were gathered from 200 faculty members, executive and administrative heads of selected universities. The scale was piloted after seeking expert opinion in the relevant field. After experts' opinions 53 items were finalized by removing weak items. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using Lisrel 8.3 with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to validate the scale (HRDAS. Comparative Fit Index (CFI) 0.95, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) 0.70 and Expected cross-validation Index (ECVI) 16.45 indicates that construct validity of the scale is reasonable. The scale reliability index was found alpha (α) 0.914 whereas factor-wise reliability ranged from 0.909 to 0 .925. The significant positive correlation among all factors reflected that all factors contribute towards measuring the construct validity of the scale.

Factor structure of 12 items in the Chinese Health Questionnaire among the elderly population in mainland China

ObjectivesThe 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ-12) has been widely used for screening mental disorders. This study aims to examine the internal consistency and factor structure of CHQ-12 and its suitability for use in the elderly Chinese population. Study designThis is a cross-sectional study. MethodsA total of 8526 elderly people aged ≥60 years from 11 cities in Shanxi Province were selected for participation in this study by stratified random cluster sampling. Cronbach’s alpha was employed to assess internal consistency. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the underlying factor structure of the CHQ-12 in the elderly. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then conducted to test and compare the goodness-of-fit between possible factor structure obtained from the EFA and the unidimensional structure, which was originally recommended. ResultsThe Cronbach’s alpha for CHQ-12 was 0.838. The EFA extracted three factors, which explained 55.985% of the total variance of the data. The CFA of the three-factor model resulted in an acceptable model fit (Comparative Fit Index = 0.98, Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.97, Normed Fit Index = 0.98, Expected Cross-Validation Index = 0.28, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation = 0.071). The item loadings ranged from 0.58 to 0.82. Correlation coefficients among the three factors ranged from 0.40 to 0.75. ConclusionsThe CHQ-12 presented satisfactory internal consistency and structural validity in the Chinese elderly population. The CFA of the three-factor structure expressed a preferred model fit in comparison to the unidimensional model. The three-factor structure of the CHQ-12 interpreted three different aspects of mental health: somatic symptoms, anxiety and worry, and depression/poor family relationship.

Validation of the Persian Version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire

Introduction: This study aimed to validate the Persian version of the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: The SAQ was distributed to 160 surgical team members at Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, in 2019. In total, 150 valid responses were returned. The Cronbach’s α and item-dimension correlations were calculated for reliability assessment. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also performed to assess the validity using Confirmatory Fit Index (CFI), Expected Cross-Validation Index (ECVI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) values. Results: The mean age of the study population was estimated at 28.7 years, and the majority (n=116, 77.3%) of the participants were female. The goodness-of-fit index from the CFA showed a well-founded model fit (CFI=0.8, ECVI=0.8, and RMSEA=0.02). The Cronbach’s α for the scale was calculated at 0.74 within the range from 0.4 (perception of management) to 0.83 (job satisfaction). The SAQ showed good internal consistency reliability. Correlation coefficients for the association between each item and the corresponding dimensions ranged from 0.431 to 0.884, which was regarded as a good correlation. Conclusion: The SAQ was a valid and reliable instrument and could be a useful instrument to measure safety attitudes in hospitals among Iranian populations.

Reliability and Validity of Biostatical Analysis used for Pharmacy Research Questionnaire in Saudi Arabia

PTB Reports,2020,6,3,96-104.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2020.6.18Published:March 2020Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, and Ismail Hassan Amer Abu Rayah Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, Critical Care Clinical Pharmacists, TPN Clinical Pharmacist, Freelancer Business Planner, Content Editor and Data Analyst, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Abstract:Objectives: To declare reliability and validity of Biostatical Analysis used for Pharmacy Research Survey in Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a cross-section survey developed by the authors and the research team. It’s based on the updated literature, national and international accreditation standards organizations. The Internal consistency, reliability through inter-rater reliability, item-item coloration, item-total coloration, Split half reliability (Gutmann’s λ6) and McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha. The validity contained of face content validity, construct validity through exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. All analysis had been done through Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), Statistical Package of Social Sciences-Analysis of Moment Structures (SPSS-Amos) and Jeffrey’s Amazing Statistics Program (JASP). Results: A total of 209 pharmacists responded. The majority of responders were Saudi 185 (88.52%). The among responders were males [108 (61.77%)] and females [101 (48.33%)]. The three tests had been done with reliability of 31 questions. The completed responders (185) (mean ± SD) was 3.236 ± 0.326 and McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 were 0.980, 0.980 and 0.990, respectively with CI 95% (0.975-0.983) and inter-item coloration was 0.607, while the item-total coloration >0.53 and McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 value if deleted was >0.97. By using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of sampling adequacy was 0.966 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity with approximate chi-square was <0.001. The commonalities extraction for all questions was >0.57, the related components were four of all 31 questions in four components as suggested. They were not confirmed by confirmatory with statistically significant (p<0.001) of the factor model, by factor analysis, by scree plot and pathway analysis and fit not with the original survey changed to 3 factor loading. The confirmatory factor index was (0.761), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) was (0.737), Goodness of fit index (GFI) was (0.844) and expected cross validation index (ECVI) (9.029). The collinearity of 23 questions was autocorrelation (2.609e -5) with not statistically significant (p=0.951). The majority of 23 question had Enjuone value close to number 1, while 11 questions had condition index more than 30. All of the 23 questions had The Variance inflation factor (VIF) less than 10 except four questions and had tolerance more than 0.1 except four questions. Conclusion: The reliability and validity related to the corrected survey of biostatistics analysts used in pharmaceutical research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were high. The pharmacy practice was properly used in further future research in Saudi Arabia. Keywords:Biostatical Analysis, Knowledge, Pharmacy, Reliability, Research, Saudi Arabia, Survey, ValidityView:PDF (452.29 KB) PDF PDF Images confirmatory analysis pathway diagram

Reliability and Validity of EBM Resources of Pharmacy Research Questionnaire in Saudi Arabia

PTB Reports,2020,6,1,25-32.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2020.6.5Published:March 2020Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, and Ebtissam Mohammad Badawoud Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, Critical care clinical pharmacists, TPN Clinical Pharmacist, Freelancer Business Planner, Content Editor and Data Analyst, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ebtissam Mohammad Badawoud, B. Sc. Pharm, MSc, Pharmacist, Alnoor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Abstract:Objectives: To declare reliability and validity of EBM Resources Knowledge used for Pharmacy Research Survey in Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a cross-section survey developed by the authors and the researcher team. It’s based on the updated literature, national and international accreditation standards organizations. The internal consistency reliability through, inter-rater reliability, item-item coloration, item-total coloration, split half reliability (Gutmann’s λ6) and McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha. The validity contained of face content validity, construct validity through exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. All analysis had been done through Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), Statistical Package of Social Sciences-Analysis of Moment Structures (SPSS-Amos) and Jeffrey’s Amazing Statistics Program (JASP). Results: A total of 209 pharmacists responded. The majority of responders were Saudi 185 (88.52%). The responders were males 108 (61.77%) and females 101 (48.33%). The three tests had been done with reliability of 16 questions. The completed number of responders (200) (mean ± SD) was 3.179 ± 0.436, McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 were 0.967, 0.966 and 0.976, respectively, inter-item coloration was 0.719, the item-total coloration >0.7, McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 value if deleted was >0.97. By using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of sampling adequacy was 0.941 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity with approximate chi-square was <0.001. The commonalities extraction for all questions were >0.58, the related components were one of the rotated component matrix >0.59 of all 16 questions in component 1 as suggested. They were established by confirmatory with statistically significant (p<0.001) of the factor model, by factor analysis, by scree plot, pathway analysis and fit with the original survey. The confirmatory factor index was 0.862, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) was 0.841, Goodness of fit index (GFI) was 0.906 and Expected cross validation index (ECVI) was 3.270. The collinearity of 16 questions was the auto-correlation was 0.066 with not statically significant (p=0.317). The majority of 16 questions had Enjuone value close to number 1, while 3 questions only had condition index more than 30. All of the 16 questions had The Variance inflation factor (VIF) less than 10 and had tolerance more than 0.1. Conclusion: The pharmacist survey knowledge of evidence-based medicine resources for pharmacy practice and distributed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had high reliability and validity scale level. The pharmacy researcher can utilized surveys with an adequate number of sample sizes with further research in Saudi Arabia. Keywords:EBM, Knowledge, Pharmacy, Reliability, Research, Resources, Saudi Arabia, ValidityView:PDF (322.38 KB) PDF PDF Images Exploratory Factor Analysis Scree Plot

Reliability and Validity of Pharmacy Research Proposal Questionnaire in Saudi Arabia

PTB Reports,2020,6,1,33-40.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2020.6.6Published:March 2020Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, and Adel Sadeq Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, Critical care clinical pharmacists, TPN clinical pharmacist, Freelancer Business Planner, Content Editor and Data Analyst, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Adel Sadeq, Assistant Professor, Al Ain University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Abstract:Objectives: To explore reliability and validity of pharmacy research proposal survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a cross-section survey developed by the authors and the researcher team. It’s based on the updated literature, national and international accreditation standards organizations. The internal consistency reliability through, inter-rater reliability, item-item coloration, item-total coloration, split half reliability (Gutmann’s λ6), McDonald’s ω and Cronbach alpha. The validity consisted of face content validity, construct validity through exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. All analysis had been done through Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), Statistical Package of Social Sciences-Analysis of Moment Structures (SPSS-Amos) and Jeffrey’s Amazing Statistics Program (JASP) Results: A total of 209 pharmacists responded. The majority of responders were Saudi 185 (88.52%). The among responders were males 108 (61.77%) and females 101 (48.33%). The three tests had been done of reliability of 17 questions of responders (204). The tests mean±SD was 3.788 ± 0.163, McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 were 0.975, 0.975 and 0.987, respectively and inter-item coloration was 0.705. The item-total coloration >0.7, McDonald’s ω, Cronbach alpha and Gutmann’s λ6 value if deleted was >0.97. By using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.954 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity with approximate chi-square was <0.001. The commonalities extraction for all questions was >0.7, the related components were two with the rotated component matrix >0.7 of all 17 questions in components 1 and 2 as suggested. They were confirmed by confirmatory with statistically significant (p<0.001) of the factor model, by factor analysis, by scree plot, pathway analysis and fit with the original survey. The confirmatory factor index was 0.871, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) was 0.853, Goodness of fit index (GFI) was 0.912, Expected cross validation index (ECVI) was 4.299. The collinearity of 17 questions was auto-correlation was 0.058 with not statically significant (p=0.403). The majority of 17 questions had Enjuone value had close to number 1, while 7 questions only had condition index less than 30. Most of questions had the Variance inflation factor (VIF) less than 10 except 4 questions, while only 4 questions had tolerance less than 0.1. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of a survey about knowledge of pharmacy proposals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were high. The pharmacist in pharmacy research practice can utilize the survey in the future. Keywords:Pharmacy, Proposal, Reliability, Research, Saudi Arabia, Survey, ValidityView:PDF (378.87 KB) PDF PDF Images Confirmatory analysis pathway diagram

Corrigendum: COMPI Fertility Problem Stress Scales is a brief, valid and reliable tool for assessing stress in patients seeking treatment.

STUDY QUESTION Are the Copenhagen Multi-Centre Psychosocial Infertility research program Fertility Problem Stress Scales (COMPI-FPSS) a reliable and valid measure across gender and culture? SUMMARY ANSWER The COMPI-FPSS is a valid and reliable measure, presenting excellent or good fit in the majority of the analyzed countries, and demonstrating full invariance across genders and partial invariance across cultures. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Cross-cultural and gender validation is needed to consider a measure as standard care within fertility. The present study is the first attempting to establish comparability of fertility-related stress across genders and countries. STUDY DESIGN SIZE, DURATION Cross-sectional study. First, we tested the structure of the COMPI-FPSS. Then, reliability and validity (convergent and discriminant) were examined for the final model. Finally, measurement invariance both across genders and cultures was tested. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Our final sample had 3923 fertility patients (1691 men and 2232 women) recruited in clinical settings from seven different countries: Denmark, China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Sweden. Participants had a mean age of 34 years and the majority (84%) were childless. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Findings confirmed the original three-factor structure of the COMPI-FPSS, although suggesting a shortened measurement model using less items that fitted the data better than the full version model. While data from the Chinese and Croatian subsamples did not fit, all other counties presented good fit (χ2/df ≤ 5.4; comparative fit index ≥ 0.94; root-mean-square error of approximation ≤ 0.07; modified expected cross-validation index ≤ 0.77). In general, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were observed in all subscales from each country (composite reliability ≥ 0.63; average variance extracted ≥ 0.38; squared correlation ≥ 0.13). Full invariance was established across genders, and partial invariance was demonstrated across countries. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION Generalizability regarding the validation of the COMPI-FPSS cannot be made regarding infertile individuals not seeking treatment, or non-European patients. This study did not investigate predictive validity, and hence the capability of this instrument in detecting changes in fertility-specific adjustment over time and predicting the psychological impact needs to be established in future research. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Besides extending knowledge on the psychometric properties of one of the most used fertility stress questionnaire, this study demonstrates both research and clinical usefulness of the COMPI-FPSS. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This study was supported by European Union Funds (FEDER/COMPETE-Operational Competitiveness Program, and by national funds (FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under the projects PTDC/MHC-PSC/4195/2012 and SFRH/BPD/85789/2012). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

COMPI Fertility Problem Stress Scales is a brief, valid and reliable tool for assessing stress in patients seeking treatment.

Are the Copenhagen Multi-Centre Psychosocial Infertility research program Fertility Problem Stress Scales (COMPI-FPSS) a reliable and valid measure across gender and culture? The COMPI-FPSS is a valid and reliable measure, presenting excellent or good fit in the majority of the analyzed countries, and demonstrating full invariance across genders and partial invariance across cultures. Cross-cultural and gender validation is needed to consider a measure as standard care within fertility. The present study is the first attempting to establish comparability of fertility-related stress across genders and countries. Cross-sectional study. First, we tested the structure of the COMPI-FPSS. Then, reliability and validity (convergent and discriminant) were examined for the final model. Finally, measurement invariance both across genders and cultures was tested. Our final sample had 3923 fertility patients (1691 men and 2232 women) recruited in clinical settings from seven different countries: Denmark, China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Sweden. Participants had a mean age of 34 years and the majority (84%) were childless. Findings confirmed the original three-factor structure of the COMPI-FPSS, although suggesting a shortened measurement model using less items that fitted the data better than the full version model. While data from the Chinese and Croatian subsamples did not fit, all other counties presented good fit (χ2/df ≤ 5.4; comparative fit index ≥ 0.94; root-mean-square error of approximation ≤ 0.07; modified expected cross-validation index ≤ 0.77). In general, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were observed in all subscales from each country (composite reliability ≥ 0.63; average variance extracted ≥ 0.38; squared correlation ≥ 0.13). Full invariance was established across genders, and partial invariance was demonstrated across countries. Generalizability regarding the validation of the COMPI-FPSS cannot be made regarding infertile individuals not seeking treatment, or non-European patients. This study did not investigate predictive validity, and hence the capability of this instrument in detecting changes in fertility-specific adjustment over time and predicting the psychological impact needs to be established in future research. Besides extending knowledge on the psychometric properties of one of the most used fertility stress questionnaire, this study demonstrates both research and clinical usefulness of the COMPI-FPSS. This study was supported by European Union Funds (FEDER/COMPETE-Operational Competitiveness Program, and by national funds (FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under the projects PTDC/MHC-PSC/4195/2012 and SFRH/BPD/85789/2012). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. N/A.

Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in Family Caregivers of Nigerian Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in Southwestern Nigeria.

Objectives:To examine the construct and correlates of hopelessness among family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients.Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study involving 264 family caregiver-patients’ dyads recruited from two university teaching hospitals psychiatric clinics in Southwestern Nigeria.Results:Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor 9-item model of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) among the family caregivers. Confirmatory factor analysis of the model revealed satisfactory indices of fitness (goodness of fit index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.96, Chi-square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) = 1.60, root mean square error of approximation = 0.048, expected cross-validation index = 0.307, and standardized root mean residual = 0.005). Reliability of the scale was modestly satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha 0.72). Construct validity of scale was supported by significant correlations with the family caregivers’ scores on the Zarit Burden Interview, mini international neuropsychiatric interview suicidality module, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The greatest variance in the family caregivers’ scores on the BHS was contributed by their scores on the psychological distress scale (GHQ-12).Conclusions:The BHS has adequate psychometric properties among Nigerian psychiatric patients’ family caregivers. There is the need to pay attention to the psychological well-being of the family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients.

Psychometric properties of the third version of family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scales (FACES-III): a study of peruvian adolescents

Our aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the FACES-III among Peruvian high school students. This is a psychometric cross-sectional study. A probabilistic sampling was applied, defined by three stages: stratum one (school), stratum two (grade) and cluster (section). The participants were 910 adolescent students of both sexes, between 11 and 18 years of age. The instrument was also the object of study: the Olson's FACES-III. The analysis included a review of the structure / construct validity of the measure by factor analysis and assessment of internal consistency (reliability). The real-cohesion scale had moderately high reliability (Ω=.85) while the real-flexibility scale had moderate reliability (Ω=.74). The reliability found for the ideal-cohesion was moderately high (Ω=.89) like for the scale of ideal-flexibility (Ω=.86). Construct validity was confirmed by the goodness of fit of a two factor model (cohesion and flexibility) with 10 items each [Adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.96; Expected Cross Validation Index (ECVI) = 0.87; Normed fit index (NFI) = 0.93; Goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.97; Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06]. FACES-III has sufficient reliability and validity to be used in Peruvian adolescents for the purpose of group or individual assessment.

The Brazilian Portuguese version of the revised Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire (MUEQ-Br revised): translation, cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and structural validation.

BackgroundComplaints of the arm, neck, and shoulders (CANS) have a multifactorial etiology, and, therefore, their assessment should consider both work-related ergonomic and psychosocial aspects. The Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire (MUEQ) is one of a few specific tools available to evaluate the nature and occurrence of CANS in computer-office workers and the impact of psychosocial and ergonomic aspects on work conditions. The purpose of the present study was to perform a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the MUEQ to Brazilian Portuguese and verify the reliability, internal consistency, and structural validity of the MUEQ in Brazilian computer-office workers.MethodsThe cross-cultural adaptation consisted of five stages (forward translation of the MUEQ to Brazilian Portuguese, synthesis of the translation, back-translation, expert committee meeting, and the pre-final-version test). In the pre-final-version test, 55 computer-office workers participated. For reproducibility, a sample of 50 workers completed the questionnaire twice within a one-week interval. A sample of 386 workers from the University of São Paulo (mean age = 37.44 years; 95% confidence interval: 36.50–38.38; 216 women and 170 men) participated on the structural validation and internal consistency analysis. Intraclass correlation coefficient was used for the statistical analysis of reproducibility, Cronbach’s alpha was used for internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis was used for structural validity.ResultsThe calculation of internal consistency, reproducibility, and cross validation provided evidence of reliability and lack of redundancy. The psychometric properties of the modified MUEQ-Br revised were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, which revealed 6 factors and 41 questions. For this model, the comparative fit index (CFI), goodness-of-fit index (GFI), and non-normed fit index (NNFI) each achieved 0.90, and the consistent Akaike information criterion (CAIC), chi-square, expected cross-validation index (ECIV), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) demonstrated better values.ConclusionsThe results provide a basis for using the 41-item MUEQ-Br revised for the assessment of computer-office workers’ perceptions of the psychosocial and ergonomic aspects of CANS and musculoskeletal-complaint characterization.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0497-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Validation of a three-dimensional model about sleep: Habits, personal factors and environmental factors

ObjectivesThe present study aims to test the factor structure of two sleep questionnaires and their internal consistency in a sample of adolescents and their respective parents and to evaluate the validity and robustness of a three-dimensional model about sleep, addressing nine subcategories related to sleep habits, personal and environmental factors. MethodsParticipants were 654 adolescents from Portuguese schools, who completed “My Sleep and I” questionnaire, and 664 parents who completed “My child׳s sleep” questionnaire; to them confirmatory factor analysis was applied. ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis indicate that a nine-factor model has better fit indices compared with the others tested models for both samples (adolescents: χ2/df (Chi-square/degrees of freedom)=2.59, Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=.82, Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI)=.92, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)=.049, Expected Cross-Validation Index (ECVI)=1.416; Parents: χ2/df=2.89, CFI=.85, GFI=.91, RMSEA=.053, ECVI=1.528). Moreover, the comparison of the models through Δχ2 index (chi-square difference between rival models) indicates a better fit for this model, Δχ2 (24)=186.5, p<.001 for adolescents and Δχ2 (24)=209, p<.001 for parents. Also, the three second-order factors have good internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity for all factors in both samples. ConclusionsResults postulate that the three factors and their nine subcategories account for correlations between sleep habits, self-perceptions and knowledge about sleep.

Is there an optimal factor structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in patients with first‐episode psychosis?

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is the most widely used scale to assess a variety of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses. The factor structure of the PANSS has been examined with confirmatory factor analyses in several studies, but not in a well-defined first-episode psychosis sample. The aim of this paper is to examine the statistical fit of five different PANSS models in a first-episode, non-affective psychosis sample. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed on PANSS data (n = 588). A main criterion for best fit was defined as the Expected Cross Validation Index (ECVI). No tested model revealed an optimally satisfactory model fit index. The Wallwork/Fortgang five-factor model demonstrated the most optimal psychometric properties. The corresponding subscales of all evaluated five-factor models were strongly intercorrelated. The Wallwork/Fortgang five-factor model was found to be statistically and clinically ideal among patients with first-episode psychosis. Therefore, we recommend this model in forthcoming studies among patients with first-episode psychosis. However, to prevent the loss of clinically valuable information on an item level, we do not recommend removing any items from the original form. Our study also implies that the specific choice of model will not have a substantial effect on outcome results in studies on the course and outcome in first-episode psychosis.

Sensitivity of Fit Indices to Fake Perturbation of Ordinal Data: A Sample by Replacement Approach

In many psychological questionnaires the need to analyze empirical data raises the fundamental problem of possible fake or fraudulent observations in the data. This aspect is particularly relevant for researchers working on sensitive topics such as, for example, risky sexual behaviors and drug addictions. Our contribution presents a new probabilistic approach, called Sample Generation by Replacement (SGR), to address the problem of evaluating the sensitivity of 8 commonly used SEM-based fit indices (Goodness of Fit Index, GFI; Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index, AGFI; Expected Cross Validation Index, ECVI; Standardized Root-Mean-Square Residual Index, SRMR; Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation, RMSEA; Comparative Fit Index, CFI; Nonnormed Fit Index, NNFI; and Normed Fit Index, NFI) to fake-good ordinal data. We used SGR to perform a simulation study involving 3 different SEM models, 2 sample size conditions, and 2 estimation methods: maximum likelihood (ML) and weighted least squares (WLS). Our results show that the incremental fit indices (CFI, NNFI, and NFI) are clearly more sensitive to fake perturbation than the absolute fit indices (GFI, AGFI, and ECVI). Overall, NFI turned out to be the best and most reliable fit index. We also applied SGR to real behavioral data on (non)compliance in liver transplant patients.

Étude confirmative de l’échelle de dépendance à l’activité physique Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised pour une population francophone

Sur la base des critères diagnostiques de dépendance aux substances du DSM-IV [American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.], Hausenblas et Downs [Exercise dependence: a systematic review. Psychol Sport Exerc 2002;3(2):89–123.] développent pour une population anglophone, une échelle d’évaluation des symptômes de dépendance à l’activité physique : l’Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised (EDS-R). Cette échelle est composée de sept facteurs. L’objectif de cette étude est de confirmer la présence de ces facteurs pour une version française de l’EDS-R [Factorial validity and psychometric examination of the exercise dependence scale-revised. Meas Phys Educ Exerc Sci 2004;8(4):183–201.]. La population étudiée est composée de 516 participants, engagés à un semi-marathon (moyenne d’âge égale à 39,02). L’analyse en composante principale réalisée sur la version française de l’EDS-R présente un nombre de facteurs (six facteurs) différent de celui de la version originale (sept facteurs). Cependant, les indices d’ajustement obtenus par une analyse factorielle confirmatoire montre que le modèle original demeure le plus pertinent. Les alphas de Cronbach des sept facteurs sont bons et présentent la version française de l’EDS-R comme une mesure valide de la dépendance à l’activité physique pour une population francophone. Since the first writings on excessive exercise, there has been an increased interest in exercise dependence. One of the major consequences of this increased interest has been the development of several definitions and measures of exercise dependence. The work of Veale [Does primary exercise dependence really exist? In: Annet J, Cripps B, Steinberg H, editors. Exercise addiction: Motivation for participation in sport and exercise.Leicester, UK: Br Psychol Soc; 1995. p. 1–5.] provides an advance for the definition and measure of exercise dependence. These studies have adapted the DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence to measure exercise dependence. The Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised is based on these diagnostic criteria, which are: tolerance; withdrawal effects; intention effect; lack of control; time; reductions in other activities; continuance. Confirmatory factor analyses of EDS-R provided support to present a measurement model (21 items loaded in seven factors) of EDS-R (Comparative Fit Index = 0.97; Root mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.05; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.96). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the EDS-R [Factorial validity and psychometric examination of the exercise dependence scale-revised. Meas Phys Educ Exerc Sci 2004;8(4):183–201.] to test the stability of the seven-factor model of the original version with a French population. A total of 516 half-marathoners ranged in age from 17 to 74 years old (Mean age = 39.02 years, ET = 10.64), with 402 men (77.9%) and 114 women (22.1%) participated in the study. The principal component analysis results in a six-factor structure, which accounts for 68.60% of the total variance. Because principal component analysis presents a six-factor structure differing from the original seven-factor structure, two models were tested, using confirmatory factor analysis. The first model is the seven-factor model of the original version of the EDS-R and the second is the model produced by the principal component analysis. The results of confirmatory factor analysis presented the original model (with a seven-factor structure) as a good model and fit indices were good (X2/ddl = 2.89, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.061, Expected Cross Validation Index (ECVI) = 1.20, Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) = 0.92, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.94, Standardized Root Mean Square (SRMS) = 0.048). These results showed that the French version of EDS-R has an identical factor structure to the original. Therefore, the French version of EDS-R was an acceptable scale to measure exercise dependence and can be used on a French population.