Preliminary Psychometric Data Research Articles

An operational measure of physician lifelong learning: its development, components and preliminary psychometric data

An operational measure of physician lifelong learning: its development, components and preliminary psychometric data

The Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory: scale development and preliminary psychometric data

Cognitions have been known to play a central role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of speech anxiety. However, few instruments are currently available to assess cognitive contents associated with speech anxiety. This report describes three studies examining the psychometric characteristics of a revised English version of the Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI)—an instrument measuring maladaptive cognitions associated with speech anxiety. In Study 1, factor analyses of the SATI revealed a two-factor solution—“prediction of poor performance” and “fear of negative evaluation by audience”, respectively. In Study 2, the two-factor structure was replicated. In addition, results revealed stability over a four-week period, high internal consistency, and good convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 3, the scale demonstrated sensitivity to change following brief exposure-based treatments. These findings suggest that the SATI is a highly reliable, valid measure to assess cognitive features of speech anxiety.

An operational measure of physician lifelong learning: its development, components and preliminary psychometric data

Despite the emphasis placed on physicians' lifelong learning, no psychometrically sound instrument has been developed to provide an operational measure of the concept and its components among physicians. The authors designed this study to develop a tool for measuring physician lifelong learning, to identify its underlying components and to assess its psychometric properties. A 37-item questionnaire was developed, based on a review of literature and the results of two pilot studies. Psychometric analyses of the responses of 160 physicians identified 19 items that were included in the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning. Factor analysis of the 19 items showed five meaningful factors that were consistent with the definition and major features of lifelong learning. They were 'need recognition', 'research endeavor', 'self-initiation', 'technical skills' and 'personal motivation'. The method of contrasted groups provided evidence in support of the validity of the five factors. The factors' reliability was assessed by coefficient alpha. It is concluded that lifelong learning is a multifaceted concept, and its operational measure is feasible for evaluating different educational programs and for studying group differences among physicians.

The anger management scale: development and preliminary psychometric properties.

This article introduces the Anger Management Scale (AMS). Managing anger constructively without violence is at the core of many treatment programs for domestic violence offenders and prevention programs for youth. There is no measure, however, specifically developed to monitor these skills. The AMS was designed to assess very concrete, specific cognitions and behaviors that can increase or decrease anger in intimate partner relationships and therefore influence the respondent's level of partner violence. In addition to the full 36-item scale, there are 20-item and 12-item short forms. The AMS has four subscales: Escalating Strategies (behaviors that increase reactivity to the partner), Negative Attributions (cognitions such as blame or negative intentions attributed to the partner of the respondent), Self-Awareness (awareness of physiological changes indicating rising anger), and Calming Strategies (behaviors that decrease reactivity to the partner). Preliminary psychometric data based on a college student sample (n = 475) show a meaningful factor structure, good reliability (alpha .70 to .87), and good construct validity.

Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Children's Aggression Scale-Parent Version

To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children's Aggression Scale-Parent Version (CAS-P), which assesses severity, frequency, pervasiveness, and diversity of aggressive, as distinct from nonaggressive, disruptive behaviors. The scale has 33 items representing five domains: Verbal Aggression, Aggression Against Objects and Animals, Provoked Physical Aggression, Unprovoked Physical Aggression, and Use of Weapons. The CAS-P was completed for 73 clinically referred children. Validity was evaluated dimensionally by examining the relationship of CAS-P scores to other parent and teacher rating scales, and categorically by comparing scores of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) alone, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. The scale as a whole had excellent internal consistency (alpha = .93). Children with conduct disorder were rated significantly higher than those with oppositional defiant disorder, who were rated significantly higher than those with ADHD alone. The CAS-P did not distinguish clinical control children from those with ADHD only. Correlations with other rating scales provide further support for the validity of the CAS-P. The CAS-P assesses distinct components of aggressive behavior and may fill a gap in that it distinguishes among various types and severity of aggressive behaviors, and the settings in which they take place.

The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy: Development and Preliminary Psychometric Data

The present study was designed to develop a brief instrument to measure empathy in health care providers in patient care situations. Three groups participated in the study: Group 1 consisted of 55 physicians, Group 2 was 41 internal medicine residents, and Group 3 was composed of 193 third-year medical students. A 90-item preliminary version of the Empathy scale was developed based on a review of the literature and distributed to Group 1 for feedback. After pilot testing, a revised and shortened 45-item version of the instrument was distributed to Groups 2 and 3. A final version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy containing 20 items based on statistical analyses was constructed. Psychometric findings provided support for the construct validity, criterion-related validity (convergent and discriminant), and internal consistency reliability (coefficient alpha) of the scale scores.

Measurement of Deliberate Self-Harm: Preliminary Data on the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory

Deliberate self-harm has recently begun to receive more systematic attention from clinical researchers. However, there remains a general lack of consensus as to how to define and measure this important clinical construct. There is still no standardized, empirically validated measure of deliberate self-harm, making it more difficult for research in this area to advance. The present paper provides an integrative, conceptual definition of deliberate self-harm as well as preliminary psychometric data on a newly developed measure of self-harm, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI). One hundred and fifty participants from undergraduate psychology courses completed research packets consisting of the DSHI and other measures, and 93 of these participants completed the DSHI again after an interval of 2–4 weeks (M = 3.3 weeks). Preliminary findings indicate that the DSHI has high internal consistency; adequate construct, convergent, and discriminant validity; and adequate test-retest reliability.

Development and Initial Validation of the Child Routines Inventory

The importance of establishing predictable routines during childhood consistently has been emphasized in the popular parenting literature, despite a paucity of empirical evidence. The lack of research may be partially due to a lack of suitable instruments designed to measure children's routines. This study describes development and preliminary psychometric data in support of the Child Routines Inventory (CRI), an empirically derived, content-valid, parent-report measure of commonly occurring routines in school-aged children. Principal components analysis yielded a four-factor structure (composed of 36 items), accounting for 44.2% of the total variance. The CRI was found to have excellent internal consistency (α = .90), good test-retest reliability (r = .86), and preliminary evidence of construct validity, demonstrating a moderate relationship with measures of child behavior problems and family routines. These results suggest the CRI to be a promising new measure of child routines that would benefit from further validation studies.

ASSESSMENT OF MARITAL COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION: PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF TWO SCALES

Preliminary psychometric data are presented for two Chinese self-report scales that assess marital communication and conflict resolution. These scales were based on English versions of the scales but adapted to fit the local cultural context. Results showed that the 11-item Marital Communication Scale and the 8-item Chinese Ineffective Arguing Scale produced scores that were internally consistent. Their correlations with the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale were high and significant. There was moderate evidence to support that the scales distinguished between respondents with and without marital problems. 本文报导关於两个婚姻关系量表的发展过程和检订结果。量表之一名为「婚姻沟通量表」，它的内容主要取材于西方有关的量表。在检订前，研究员已按本地文化修订其项目，亦就其原内容不足之处增添了两条题目。第二个量表名为「无效的争辩方式」量表，它有八条题目，亦是按有关的西方量表经修订后采用的。检订结果显示，婚姻沟通量表在删除一条题目后，有颇高的内在一致性信度，而无效的争辩方式量表中八题的分数亦有很高的内在一致性。两个量表的分数和肯萨斯州婚姻满意程度量表有很高的相关，量表的分数亦有助区分带有婚姻问题者和没带婚姻问题者。这些结果都为量表的信度和效度，提供初步的支持。

Learning disability care staff's emotional reactions to aggressive challenging behaviours: development of a measurement tool.

To describe the development of a rating scale measure of caregivers' emotional reactions to aggressive challenging behaviour, and to report preliminary psychometric data for the scale. Using previous research on staff working with people with learning disabilities, a range of likely emotional reactions to challenging behaviours were selected for possible inclusion in a rating scale measure. A total of 83 care staff from 23 community residences for people with learning disabilities rated their recent emotional reactions to aggressive challenging behaviour using 18 emotion items. A further sample of 18 care staff participated in a test-retest study after the initial stages of scale development. A rating scale was developed on the basis of a factor analysis and further item analysis. The measure has two subscales: feelings of depression/anger (10 items), and feelings of fear/anxiety (5 items). The subscales have a high internal consistency, good test-retest reliability and are relatively unaffected by social desirability biases. The emotional reactions to aggressive challenging behaviour scale has excellent face and construct validity, and other preliminary psychometric data are promising. The scale has a number of potential research and clinical applications.

Self-efficacy as a psychological moderator of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by debilitating fatigue and a variety of somatic symptoms. Few studies have examined psychological aspects of CFS. In the present study, self-efficacy is shown to be a significant predictor of CFS symptoms beyond the variance accounted for by demographic variables and distress. Further psychological CFS research is encouraged by (1) identifying dimensions that are salient in the experience and study of CFS, (2) providing preliminary psychometric data for measures of those dimensions, and (3) identifying psychological variables that serve as moderators of the experience of CFS.

Spouse stressors while awaiting heart transplantation

Objective The objectives of this study were to identify common stressors experienced by spouses of heart transplantation (HT) candidates; to identify differences in stressors among spouses of HT candidates based on selected demographic variables; and to report preliminary psychometric data on the newly developed Spouse Transplant Stressor Scale. Design Comparative, cross-sectional survey. Sample Spouses of 85 HT candidates awaiting HT at midwestern and southeastern medical centers and a midwestern Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. Measures Spouse Transplant Stressor Scale (Collins), an investigator-developed rating form and demographic data sheet. Results Spouses of HT candidates reported high levels of stress during the wait for a donor heart. Factors related directly to the transplantation experience were rated as the most stressful. Fear that the patient (partner) would die before a heart became available was the worst stressor for the spouses. Working spouses perceived more stressors related to responsibility, socioeconomics, and self. Stressors associated with the transplantation process itself were equally stressful for spouses who work and spouses who do not work.

Conflict Resolution Styles in Gay, Lesbian, Heterosexual Nonparent, and Heterosexual Parent Couples

Preliminary psychometric data are presented for two inventories that assess conflict in couples. The Ineffective Arguing Inventory (IAI) is a self-report measure that assesses a dysfunctional style of couple conflict resolution. The Conflict Resolution Style Inventory (CRSI) has complementary self-report and partner-report versions that assess four personal conflict resolution styles for each member of the couple. Subjects were both partners of 75 gay, 51 lesbian, 108 married non-parent, and 99 married parent couples. Findings for each inventory are presented regarding the factor structure of items, the internal consistency of composite scores, the 1-year stability of composite scores, the relation between couple members' composite scores, and the link between composite scores and relationship satisfaction, change in satisfaction, and relationship dissolution. Generally, results warrant further examination of the IAI and CRSI as measures of conflict for couples. All couples have to deal with conflict. Further, how that conflict is managed is linked to relationship satisfaction, change in relationship satisfaction, and relationship stability (Gottman, 1994; Heavey, Layne, & Christensen, 1993; Markman, Renick, Floyd, Stanley, & Clements, 1993; Noller & White, 1990). To date, perhaps the most productive method for studying relationship conflict has been to code videotapes of partner conversations for small samples of couples in a laboratory setting (e.g., Gottman, 1994). Without denying the value of these behavioral observations--in particular, for assessing sequences of couples' interactional styles during conflict--the present study is based on the premise that self-report and partner-report methodologies are also valuable ways to study couple conflict and may complement observational methodologies. One of the major limitations of observational studies of couple conflict is that they utilize very small, nonrepresentative samples. In fact, some of the inconsistent findings in observational studies regarding the types of conflict resolution strategies that are linked to declines in relationship satisfaction over time have been attributed to biased samples (Gottman, 1993). The availability of psychometrically sound self-report and partner-report measures of conflict resolution would help address this limitation by providing researchers with one method by which the link between conflict resolution and both relationship maintenance and relationship dissolution could be studied in large, representative samples. Some measures of couple conflict are available, including self-report measures of couple conflict resolution patterns (e.g., the Problem-Solving Communication scale of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory; Snyder, 1981), self-report measures of individual conflict resolution styles (e.g., the Marital Coping Inventory, Bowman, 1990), and self-report and partner-report measures of each partner's conflict resolution styles (e.g., the Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory; Boyd & Roach, 1977) as well as sequences of partners' conflict resolution styles (e.g., the Communication Patterns Questionnaire; Christensen, 1988). However, no measure of couple conflict resolution could be found that was brief, was based on a coherent conceptual framework, and had comprehensively documented psychometric properties. Documenting psychometric properties include validating the measure against the major relationship outcomes used in behavioral observations in this area of study--relationship satisfaction, change in relationship satisfaction, and relationship stability (Gottman, 1994; Gottman & Krokoff, 1989; Markman et al., 1993). Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to present such preliminary psychometric data for two brief nonobservational measures of couple conflict. The first measure--the Ineffective Arguing Inventory (IAI)--assesses how the couple handles conflict, whereas the second measure the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI)--assesses each partner's individual style of handling conflict. …

Modification of the Beck Depression Inventory for use with a deaf population.

Research on depression in deaf individuals has been hampered by difficulties in assessment that result from the linguistic problems many deaf persons have with the English language. We report preliminary psychometric data on a modification of the Beck Depression Inventory in which it was simplified linguistically for use with the deaf population. Internal consistency of the revised version of 56 hearing college students was good and very close to that of the original version in a separate sample of 56 hearing students. Mean scores on the two versions were also very similar. Internal consistency of the revision in a sample of 102 deaf college students was moderately good, but lower than in the hearing sample. The results are considered encouraging for further instrument development.