Good Reliability Indices Research Articles

Attachment dimensions in adolescence: an adaptation of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) into Basque / Dimensiones del apego en la adolescencia: adaptación al euskera del Inventario de Apego de Progenitores y Pares (IPPA)

The aim of this study was to develop a short Basque version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), as well as to test its factor structure and analyse other psychometric properties. Two studies were carried out. In the first study a confirmatory factor analysis conducted on a sample of 1037 adolescents did not show an optimal model fit of the three-dimensional structure of the original instrument. A subsequent analysis of principal components revealed a one-dimensional structure. The analysis of items led to the elaboration of short forms. In the second study, carried out on another sample of 2129 adolescents, the one-dimensional structure was confirmed, further external validity evidence was provided, and good reliability indices were obtained. A single dimension is concluded, attachment security, as well as the validity and reliability of the short forms of the IPPA in Basque scales.

The process of basic training, applied training, maintaining the performance of an observer

In the field of observational methodology the observer is obviously a central figure, and close attention should be paid to the process through which he or she acquires, applies, and maintains the skills required. Basic training in how to apply the operational definitions of categories and the rules for coding, coupled with the opportunity to use the observation instrument in real-life situations, can have a positive effect in terms of the degree of agreement achieved when one evaluates intra- and inter-observer reliability. Several authors, including Arias et al. (Apunts, 4:40–45, 2009) and Medina and Delgado (Motricidad: Revista de Ciencias de la Actividad Fisica y del Deporte, 5:69–86, 1999) , have put forward proposals for the process of basic and applied training in this context. Reid and De Master (ORI Res Bull, 12:1–13, 1972) focuses on the observer’s performance and how to maintain the acquired skills, it being argued that periodic checks are needed after initial training because an observer may, over time, become less reliable due to the inherent complexity of category systems. The purpose of this subsequent training is to maintain acceptable levels of observer reliability. Various strategies can be used to this end, including providing feedback about those categories associated with a good reliability index, or offering re-training in how to apply those that yield lower indices. The aim of this study is to develop a performance-based index that is capable of assessing an observer’s ability to produce reliable observations in conjunction with other observers.

Inventário de Depressão Infantil (CDI): uma revisão de artigos científicos brasileiros

Despite the consensus among health professionals regarding the recognition of depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence, their diagnosis still presents difficulties. The literature points to the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) as a widely used instrument to measure this construct. This article reviews the scientific articles about the CDI published in Brazilian journals from 2000 to 2010. It was found that most of the research studies were conducted after 2005, in school settings, with both boys and girls, and aimed to evaluate the association of depressive symptoms and psychosocial variables. The studies reported good reliability indices for the CDI, however, there were differences regarding its factorial structure. New studies are necessary to prove the validity of the CDI as a useful measure to evaluate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Key words: review, childhood depression, CDI, evaluation.

Desarrollo y validación del Cuestionario de Personalidad Vocacio-nal Adaptativa: un cuestionario para analizar la conducta vocacional de estudiantes universitarios.

This study presents a personality evaluation instrument adapted to the vocational setting: the Adaptive Vocational Personality Question- naire (AVPQ). The questionnaire was developed and tested in a sample of 2160 university students in the final years of their degree programs. The purpose of the study is to validate the questionnaire, providing evidence about its internal structure and its usefulness for predicting scores on a cri- terion scale. A confirmatory factor analysis combined with a cross- validation design was used: the exploratory sample (n = 879) helped to identify the model with the factorial structure that best fit the relations among the items. As expected, this model had two related but clearly sepa- rate factors: Adaptive Personality Characteristics (AC) with 9 items and Non-Adaptive Personality Characteristics (NAC) with 11 items. The valida- tion sample (n =932) was used to test the generalization capacity of this model, which was satisfactory and showed a good reliability index. Regard- ing its usefulness in predicting proactive job-search behaviors, the results were also satisfactory. The questionnaire and keys are provided, as well as the criteria for calculating the scores on each scale and on the entire ques- tionnaire.

Reliable and Energy Efficient Congestion Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks (WSN), the transport mechanism necessitates certain functionalities such as reliability, rate control, energy efficiency and fairness, despite of congestion detection technique. Also, since most of the existing literature works is receiver driven, it does not distinguish node level and network level congestion. Hence, in this paper, we propose a reliable and energy efficient congestion control protocol in WSN. In this technique, energy efficient paths are established among source and sink that contains the nodes with sufficient energy levels. If the sink finds that the reliability index of the data transmission path is below the threshold, it chooses the alternate path with good reliability index. For detecting congestion in node level as well as network level, condition based on queue length, link bandwidth and MAC contention are executed. If congestion is detected, an efficient rate control mechanism is employed that adaptively alters the data transmission rate. By simulation results, we show that the proposed technique improves fairness, reliability and energy efficiency.

Confiabilidade da avaliação da visão funcional para crianças com baixa visão de dois a seis anos: em busca de evidências

The functional vision assessment (AVIF-2 to 6 years) for low vision children with ages from 2 to 6 years old was analyzed. The inter-rater, test-retest and the internal consistency were verified for reliability. The test, composed by seven domains (visual fixation, visual following, visual field confrontation, eye-hand coordination and surrounding locomotion, contrast vision and color vision discrimination), was applied to 40 children, 20 with low vision and 20 without low vision. The inter-rater and test-retest reliability were analyzed with 12 children and the internal consistency with 40 children. Concerning test-retest reliability, six domains exhibited intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.5361 to 1.000. For the movement within surroundings category, this coefficient was 0.37. For inter-rater reliability, only the category of confrontation visual field was below expectations (0.3901). The weighted kappa coefficient exhibited values ranged from -0.087 to 1.000. Cronbach's alfa ranged from 0.584 (movement within surroundings) to 0.973 (contrast sensitivity). AVIF-2 to 6 years presented good reliability indexes, however a few items within the domains need minor adjustments in order to improve scores' consistency of some items.

Factor structure, validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Cambridge Worry Scale

Objective to analyse the factor structure and reliability of the Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS) in the Spanish population. Design prospective cross-sectional study using a postal questionnaire. Setting the study was conducted at a university hospital in Madrid between October 2007 and December 2008. Participants 285 Spanish pregnant women. Methods factor structure of a Spanish version (original 16 items test and reduced 13 items version) of the scale was analysed through exploratory factor analysis. Findings the Spanish version of the reduced 13 items version replicated the original factor structure. The internal consistency was good for the total scale (0.83) and for the subscales (0.70–0.79). Significant positive correlations between the CWS and its subscales with anxiety, depression and neuroticism were found. Similarly, acceptable to good reliability and convergent validity indexes were obtained for the original 16 items test. Discussion the present study confirmed the validity of the two Spanish versions of the CWS (16 item and reduced 13 item). Considering the performance of two of the three items eliminated from the original version and the universality in the use of the short version we recommend the use of the reduced 13 item scale. Practical implications of the use of the CWS in maternity care are discussed.

Development and Validation of the Modified Occupational Questionnaire

Abstract OBJECTIVE. We developed the Modified Occupational Questionnaire (MOQ), a simple, quantitative measure of meaningful time use. METHOD. The MOQ, a time diary based on the Occupational Questionnaire, was piloted with a group of occupational therapy students and revised before use in a larger investigation involving young unemployed Australians (N = 228). External validity was examined by comparing MOQ time-use data with data from the 2006 Australian Time Use Survey. Internal validity was examined through Rasch analysis procedures. RESULTS. The MOQ demonstrated very good external validity (correlations >.85); acceptable rating scale, item function, and person performance validity; very good item and person reliability indexes (1.00 and 0.93, respectively); and a good person separation index (3.52). CONCLUSION. The MOQ is a simple and valid measure of the basic elements of meaningful time use. Future research is required to further develop the MOQ, particularly in populations other than people who are unemployed.

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF RAVEN'S COLORED PROGRESSIVE MATRICES FOR OMANI CHILDREN AGED 5 THROUGH 11 YEARS

The aim in this study was to identify Omani children's psychometric properties on the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM; Raven, Court, & Raven, 1986; Raven, Raven, & Court, 1998), using a sample of 372 5- to 11-year-olds. Analysis of the data shows that the sample was distributed normally. The test demonstrated good validity and reliability indices and is considered to be a suitable measure to assess nonverbal intelligence of young Omani children. The authors recommend carrying out further studies comparing Omani children's performance with their counterparts from other countries and sociocultural backgrounds.

An examination of the psychometric structure of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory in temporomandibular disorder patients: a confirmatory factor analysis

BackgroundThis paper seeks to analyse the psychometric and structural properties of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) in a sample of temporomandibular disorder patients.MethodsThe internal consistency of the scales was obtained. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was carried out to test the MPI structure section by section in a sample of 114 temporomandibular disorder patients.ResultsNearly all scales obtained good reliability indexes. The original structure could not be totally confirmed. However, with a few adjustments we obtained a satisfactory structural model of the MPI which was slightly different from the original: certain items and the Self control scale were eliminated; in two cases, two original scales were grouped in one factor, Solicitous and Distracting responses on the one hand, and Social activities and Away from home activities, on the other.ConclusionThe MPI has been demonstrated to be a reliable tool for the assessment of pain in temporomandibular disorder patients. Some divergences to be taken into account have been clarified.

Screening for psychiatric disorders in an area affected by the Chernobyl disaster: the reliability and validity of three psychiatric screening questionnaires in Belarus

The reliability and criterion validity of Russian versions of three psychiatric screening questionnaire (the General Health Questionnaire, 12-item version; the Goldberg scales for anxiety and depression; and, the Bradford Somatic Inventory) were assessed in the Gomel region (Belarus), one of the most severely contaminated areas that resulted from the nuclear power plant explosion at Chernobyl in 1986. All instruments were found to have good internal reliability indices. Retest reliability of the GHQ, not tested for in the other instruments, was modest. Criterion validity, using a semi-structured interview on the basis of the Munich Diagnostic Checklist for DSM-III-R as external criterion, was good for the Goldberg scales, but modest for the two other instruments.