Multitrait-multimethod Matrix Research Articles

Validation of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire and instructional materials motivation survey

Purpose To validate the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), which measures learner motivations; and the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS), which measures the motivational properties of educational activities. Methods Participants (333 pharmacists, physicians, and advanced practice providers) completed the MSLQ, IMMS, Congruence-Personalization Questionnaire (CPQ), and a knowledge test immediately following an online learning module (April 2021). We randomly divided data for split-sample analysis using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Results Cronbach alpha was ≥0.70 for most domains. CFA using sample 1 demonstrated suboptimal fit for both instruments, including 3 negatively-worded IMMS items with particularly low loadings. Revised IMMS (RIMMS) scores (which omit negatively-worded items) demonstrated better fit. Guided by EFA, we identified a novel 3-domain, 11-item ‘MSLQ-Short Form-Revised’ (MSLQ-SFR, with domains: Interest, Self-efficacy, and Attribution) and the 4-domain, 12-item RIMMS as the best models. CFA using sample 2 confirmed good fit. Correlations among MSLQ-SFR, RIMMS, and CPQ scores aligned with predictions; correlations with knowledge scores were small. Conclusions Original MSLQ and IMMS scores show poor model fit, with negatively-worded items notably divergent. Revised, shorter models—the MSLQ-SFR and RIMMS—show satisfactory model fit (internal structure) and relations with other variables.

An In-depth Examination of Validity Assessment: Exploring Diverse Methodologies and Dimensions of Validity in Social Research Studies

Validity refers to the extent to which a test accurately measures what it claims to measure. Validity is a matter of degree. The study is done to know the various methods of validity. Validity is a fundamental aspect of research quality, which is why it is important to assess the various methods of validity. Descriptive research was used for the study. It was examined that face validity refers to an indicator that seems to measure its construct “on its face”. Content validity is a form of judgmental validity, that involves determining if a test adequately represents the content domain. Criterion-related validity methods include concurrent and predictive approaches. Construct validity assesses how well theoretical ideas are translated into measurable variables. Face validity involves examining whether a measurement appears suitable based on its operationalization on the face of it. Lawshe's content validity ratio quantifies expert agreement on the essentiality of individual items in a test or scale. In contrast, the content validity index considers overall expert agreement on the representativeness of items collectively within a test or scale. It considers the agreement among experts regarding the content validity of the entire set of items. Cohen’s Kappa is used to assess the level of agreement between two or more raters or observers when coding or categorizing data. The kappa coefficient is particularly useful when chance agreement among raters is possible. Item Objective Congruence evaluates the efficacy of items in measuring one or more objectives, accomplished by an unbiased expert panel provides evidence of content validity. The most significant assessment at this stage is determining if items and objectives are congruent. Concurrent and predictive validity are assessed using Pearson's correlation and Spearman rank correlation coefficients respectively. The Multi-trait Multimethod Matrix (MTMM), evaluates the construct validity of measures. Validity is essential for ensuring credible and meaningful research findings by enhancing the trustworthiness of the measuring instruments.

Assessing clinical competence: a multitrait-multimethod matrix construct validity study.

Education in Doctor of Medicine programs has moved towards an emphasis on clinical competency, with entrustable professional activities providing a framework of learning objectives and outcomes to be assessed within the clinical environment. While the identification and structured definition of objectives and outcomes have evolved, many methods employed to assess clerkship students' clinical skills remain relatively unchanged. There is a paucity of medical education research applying advanced statistical design and analytic techniques to investigate the validity of clinical skills assessment. One robust statistical method, multitrait-multimethod matrix analysis, can be applied to investigate construct validity across multiple assessment instruments and settings. Four traits were operationalized to represent the construct of critical clinical skills (professionalism, data gathering, data synthesis, and data delivery). The traits were assessed using three methods (direct observations by faculty coaches, clinical workplace-based evaluations, and objective structured clinical examination type clinical practice examinations). The four traits and three methods were intercorrelated for the multitrait-multimethod matrix analysis. The results indicated reliability values in the adequate to good range across the three methods with the majority of the validity coefficients demonstrating statistical significance. The clearest evidence for convergent and divergent validity was with the professionalism trait. The correlations on the same method/different traits analyses indicated substantial method effect; particularly on clinical workplace-based assessments. The multitrait-multimethod matrix approach, currently underutilized in medical education, could be employed to explore validity evidence of complex constructs such as clinical skills. These results can inform faculty development programs to improve the reliability and validity of assessments within the clinical environment.

Psychometric properties of the Korean version of the oncofertility barriers scales among nurses: A methodological study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Oncofertility Barrier Scale (K-OBS). MethodsThis methodological study investigated the validity and reliability of the K-OBS for measuring barriers to oncofertility care among nurses. A total of 270 nurses who had experience in rendering nursing care to cancer survivors were recruited, and the instrument was translated, assessed for content validity, and tested using a preliminary survey. Construct validity was established through explanatory factor analysis. Convergent validity and discriminant validity were analyzed using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. ResultsThe K-OBS demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability, with seven factors, including 27 items explaining 60.42% of the total variance, a Cronbach's alpha of 0.86, and a McDonald's omega of 0.83. The seven factors were labeled, “Lack of information and education” (8 items), “Rigid thinking toward oncofertility care” (5 items), “Cancer patient stereotypes” (4 items), “Insufficient support” (4 items), “Desire for fertility preservation” (2 items), “Interrupted oncofertility care” (2 items), and “Fertility risk” (2 items). ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that the K-OBS may be a suitable instrument with acceptable validity and reliability for evaluating barriers to oncofertility among Korean nurses. This instrument can be used to identify obstacles that make oncofertility care difficult, thereby contributing to new insights for improving the future quality of oncofertility care in Korea.

Evaluating the Construct Validity of Competencies: A Retrospective Analysis.

A competency-based framework focuses on alignment between professional standards and assessment design. This alignment implies improved measurement validity, yet it has not been established that competence in one context predicts performance in another context. High-stakes competence assessments offer insights into the relationship between assessment design and competencies. The internationally educated nurses competency assessment program (IENCAP) was developed at Touchstone Institute in collaboration with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and includes a 12-station OSCE. Each station evaluated the same 10 competencies. We submitted competency scores to a multi-trait multi-method matrix analysis to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of competencies. All correlations were significant and positive; however, we did not find evidence of convergent or discriminant validity. Correlations were higher between different competencies evaluated within the same station (mean correlation = 0.60) compared to identical competencies evaluated across different stations (mean correlation = 0.19). The results do not provide evidence of construct validity for competencies. While competency-based approaches emphasize various generalized knowledge, skills, and attitudes, these findings indicate that the clinical context is a major determinant of performance. The context-dependent nature of competencies requires multiple assessments in varied contexts. Performance on a single competency cannot be determined in a single occasion. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01794-z.

The Translation Process, Validity and Reliability Study in Occupational Health Psychology amongst Healthcare Professionals by MultitraitMultimethod Matrix: A Multimethod Study

Introduction: Questionnaires are designed to measure specific constructs. Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) includes various domains/areas like work place well-being, work related stress, flourishing, resilient coping, coping mechanisms, compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. At times, specific questionnaire may not be available and if available, may not be in the language intended to be used by the respondents. A new questionnaire needs to be developed or translation of an available questionnaire into the respondents’ language is required in such case. Aim: To detail out the translation process of the study tools (questionnaires/scales) and to assess the validity and reliability of these study tools used in OHP. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional, Quasiexperimental study was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine, Pramukhswami Medical college, Anand District, Gujarat, India, from February 2021 to January 2023 using multimethod study design amongst the healthcare professionals. For translation, standard World Health Organisation (WHO) translation guide was followed. Nine scales/questionnaires along with a socio-demographic and a qualitative proforma were finalised to achieve the objectives. The questionnaires availability in public domain was taken into consideration while selecting the questionnaires. Reliability analysis and validity assessment was done. Reliability measure was checked for internal consistency by calculating Cronbach’s alpha. Construct validity was assessed by Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix. Translation was done in Hindi and Gujarati languages. Results: Flourishing scale (FS), Brief resilient coping scale, compassion satisfaction and work satisfaction were positively correlated and all these were negatively correlated with all the stress measures, Depression, anxiety measures of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Burn out and secondary traumatic stress. Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency measure was calculated for different sub domains of the nine questionnaires. Construct validity was analysed by calculating correlation coefficients between different identified constructs/ sub constructs. Variables measuring similar construct were found to be positively correlated and significant. Conclusion: Variables/questionnaires measuring a similar construct were found to be positively correlated and significant, whie opposite constructs were negatively correlated. The questionnaires need to be translated in the language in which the participants can understand. The better linguistic comprehension will increase the internal validity of the study.

Evaluation of Visual-Induced Motion Sickness from Head-Mounted Display Using Heartbeat Evoked Potential: A Cognitive Load-Focused Approach

According to the sensory conflict theory, motion sickness is closely tied to the brain's ability to process information and its resources for adjusting to the variety of sensory inputs present in VR content. The goal of this study was to create a mechanism for analyzing motion sickness using the heart-evoked potential (HEP) phenomena and to suggest new metrics for doing so. In this study, participants watched VR content on 2D and head-mounted displays (HMD) for 15 minutes. Using paired t-tests and ANCOVA, the responses of HEP measures such as alpha power, latency, and amplitude of the first and second HEP components were compared. This study established that motion sickness impairs cognitive functioning, as indicated by an increase in HEP's alpha power. Additionally, during the sensation of motion sickness, the suggested indicators, such as latency and amplitude of the HEP waveform, demonstrated substantial variations and displayed strong relationships with alpha power measurements. According to the multitraitmultimethod matrix, latencies of the first HEP component in particular are suggested as superior quantitative evaluators of motion sickness to other measures. The proposed motion sickness model was put into practise using a support vector machine and validated using data from 20 additional subjects. The findings of the motion-sickness categorization included accuracy, F1 score, precision, recall, and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.875, 0.865, 0.941, 0.8, and 0.962, respectively.

The Operations Triad Model and Youth Mental Health Assessments: Catalyzing a Paradigm Shift in Measurement Validation

ABSTRACT Researchers strategically assess youth mental health by soliciting reports from multiple informants. Typically, these informants (e.g., parents, teachers, youth themselves) vary in the social contexts where they observe youth. Decades of research reveal that the most common data conditions produced with this approach consist of discrepancies across informants’ reports (i.e., informant discrepancies). Researchers should arguably treat these informant discrepancies as domain-relevant information: data relevant to understanding youth mental health domains (e.g., anxiety, depression, aggression). Yet, historically, in youth mental health research as in many other research areas, one set of paradigms has guided interpretations of informant discrepancies: Converging Operations and the Multi-Trait Multi-Method Matrix (MTMM). These paradigms (a) emphasize shared or common variance observed in multivariate data, and (b) inspire research practices that treat unique variance (i.e., informant discrepancies) as measurement confounds, namely random error and/or rater biases. Several years ago, the Operations Triad Model emerged to address a conceptual problem that Converging Operations does not address: Some informant discrepancies might reflect measurement confounds, whereas others reflect domain-relevant information. However, addressing this problem requires more than a conceptual paradigm shift beyond Converging Operations. This problem necessitates a paradigm shift in measurement validation. We advance a paradigm (Classifying Observations Necessitates Theory, Epistemology, and Testing [CONTEXT]) that addresses problems with using the MTMM in youth mental health research. CONTEXT optimizes measurement validity by guiding researchers to leverage (a) informants that produce domain-relevant informant discrepancies, (b) analytic procedures that retain domain-relevant informant discrepancies, and (c) study designs that facilitate detecting domain-relevant informant discrepancies.

Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the English Prosodic Phonology Processing Test (EPPPT): A Multi-Trait Multimethod Approach

Most of the prosody perception tests do not capture how listeners perceive and interpret stress, tone, and intonation in the process of listening comprehension. The current study developed the English Prosodic Phonology Processing Test (EPPPT). A sample of 240 Luo speaking high school students were tested using Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) in a multi-trait multimethod matrix. Four traits were measured including word prosody, sentence prosody, juncture, and discourse prosody. Three methods were used including the picture selection task, stress assignment task, and chunking task. CFA confirmed the current taxonomy of the diverse traits of English prosodic phonology: word stress, sentence stress, open and closed junctures, and discourse. The methods yielded statistically significant differences among the discriminant validity of these traits. The model fit was better when the different prosodic traits were specified (convergent validity), while the methods of testing yielded distinguishable, unique types of information about prosodic phonology processing. Using a battery of five tests, the results of EPPPT showed that the traits are quite independent of each other and the method effect is not significant.
 Keywords: reliability, validity, EPPPT, Prosody, MTMM

The role of fairness perceptions in patient and employee health: A multilevel, multisource investigation.

This research extends the group engagement model (GEM) to examine how fairness judgments implicate both organizational-level and individual-level outcomes, including patient health and satisfaction (i.e., patient health outcomes) and employee health. Based on the social identity arguments of the GEM, we argue that fair career advancement procedures at the organizational level and experiences of discrimination at the individual level are indicators of identity-based evaluations of fairness. Utilizing annual staff survey data from the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K. (n = 147 hospitals with n = 60,602 employees), we observe that organizational fairness of career advancement procedures significantly relates to patient health through the hospital-level mediator, employee voice. Individual fairness of an employee's personal experience with discrimination significantly relates to employee health through the individual-level mediator, psychological safety. Results support the three-stage indirect effect from organizational-level fairness to employee health via individual-level fairness and individual-level psychological safety. In supplemental studies, measurement limitations are addressed through multitrait multimethod matrix and content validation approaches. These results indicate that the archival NHS measures sufficiently operationalize the constructs of interest providing further support for the hypothesized model. The theoretical and practical implications of this work for multilevel conceptualizations of fairness and healthcare organizations are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A pilot study assessing listening comprehension and reading comprehension in children with down syndrome: Construct validity from a multi-method perspective.

Obtaining valid assessments of language and literacy skills in children with Down syndrome (DS) presents a challenge as there is a paucity of information about the psychometrics of measures that are commonly used to measure listening and reading comprehension in this population. Evaluating the construct validity of measures that employ different methods is essential to ascertain the optimal method of assessment in individuals with DS and with typical developmental histories (TD). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the construct validity of four parallel measures of listening and reading comprehension. Participants included 19 individuals with DS (M = 17 years, 3 months; SD = 3 years, 6 months) and 19 word-level reading-matched children with TD (M = 7 years, 2 months; SD = 7 months). Participants completed norm-referenced assessments for four parallel measures of listening and reading comprehension. The four measurement methods were: (1) non-verbal response, (2) cloze procedure, (3) passage-level with close-ended questions, and (4) passage-level with open-ended questions. Participants completed additional assessments (e.g., cognition, language, and speech) for descriptive purposes. Construct validity was assessed using the Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix, a correlation matrix arranged to facilitate the assessment and interpretation of construct validity of measures across various formats. For both study groups, we observed strong evidence of construct validity for three out of four measurement methods. Results using the multimethod perspective also indicated that the listening and reading comprehension constructs were not separable. The findings from this pilot study represent a first step toward determining optimal methods of listening and reading comprehension assessment for individuals with DS. Additionally, these results can inform outcome measure selection in future language and literacy research with children with DS.

Reliability and validity analysis of personality assessment model based on gait video.

Personality affects an individual’s academic achievements, occupational tendencies, marriage quality and physical health, so more convenient and objective personality assessment methods are needed. Gait is a natural, stable, and easy-to-observe body movement that is closely related to personality. The purpose of this paper is to propose a personality assessment model based on gait video and evaluate the reliability and validity of the multidimensional model. This study recruited 152 participants and used cameras to record their gait videos. Each participant completed a 44-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) assessment. We constructed diverse static and dynamic time-frequency features based on gait skeleton coordinates, interframe differences, distances between joints, angles between joints, and wavelet decomposition coefficient arrays. We established multidimensional personality trait assessment models through machine learning algorithms and evaluated the criterion validity, split-half reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of these models. The results showed that the reliability and validity of the Gaussian process regression (GPR) and linear regression (LR) models were best. The mean values of their criterion validity were 0.478 and 0.508, respectively, and the mean values of their split-half reliability were all greater than 0.8. In the formed multitrait-multimethod matrix, these methods also had higher convergent and discriminative validity. The proposed approach shows that gait video can be effectively used to evaluate personality traits, providing a new idea for the formation of convenient and non-invasive personality assessment methods.

Psychographic segmentation to identify higher-risk teen peer crowds for health communications: Validation of Virginia's Mindset Lens Survey.

Audience segmentation is necessary in health communications to ensure equitable resource distribution. Peer crowds, which are macro-level teen subcultures, are effective psychographic segments for health communications because each crowd has unique mindsets, values, norms, and health behavior profiles. These mindsets affect behaviors, and can be used to develop targeted health communication campaigns to reach those in greatest need. Though peer crowd research is plentiful, no existing peer crowd measurement tool has been formally validated. As such, we developed and validated Virginia's Mindset Lens Survey (V-MLS), a mindset-based teen peer crowd segmentation survey to support health communication efforts. Using an online convenience sample of teens (N = 1,113), we assessed convergent and discriminant validity by comparing the V-MLS against an existing, widely-used peer crowd survey (I-Base Survey®) utilizing a multi-trait multi-method matrix. We also examined the V-MLS's predictive ability through a series of regressions using peer crowd scores to predict behaviors, experiences, and traits relevant to health communication campaign planning. The V-MLS demonstrated reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Additionally, the V-MLS effectively distinguished teen peer crowds with unique health behaviors, experiences, and personal traits. When combined with appropriate information processing and campaign development frameworks, this new tool can complement existing instruments to inform message framing, tone, and style for campaigns that target at-risk teens to increase campaign equity and reach.

Evaluation of visual-induced motion sickness from head-mounted display using heartbeat evoked potential: a cognitive load-focused approach

Based on sensory conflict theory, motion sickness is strongly related to the information processing capacity or resources of the brain to cope with the multi-sensory stimuli experienced by watching virtual reality (VR) content. The purpose of this research was to develop a method of measuring motion sickness using the heart-evoked potential (HEP) phenomenon and propose new indicators for evaluating motion sickness. Twenty-eight undergraduate volunteers of both genders (14 females) participated in this study by watching VR content on both 2D and head-mounted devices (HMD) for 15 min. The responses of HEP measures such as alpha power, latency, and amplitude of first and second HEP components were compared using paired t-tests and ANCOVA. This study confirmed that motion sickness leads to a decline in cognitive processing, as demonstrated by increasing in alpha power of HEP. Also, the proposed indicators such as latency and amplitude of the HEP waveform showed significant differences during the experience of motion sickness and exhibited high correlations with alpha power measures. Latencies of the first HEP component, in particular, are recommended as better quantitative evaluators of motion sickness than other measures, following the multitrait-multimethod matrix. The proposed model for motion sickness was implemented in a support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel, and validated on twenty new participants. The accuracy, F1 score, precision, recall, and area under the curve (AUC) of the motion-sickness classification results were 0.875, 0.865, 0.941, 0.8, and 0.962, respectively.

The Development and Validation of a Perceived Nursing Support Scale for Mothers of Preterm Infants

Many studies have maintained that nursing support is necessary and essential for mothers of preterm infants; however, the perceived nursing support for mothers of preterm infants has not been sufficiently measured. This study aimed to develop a perceived nursing support scale for mothers of preterm infants (PNSS-MP). The preliminary items of the PNSS-MP were developed through a literature review and in-depth interviews with mothers of preterm infants. Content and face validities were assessed by experts and mothers of preterm infants. A pilot study was conducted to confirm the feasibility and comprehension of the scale. To validate the PNSS-MP, 223 mothers of preterm infants were surveyed. Exploratory factor analyses were performed to confirm construct validity. Convergent and discriminant validities were analyzed using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix. Reliability was tested by calculating Cronbach's α and performing split-half testing. The PNSS-MP consisted of 27 items and was categorized into five factors, explaining 65.3% of the total variance. The factors were named: "baby care support" (7 items), "mental care support" (6 items), "maternal role support" (6 items), "introducing resources support" (4 items), and "information delivery support" (4 items). The overall reliability of the scale was .95. The PNSS-MP adequately reflected the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in South Korea. Additionally, the PNSS-MP proved relatively valid and reliable; therefore, it can be used to measure nursing support in the NICU.

Validity and reliability of patient reported outcomes measurement information system computerized adaptive tests in systemic lupus erythematous.

BackgroundThe evaluation of Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) computerized adaptive test (CAT) in adults with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an emerging field of research. We aimed to examine the test–retest reliability and construct validity of the PROMIS CAT in a Canadian cohort of patients with SLE.MethodsTwo hundred twenty-seven patients completed 14 domains of PROMIS CAT and seven legacy instruments during their clinical visits. Test–retest reliability of PROMIS was evaluated 7–10 days from baseline using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC (2; 1)). The construct validity of the PROMIS CAT domains was evaluated against the commonly used legacy instruments, and also in comparison to disease activity and disease damage using Spearman correlations. A multitrait-multimethod matrix (MMM) approach was used to further assess construct validity comparing selected 10 domains of PROMIS and SF-36 domains.ResultsModerate to excellent reliability was found for all domains (ICC [2;1] ranging from lowest, 0.66 for Sleep Disturbance and highest, 0.93 for the Mobility domain). Comparing seven legacy instruments with 14 domains of PROMIS CAT, moderate to strong correlations (0.51–0.91) were identified. The average time to complete all PROMIS CAT domains was 11.7 min. The MMM further established construct validity by showing moderate to strong correlations (0.55–0.87) between select PROMIS and SF-36 domains; the average correlations from similar traits (convergent validity) were significantly greater than the average correlations from different traits.ConclusionsThese results provide evidence on the reliability and validity of PROMIS CAT in SLE in a Canadian cohort.

Examining PERMA+4 and work role performance beyond self-report bias: insights from multitrait-multimethod analyses

ABSTRACT Self-report and monomethod bias threaten the validity of positive work and organizations research. The current study used multitrait-multimethod analyses to examine the relationship between PERMA+4 and work role performance (adaptivity, proactivity, and proficiency) beyond self-report and monomethod bias. Findings from 221 coworker pairs demonstrated convergence between self-reported and collateral-reported PERMA+4 (r > .85) and work role performance (r > .85). A multitrait-multimethod matrix showed that monomethod trait interrelationships were systematically higher than heteromethod trait interrelationships with inflated correlations ranging from .07 to .20. Monomethod parameter estimates and coefficients of determination were generally higher than in bias corrected self-reports, knowledgeable collateral-reports, and heteromethod parameter estimates. The results provide support for the validity of the relationship between PERMA+4 and work role performance, but also suggest the importance of including procedural design and statistical control methods in positive work and organizations surveys to correct for self-report and monomethod bias.

A scale for assessing student understandings of marine resource conservation and sustainability: psychometric verification and the latent mean difference between genders

This study developed a scale for evaluating how well students understand marine-resource conservation and sustainability; it evaluated the scale’s psychometric properties and investigated the gender difference in the scale’s score. We recruited 929 university students in Taiwan to answer a questionnaire developed using the scale. The scale’s reliability and validity were indicated through psychometric indicators—including Cronbach’s alpha, the multitrait-multimethod matrix, and confirmatory factor analysis results. Multiple-group structural equation modeling was used to test the measurement invariance of the scale and to compare the latent mean between the genders. The results of the various analyses confirmed that the scale met the requirements for psychometric assessments. Male and female students significantly differed in the cognitive and behavioral but not socio-emotional dimensions. Scholars can use this scale to investigate how the understanding of marine conservation relates to other factors.

Rationale and design of the validation of bladder health instrument for evaluation in women (VIEW) protocol

BackgroundBladder health is an understudied state and difficult to measure due to lack of valid and reliable instruments. While condition specific questionnaires assess presence, severity and degree of bother from lower urinary tract symptoms, the absence of symptoms is insufficient to assume bladder health. This study describes the methodology used to validate a novel bladder health instrument to measure the spectrum of bladder health from very healthy to very unhealthy in population based and clinical research.MethodsThree samples of women are being recruited: a sample from a nationally representative general population and two locally recruited clinical center samples—women with a targeted range of symptom severity and type, and a postpartum group. The general population sample includes 694 women, 18 years or older, randomly selected from a US Postal delivery sequence file. Participants are randomly assigned to electronic or paper versions of the bladder health instrument along with a battery of criterion questionnaires and a demographic survey; followed by a retest or a two-day voiding symptom diary. A total of 354 women around 7 clinical centers are being recruited across a spectrum of self-reported symptoms and randomized to mode of completion. They complete the two-day voiding symptom diary as well as a one-day frequency volume diary prior to an in-person evaluation with a standardized cough stress test, non-invasive urine flowmetry, chemical urine analysis and post void residual measurement. Independent judge ratings of bladder health are obtained by interview with a qualified health care provider. A total of 154 postpartum women recruited around 6 of the centers are completing similar assessments within 6–12 weeks postpartum. Dimensional validity will be evaluated using factor analysis and principal components analysis with varimax rotation, and internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha. Criterion validity will be assessed using multitrait-multimethod matrix including correlations across multiple data sources and multiple types of measures.DiscussionWe aim to validate a bladder health instrument to measure the degree of bladder health within the general population and among women (including postpartum) recruited from local clinical centers.Trial registration NCT04016298 Posted July 11, 2019 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04016298?cond=bladder+health&draw=2&rank=1).

Identifying Psychological Symptoms Based on Facial Movements.

Background: Many methods have been proposed to automatically identify the presence of mental illness, but these have mostly focused on one specific mental illness. In some non-professional scenarios, it would be more helpful to understand an individual's mental health status from all perspectives.Methods: We recruited 100 participants. Their multi-dimensional psychological symptoms of mental health were evaluated using the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and their facial movements under neutral stimulation were recorded using Microsoft Kinect. We extracted the time-series characteristics of the key points as the input, and the subscale scores of the SCL-90 as the output to build facial prediction models. Finally, the convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion validity, and the split-half reliability were respectively assessed using a multitrait-multimethod matrix and correlation coefficients.Results: The correlation coefficients between the predicted values and actual scores were 0.26 and 0.42 (P < 0.01), which indicated good criterion validity. All models except depression had high convergent validity but low discriminant validity. Results also indicated good levels of split-half reliability for each model [from 0.516 (hostility) to 0.817 (interpersonal sensitivity)] (P < 0.001).Conclusion: The validity and reliability of facial prediction models were confirmed for the measurement of mental health based on the SCL-90. Our research demonstrated that fine-grained aspects of mental health can be identified from the face, and provided a feasible evaluation method for multi-dimensional prediction models.