Perceived Control Scale Research Articles

Development of Measures from the Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Leisure-Time Physical Activity

Using the theory of planned behavior as a conceptual framework, scales assessing Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity, Expectations of Others, Perceived Control, and Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity were developed for use among middle-school students. The study sample included 349 boys and 400 girls, 10 to 14 years of age (M=11.9 yr., SD=.9). Unipolar and bipolar scales with seven response choices were developed, with each scale item phrased in a Likert-type format. Following revisions, 22 items were retained in the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity Scale, 10 items in the Expectations of Others Scale, 3 items in the Perceived Control Scale, and 17 items in the Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity Scale. Adequate internal consistency was indicated by standardized coefficients alpha ranging from .75 to .89. Current results must be extended to assess discriminant and predictive validities and to check various reliabilities with new samples, then evaluation of intervention techniques for promotion of positive attitudes about leisure-time physical activity, including perception of control and intentions to engage in leisure-time physical activity.

Predictors of life satisfaction: perceptions of older community-dwelling adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate variables that predict life satisfaction in elderly individuals. A convenience sample of 70 older community-dwelling adults participated in the study. Instruments used included the Life Satisfaction Index A Scale, three subscales from the Self-Evaluation of Life Function Scale, the Perceived Control Scale, Hollingshead's Two Factor Index of Social Position, and the Self-Rated Health Subscale of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Multilevel Assessment Instrument. When the influence of health and social position was held constant, social interaction was the only additional significant predictor of life satisfaction. When health and social position were not held constant, social interaction, perceived control, and social position were significant predictors of life satisfaction. The findings indicate that nursing practice, education, and research should focus on assessment and interventions relative to promoting and maintaining health, perceived control, and social interaction among elderly individuals living in the community.

Illness uncertainty, perceived control, and psychological distress among adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

This study examined the relationship between illness uncertainty, perceived control, and psychological distress among adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Sixty-eight adolescents age 13 to 18 years with type 1 diabetes completed the Children's Uncertainty in Illness Scale, the Perceived Control Scale Media Relations, and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Increased uncertainty was significantly associated with both decreased perceived control and increased psychological distress. Further analyses indicated that the relationship between illness uncertainty and psychological distress was direct and was not mediated or moderated by perceived control. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at managing uncertainty may help decrease psychological distress among adolescents with diabetes.

Scale construction for measuring adolescent boys' and girls' attitudes, beliefs, perception of control, and intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity, Expectations of Others, Perceived Control, and Intention of Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scales were developed for use among high school students. The study population included 20 boys and 68 girls 13 to 17 years of age (for boys, M = 15.1 yr., SD = 1.0; for girls, M = 15.0 yr., SD = 1.1). Generation of items and the establishment of content validity were performed by professionals in exercise physiology, physical education, and clinical psychology. Each scale item was phrased in a Likert-type format. Both unipolar and bipolar scales with seven response choices were developed. Following the pilot testing and subsequent revisions, 32 items were retained in the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity scale, 10 items were retained in the Expectations of Others scale, 3 items were retained in the Perceived Control Scale, and 24 items were retained in the Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scale. Coefficients indicated adequate stability and internal consistency with alpha ranging from .81 to .96. Studies of validities are underway, after which scales would be made available to those interested in intervention techniques for promoting positive attitudes toward physical fitness, perception of control over engaging in leisure-time physical activities, and good intentions to engage in leisure-time physical activities. The present results are encouraging.

Social Support and Self-Control as Variables in Attitude Toward Life and Perceived Control Among Older People in India

The authors examined the effects of social support and self-control in a representative sample of 300 older adults in high-density households in an urban area of Agra City, India. The authors administered the Social Support Questionnaire (I. G. Sarason, H. M. Levine, R. B. Basham, & B. R. Sarason, 1983) and the Self-Control Schedule (M. Rosenbaum, 1980) to form a 2 (age group: young-old vs. old-old) × 2 (social support: high vs. low) × 2 (self-control: high vs. low) factorial design. Scores on the Life Attitude Profile (G. T. Recker & E. J. Peacock, 1981) and the Perceived Control Scale (P. Nayyar, 1993) were the dependent variables. The authors hypothesized that social support and self-control would act as moderators for a more positive attitude toward life and increased perceived control. The results supported the predictions: Social support and self-control in interaction with age reduced the crowding stress of high density and enhanced the older participants' perceived control and positive attitudes toward life.

SCALE CONSTRUCTION FOR MEASURING ADOLESCENT BOYS' AND GIRLS' ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, PERCEPTION OF CONTROL, AND INTENTION TO ENGAGE IN LEISURE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity, Expectations of Others, Perceived Control, and Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scales were developed for use among high school students. The study population included 20 boys and 68 girls 13 to 17 years of age (for boys, M=15.1 yr., SD=1.0; for girls, M= 15.0 yr., SD= 1.1). Generation of items and the establishment of content validity were performed by professionals in exercise physiology, physical education, and clinical psychology. Each scale item was phrased in a Likert type format. Both unipolar and bipolar scales with seven response choices were developed. Following the pilot testing and subsequent revisions, 32 items were retained in the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity scale. 10 items were retained in the Expectations of Others scale, 3 items were retained in the Perceived Control Scale, and 24 items were retained in the Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scale. Coefficients indicated adequate stability and internal consistency with α ranging from .81 to .96. Studies of validities are underway, after which scales would be made available to those interested in intervention techniques for promoting positive attitudes toward physical fitness, perception of control over engaging in leisure-lime physical activities, and good intentions to engage in leisure-time physical activities. The present results arc encouraging.

SCALE CONSTRUCTION FOR MEASURING ATTITUDE, BELIEFS, PERCEPTION OF CONTROL, AND INTENTION TO ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, Attitude to Physical Activity, Expectations of Others, Perceived Control, and Intention to Engage in Physical Activity Scales were developed for use among both adolescent males and females. Experts in exercise physiology and the sports sciences generated items for the instruments and established content validity. The scale items are phrased in a Likert scale format. Both unipolar and bipolar scales were developed with seven response choices offered. Following pilot testing and subsequent revisions, 32 items were retained in the Attitude to Physical Activity Scale, 10 items were retained in the Expectations of Others Scale, three items were retained in the Perceived Control Scale, and 24 items were retained in the Intention to Engage in Physical Activity Scale. Correlation coefficients for the total instruments were significantly positive for stability and internal consistency, ranging from α = .81 to α = .96. These instruments are ready for application in the field and may be used to develop intervention techniques for promoting positive attitudes toward physical activity, good perception of control over the ability to participate in physical activity, and good intentions to participate in physical activity.

Social and Emotional Loneliness: Gender Differences and Relationships with Self-Monitoring and Perceived Control

Little research focuses on the distinction between emotional and social loneliness, particularly within the African American population. This article provides insight into these overlooked dimensions of loneliness. African American under-graduates (50 men, 50 women) from a large predominantly White, Midwestern university completed measures of social and emotional loneliness, the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale, an index of perceived control, and several sociometric questions. Regression analyses indicated social loneliness—a lack of companionship—was inversely related to “number of close friends” and Ability to Modify Self-Presentation. For men, emotional loneliness—lack of intimacy with friends—was inversely related to having a reciprocated best friend. For women, emotional loneliness was inversely related to perceived control. Sensitivity to the Expressive Behavior of Others was significantly and inversely correlated with emotional loneliness only when individuals had high scores on the perceived control scale. We urge development of better scales for assessing these 2 critical forms of loneliness.

Psychological, psychosocial, and psychophysiological sequelae in a community affected by a railroad chemical disaster.

Psychological, psychosocial, and psychophysiological sequelae were studied in a community which had experienced a railroad chemical spill of 19,000 gallons of the toxic pesticide metam sodium. Two hundred twenty exposed residents were compared to 114 controls and paired on age, education, gender, race, and number of children. A clinical interview and physiological measurements (blood pressure, pulse, and cortisol level) were taken, the MMPI-2, IES Scale, Mood Scale, Environmental Worry, Perceived Social Support, and Perceived Control Scale and a questionnaire were administered. Results indicated greater levels of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms in the spill residents in addition to greater environmental worry and lower perceived social support. Spill residents had higher blood pressure and less fluctuation of cortisol levels than controls. No difference on litigation status was obtained except on the IES, Intrusion and the POMS scales. Chemical disasters are associated with a wide variety of psychological, psychosocial, and physiological distress.

Psychological, psychosocial, and psychophysiological sequelae in a community affected by a railroad chemical disaster

AbstractPsychological, psychosocial, and psychophysiological sequelae were studied in a community which had experienced a railroad chemical spill of 19,000 gallons of the toxic pesticide metam sodium. Two hundred twenty exposed residents were compared to 114 controls and paired on age, education, gender, race, and number of children. A clinical interview and physiological measurements (blood pressure, pulse, and cortisol level) were taken, the MMPI‐2, IES Scale, Mood Scale, Environmental Worry, Perceived Social Support, and Perceived Control Scale and a questionnaire were administered. Results indicated greater levels of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms in the spill residents in addition to greater environmental worry and lower perceived social support. Spill residents had higher blood pressure and less fluctuation of cortisol levels than controls. No difference on litigation status was obtained except on the IES, Intrusion and the POMS scales. Chemical disasters are associated with a wide variety of psychological, psychosocial, and physiological distress.

Creation and Validation of a Scale Measuring Perceived Control Over the Institutional Environment

This article describes the development and validation of a 14-item, self-report measure of residents' perception of control over the institutional environment. Two studies of residents from a variety of institutional settings provided evidence of reliability and validity. Evidence of scale construct validity included the finding that residents living in a less restricted setting had higher Perceived Control Scale scores than residents of a more restricted setting. Another set of validity findings showed that the Perceived Control Scale was significantly associated in the expected direction with measures of locus of control, self-esteem, fatigue, vigor, and depression. The prediction that nurses' ratings of hospital patients' health would be related to the patients' scale scores was not confirmed. An intervention study showed that after participating in a workshop designed to increase perceived control over the institutional environment, residents of a retirement facility had significantly higher Perceived Control Scale scores than residents in a control group. The individuals participating in the workshop also had significantly better scores on theoretically related measures of well-being such as depression, vigor, and life satisfaction.

An Instrument to Assess Students' Perceived Control at School

A scale developed to aid in investigation of students' perceived control at school is described, and data on its reliability, validity, and factor structure are reported. Also, discussed is a parallel instrument designed to measure the degree to which a student values such control. Findings reported indicate the usefulness of the perceived control scale by summarizing data from several studies, and the discussion highlights promising directions for its future use and evolution.