Favorable Psychometric Properties Research Articles

Psychometric Properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children in a Large Clinical Sample

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ–C; Chorpita, Tracey, Brown, Collica, & Barlow, 1997) is a 14-item self-report measure of worry in children and adolescents. Although the PSWQ–C has demonstrated favorable psychometric properties in small clinical and large community samples, this study represents the first psychometric evaluation of the PSWQ–C in a large clinical sample (N = 491). Factor analysis indicated a two-factor structure, in contrast to all previously published findings on the measure. The PSWQ–C demonstrated favorable psychometric properties in this sample, including high internal consistency, high convergent validity with related constructs, and acceptable discriminative validity between diagnostic categories. The performance of the 3 reverse-scored items was closely examined, and results indicated retaining all 14 items.

The Factor Structure and Dimensional Scoring of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire for DSM-IV

Despite favorable psychometric properties, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) (GAD-Q-IV) does not have a known factor structure, which calls into question use of its original weighted scoring system (usually referred to as the dimensional score). Analyses appropriate to categorical item responses in a large sample of undergraduates were used to establish the scale's factor structure. Analyses indicated that a one-factor structure resulted in good fit. A scoring method based on this one-factor structure was compared with a variety of alternative scoring procedures, and it was found that a method based on factor scores did relatively well but that the previously suggested dimensional score failed to perform better than a simple sum of items. Results support the general unity of the measure but raise doubts regarding its scoring and response options.

Scale properties of the Japanese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): A study of infant and school children in community samples

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a short screening instrument which addresses the positive and negative behavioral attributes of infants, children and adolescents. The SDQ is widely used to evaluate child developmental disabilities, psychological and psychiatric conditions or disorders in Japan. However, we did not have normative data for the Japanese version until now. To establish the community-based data and properties for the Japanese version, we collected and evaluated parent ratings of a total of 2899 Japanese children aged 4–12 years, including 1463 boys and 1436 girls. Statistical evaluation of psychometric properties included a factor analysis verifying the proposed scale structure, an assessment of scale homogeneities, and the determination of age, gender and relationship of each difficulties scale, or prosocial scale. The total difficulties score in boys (8.70 ± 5.03) was higher than in girls (7.86 ± 4.88). Based on the distributions of SDQ scores observed in the Japanese community sample, recommended bandings identifying normal, borderline, and abnormal (clinical ranges) were defined for each scale, and some gender difference was found in some difficulties and prosocial SDQ scores. After evaluating parent ratings obtained in a community-based sample, the Japanese SDQ was shown to possess favorable psychometric properties. Thus, the Japanese translation of this popular and versatile instrument seems to be approximately as reliable and useful as the original English questionnaire.

Measurement of Ocular Surface Irritation on a Linear Interval Scale with the Ocular Comfort Index

To examine the psychometric properties of the Ocular Comfort Index (OCI), a new instrument that measures ocular surface irritation designed with Rasch analysis to produce estimates on a linear interval scale. The OCI was self-completed by 452 subjects. Some of them repeated the questionnaire, to aid in determining its reliability and test-retest repeatability. Ten versions were produced to evaluate question order effects. In addition, three construct hypotheses were tested to verify that the OCI was measuring what was intended, concordance with the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), the relationship with tear break-up time (TBUT), and the change in TBUT after the use of ocular lubricants in individuals with moderate dry eye. A 12-item OCI was developed with well-functioning items and categories: 95% confidence interval for the intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.81 to 0.91; person separation = 2.66; item separation = 11.12; and 95% repeatability coefficient = 13.1 units (0-100 scale). The ordering of items had no effect on OCI measures (P = 0.41). The OCI measure exhibited a positive correlation with the OSDI score (P < 0.0001) and a negative correlation with TBUT (P < 0.0001) and was able to detect improvement in symptoms of dry eye in individuals before and after treatment (P < 0.0001). The OCI was shown to have favorable psychometric properties that make it suitable for assessing the impact of ocular surface disease on patient well-being and changes in severity brought about by disease progression or therapeutic strategies.

A New Measure of Visual Location Learning and Memory: Development and Psychometric Properties for the Brown Location Test (BLT)

There are a variety of well-established neuropsychological tests that are helpful in identifying global and specific verbal memory deficits. In contrast, tests of visual memory have produced less consistent results likely due in part to confounding variables such as verbal encodability, administration difficulties, and insufficient differentiation of among types of visual memory. The Brown Location Test (BLT) was designed to specifically measure visual memory for location of identical objects (dots) and address limitations found in commonly employed visual memory tests. This paper describes the empirical basis for the BLT and reports the psychometric properties of the test. Results indicate good internal and alternate form reliabilities. Factor analysis of a brief test battery confirmed that BLT performance is generally independent of verbal memory and global intellectual abilities. BLT performance declined with age, but there was no association between performance and gender, education, or intellectual functioning. In view of the favorable psychometric properties observed during preliminary studies, additional normative and validation studies in healthy and patient populations are warranted.

Development of a Short Version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale Specifically Adapted for Demented Nursing Home Residents

Apathy is among the most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia, particularly Alzheimer disease. The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) has been widely employed for assessing apathy in different patient groups. To further facilitate the usage of the AES, an abbreviated version was constructed. On basis of a sample of 356 nursing home residents, a cross-validation procedure was carried out to develop a brief version of the AES. According to a thorough clinical examination, 85% of the residents were demented, 8% presented with mild cognitive impairment, whereas 7% did not present any cognitive deficits. After subdividing the patient group into two matched samples, the first subsample was used to identify problematic items due to defined psychometric and content-related criteria. The original 18-item scale was thus reduced to 10 items. Psychometric properties of the shortened version were subsequently reassessed in the second subsample. The short version demonstrated favorable psychometric properties that could be confirmed by cross-validation with the second sample. Correlations with the original full-length version were high (r = 0.97 for both subsamples); the shortened scale yielded no substantial losses regarding internal consistency or construct validity (correlations with the respective subscales of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory). The frequency of apathetic symptoms in the nursing home residents included confirms the clinical importance of apathy for understanding dementia. Given this specific patient population, setting, and mode of data collection, the short-version AES seems to be a valuable and time-efficient instrument for assessing apathy.

The validation of a new quality of life questionnaire for patients with congestive heart failure–an extension of the Cardiac Health Profile

Objective. To study the validity and reliability of the new disease-specific extension of the CHP, Cardiac Health Profile congestive heart failure (CHPchf), used to assess QoL specifically for patients with heart failure. Methods. Eighty-three consecutive patients with chronic heart failure were enrolled. Criteria and construct validity were studied by correlating the Global Mean Score (GMS) for the CHPchf with the total sum score of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and other measures predicted to correlate with QoL. Reliability was evaluated on the basis of internal consistency. Results. Significant correlations for CHPchf were found with MLHFQ (r=0.76, p=<0.0001), the Boston Heart Failure Score (BHFS) (p<0.001), the generic second section of the CHP, maximal workload at exercise test (p<0.05) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (p<0.01). Cronbach′s α was calculated to 0.82. Conclusions. CHPchf was shown to be valid and reliable. CHPchf has favourable psychometric properties. Further studies are needed to explore its discriminative abilities.

The factor structure and screening utility of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale.

The widely used Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS; R. P. Mattick & J. C. Clarke, 1998) possesses favorable psychometric properties, but questions remain concerning its factor structure and item properties. Analyses included 445 people with social anxiety disorder and 1,689 undergraduates. Simple unifactorial models fit poorly, and models that accounted for differences due to item wording (i.e., reverse scoring) provided superior fit. It was further found that clients and undergraduates approached some items differently, and the SIAS may be somewhat overly conservative in selecting analogue participants from an undergraduate sample. Overall, this study provides support for the excellent properties of the SIAS's straightforwardly worded items, although questions remain regarding its reverse-scored items.

Teaching Satisfaction Scale

The present study proposes a teaching satisfaction measure and examines the validity of its scores. The measure is based on the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). Scores on the five-item Teaching Satisfaction Scale (TSS) were validated on a sample of 202 primary and secondary school teachers and favorable psychometric properties were found. As hypothesized, teaching satisfaction as measured by the TSS correlated positively with self-esteem but negatively with psychological distress and teaching stress. The TSS scores had good incremental validity for psychological distress and teaching stress beyond earlier Job Satisfaction Scales. The TSS offers a simple, direct, reliable, and valid assessment of teaching satisfaction. Future development of the TSS is discussed.

Further assessment of the HEXACO Personality Inventory: Two new facet scales and an observer report form.

The HEXACO Personality Inventory (HEXACO-PI) operationalizes the six factors obtained from lexical studies of personality structure in several languages. In this study, psychometric properties of the HEXACO-PI were assessed using a community adult sample and also using observer reports, thereby extending the previous investigation relying only on self-reports from a college student sample. In addition to examining the original 24 HEXACO-PI facet scales, the authors also examined two new facet scales--Altruism versus Antagonism and Negative Self-Evaluation--that assess constructs located interstitially among the factors of the HEXACO space. The HEXACO-PI again showed favorable psychometric properties in terms of reliability and factor structure and also showed high levels of self/observer agreement.

The feasibility, reliability and validity of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Cardiff Short Form (MQOL-CSF) in palliative care population

In terminally-ill patients, effective measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) needs to be done while imposing minimal burden. In an attempt to ensure that routine HRQoL assessment is simple but capable of eliciting adequate information, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Cardiff Short Form (MQOL-CSF: 8 items) was developed from its original version, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL: 17 items). Psychometric properties of the MQOL-CSF were then tested in palliative care patients consisting of 55 out-patients, 48 hospice patients and 86 in-patients: The MQOL-CSF had little respondent burden (mean completion time = 3.3 min) and was evaluated as 'very clear' or 'clear' (98.2%), comprehensive (74.5%) and acceptable (96.4%). The internal consistency reliability was moderate to high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.462-0.858) and test-retest reliability (Spearman's r(s)) ranged from 0.512-0.861. Correlation was moderate to strong (0.478-0.725) between items in the short form and their analogous domains in the MQOL. Most MQOL-CSF items showed strong associations with their own domain (r(s) > or = 0.40). Scores from MQOL-CSF significantly differentiated between patients with differing haemoglobin levels (p < 0.05). Construct validity was overall supported by principal component analysis. It is concluded that the MQOL-CSF is a feasible tool with favourable psychometric properties for routine HRQoL assessment in the palliative care population.

The Calgary Depression Rating Scale for schizophrenia in a healthy control group: Psychometric properties and reference values

Background Assessment of depression in schizophrenia is of great importance as depressive signs and symptoms and suicidality are highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenic disorders. The Calgary Depression Rating Scale (CDSS) is the standard assessment instrument for that purpose due to its proven reliability and validity. However, so far no reference values derived from an adequate healthy sample have been published. Methods The present study analyzed CDSS item scores and summary scores in 154 healthy subjects (49% female, mean age 32.8 ± 11.7 years) selected from studies as controls for schizophrenic patients. Results The total CDSS score was 2.6 ± 2.7 (range 0–12), about 1/3 of healthy subjects had scores = 0. Gender differences were observed with respect to “early awakening” and “suicidal ideation” with higher scores in females. Total CDSS scores ( r = − 0.17, P = 0.03) and single items were slightly negatively correlated with age. The psychometric properties of the CDSS scale were satisfying (corrected item-score correlations r tc = 0.33–0.61, internal consistency Cronbach's α = 0.76, one-dimensional factor structure). CDSS total scores showed a skewed distribution fitting the upper part of a normal distribution. Based on the empirical distribution of CDSS values, reference values were listed for the total group of healthy subjects, and for females and males separately. Conclusions The results corroborate the favourable psychometric properties of the CDSS found previously in clinical samples in a healthy control group. The reference values reported here can assist the clinical use and interpretation of CDSS values and emphasize the usefulness of the CDSS for a thorough assessment of depression and suicidality in schizophrenia.

The Satisfaction With Love Life Scale

The purpose of this article was to develop the Satisfaction With Love Life Scale (SWLLS). Scores from the SWLLS have favorable psychometric properties. Evidence based on relations to other variables was examined. Suggestions concerning the use of the SWLLS for research and clinical purposes are offered.

Work-Related Self-Efficacy Among Community Residents with Psychiatric Disabilities.

A new measure of work-related self-efficacy for people with psychiatric disabilities is reported. The 37-item scale measures self-efficacy in four relevant activity domains: (1) vocational service access and career planning, (2) job acquisition, (3) work-related social skills, and (4) general work skills. The scale was developed in a 12-month longitudinal survey of urban residents diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n=104). Results indicate validity of both a four-factor structure differentiating four core skill domains, and a single factor representing total work-related self-efficacy. The favorable psychometric properties support further research and trial applications in supported employment and psychiatric vocational rehabilitation.

Normative data and scale properties of the German parent SDQ.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a short assessment instrument which addresses positive and negative behavioural attributes of children and adolescents and generates scores for clinically relevant aspects. Although this brief questionnaire has been widely used in Germany to gather information from parents, teachers, and older children themselves, normative results obtained with the German version have not yet been reported to the international scientific community. To allow comparisons with SDQ findings in other countries, normative data for the German parent-rated form as well as a community-based evaluation of scale properties are summarised and complemented by results obtained in a number of clinical samples. Parent ratings were collected for a community-based sample of 930 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 16 years, in which both genders and all age levels were equally represented. Statistical evaluation of psychometric properties included a factor analysis verifying the proposed scale structure, assessment of scale homogeneities, and determination of age, gender and social class effects. Based on the distributions of SDQ scores observed in this normative sample, recommended bandings identifying normal, borderline, and clinical ranges were defined for each scale. Exact replication of the original scale structure, satisfactory internal reliabilities, and observation of the expected associations with age and gender confirmed the equivalence of the German SDQ parent questionnaire with the English original. Differences between community-based results and clinical groups provided descriptive evidence of a dramatic impact of clinically defined psychiatric status on SDQ scores. After evaluating parent ratings obtained in a community-based sample, the German SDQ was shown to possess favourable psychometric properties. Thus, the German translation of this popular and versatile instrument seems to be a similarly reliable and useful assessment tool as the original English questionnaire.

General Versus Specific Victim Blaming

The authors investigated (a) whether victim blaming is a general variable in a person's make-up or (b) whether the extent of blaming depends on the kind of victim considered. The authors evaluated scales for blaming (a) victims in general, (b) society in general, (c) a specific kind of victim (i.e., AIDS), and (d) the society in which AIDS victims live. The general and specific scales had favorable psychometric properties, including reliability. General and specific victim blaming were significantly and positively correlated, whereas victim blaming and society blaming were not significantly correlated. Multiple regression analyses provided evidence of construct validity for the scales. All blaming variables were significantly related in the hypothesized directions to social distance, social responsibility, and discrimination (regarding persons with AIDS). The general and specific scales made significant and unique contributions. Implications for attribution theory and research are specified.

A new dental anxiety scale for 5-year-old children (DA5): Description and concurrent validity

Objectives To design a new assessment of dental anxiety for 5-year-old children that takes less than five minutes to complete, for use in primary care or community settings, that requires minimal training for assessment administrator and has favourable psychometric properties. Setting Primary schools in Cheshire, UK. Method Two studies were conducted. The first study required a sample of 31 five-year-old children to rank order five diagrammatic picture cards denoting emotions of very happy to very sad, including a neutral emotion card. The second study invited children to post 12 gender-matched pictures of children receiving dental advice, examination and treatment procedures in a dental surgery into four post boxes arranged in rank order and labelled clearly, with the face pictures in the rank order confirmed in study 1 (omitting the neutral choice option). Results In study 1, consistent rank ordering was obtained with four faces (very happy-happy-sad-very sad). Neutral point was omitted due to inconsistent ranking. Study 2 children responded enthusiastically to instructions of new assessment and fully completed the test. A good association was demonstrated between the new measure and the gold standard' projective measure picture test of Klinberg1. Reliability of measure was moderate. Conclusions This new assessment appeared to assess dental anxiety in young children without causing apparent distress in respondents and warrants further testing to determine additional measurement properties.

Perceived security and World Wide Web purchase intention

While Web‐based consumer activity is poised on the brink of dramatic growth, concerns about security have the potential to limit this growth by arousing shopper’s concerns about the Web‐based channel. One key aspect to consumer participation in Web commerce may be the extent to which they perceive risk to their sensitive information. This study describes the creation of a scale to measure perceived Web security. We apply the scale in a causal model to investigate the relative impact of beliefs about Web shopping on intent to purchase products using the World Wide Web. Data from two samples is used to develop the scale and to perform the causal analysis. Our findings indicate the favorable psychometric properties of the scale, and the causal analysis from our sample indicates that security is a greater influence on intent to purchase using the Web than is the ease and utility of purchasing products.

Measurement of community beliefs about colorectal cancer

Few educational campaigns have focused on bowel cancer, though studies have indicated that members of the community need and want current information about relevant issues. In order to facilitate research in this area, reliable and valid measures of community attitudes are needed. Content validity of a survey instrument was obtained through use of a Delphi process with Directors of Education from the Australia Cancer Council and focus group discussions with informed members of the public. The subsequent survey of community perceptions about colorectal cancer included a broad range of content areas related to the risk of bowel cancer, preventing and coping with bowel cancer and beliefs about susceptibility and severity. The construct validity of these content areas was investigated by use of a factor analysis and confirmation of an association with related predictor variables. Two measures related to personal influence and anticipated coping responses showed favourable psychometric properties, including moderate to high levels of internal consistency and test–retest reliability. A test of the concurrent validity of these measures requires further development of instruments related to colorectal cancer or adaptation of measures from other areas of health research.

Selection of Quality-of-Life Measures for a Prevention Trial: A Psychometric Analysis

Quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes have become increasingly important in the evaluation of health interventions. The objective of the present study was to determine which of three generic QoL instruments was most suitable for use in an 8-year nutritional primary prevention trial. We compared the Duke Health Profile, the Nottingham Health Profile, and the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF36). We conducted the comparison in two stages: (1) a statistical analysis of data from a pilot study n = 963 comparing the psychometric properties of the three instruments; and (2) an assessment of the practicality of the tools. With regard to psychometric properties, convergent validity was comparable for the three scales, and the correlation with Global Health Assessment ranged from 0.24 to 0.72. Discriminant validity was best for the SF36, with a difference between scores in healthy subjects and those with chronic disease in the range of 4.4 to 15.8 (scores could range from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates perfect health). Reproducibility was good for all three instruments, with a test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient of over 0.60 for most dimensions. DHP and SF36 performed best in terms of responsiveness. We judged the practicality of the three tools as satisfactory. We chose the SF36 for its high responsiveness. We also selected the Duke Health Profile for its practicality and favorable psychometric properties. Control Clin Trials 2000;21:30–43