Spearman-Brown Split-half Reliability Research Articles

Evaluation and application of a Chinese version symptom questionnaire for visual dysfunctions (CSQVD) in school-age children

ObjectiveTo develop and evaluate a Chinese version of the Symptom Questionnaire for Visual Dysfunctions (CSQVD) to quantify visual dysfunction symptoms in school-age children with various eye diseases, and to explore the relationship between ophthalmological disorders and visual dysfunction symptoms. MethodsFollowing standard scale adaptation procedures, the Symptom Questionnaire for Visual Dysfunctions (SQVD) was translated into Chinese (CSQVD). We employed random sampling to survey 198 outpatients aged 7–18 to assess the psychometric properties of the CSQVD. Using the reliable and validated questionnaire, we evaluated the determinants of visual dysfunction symptoms among 406 school-age patients at an eye center. The CSQVD scores were correlated with demographic and clinical variables, including gender, age, eye position, refractive power, and best-corrected visual acuity. Univariate analysis identified potential risk factors, followed by binary logistic regression and multiple linear regression analysis on factors with a P-value <0.05. ResultsThe CSQVD scale's critical ratio (CR) values ranged from 6.028 to 10.604. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was 0.779, and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability was also 0.779. The I-CVI varied from 0.83 to 1.000, the S-CVI/Ave was 0.857, and the KMO value was 0.821. Multifactorial regression analysis indicated that high myopia (OR ​= ​5.744, 95% CI [1.632, 20.218], P ​= ​0.006) and amblyopia (OR ​= ​9.302, 95% CI [1.878, 46.058], P ​= ​0.006) were significant predictors of CSQVD symptoms. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that BCVA of amblyopic eyes (B ​= ​−5.052, 95% CI [−7.779, 2.325], P ​= ​0.000) and SE power (B ​= ​−0.234, 95% CI [−0.375, 0.205], P ​= ​0.001) significantly affected the CSQVD scale scores. ConclusionsThe Chinese version of the SQVD scale (CSQVD) demonstrates good feasibility, discriminatory power, validity, and reliability in assessing Chinese school-aged children. Furthermore, those who have severe myopia and amblyopia reported more visual dysfunction symptoms.

Development and psychometric testing of a Chinese version of the postnatal care experience scale for postpartum women

BackgroundPostnatal period is a critical transitional phase in the lives of mothers and newborn babies. In recent years the importance on promoting a positive experience of care following childbirth is increasingly emphasized. Yet published evidence of the methodological and psychometric quality of instruments to evaluate women’s experience of comprehensive postnatal care is still lacking.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and validate a unique scale (the Chinese version of the Postnatal Care Experience Scale, PCES) to measure women’s overall experience of care during postnatal periods.MethodsThe PCES instrument was developed and validated over three phases, including item development, scale development, and scale evaluation. The item pool of the PCES was generated through existing literature and in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by assessment of content validity and rating of importance and feasibility of items through two-round Delphi surveys. Psychometric properties were examined in a convenience sample of 736 postpartum women. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to assess the construct validity of the developed PCES. The relationship between the total PCES score and the global item construct was estimated using Pearson product-moment coefficient. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman Brown coefficients.ResultsThe content validity index of the Chinese version PCES was 0.867. Following item reduction analysis, this instrument consisted of 30 five-point Likert items. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin statistic was 0.964 and the chi-square value of the Bartlett spherical test was 11665.399 (P < .001). The scale explained 75.797% of the total variance and consisted of three subscales, including self-management, social support, and facility- and community-based care. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the total PCES score and the global item construct was 0.909. The CFA showed that the 3-factor model had suitable fitness for the data. Cronbach’s alpha value and Spearman-Brown Split-half reliability for the total scale were 0.979 and 0.941, respectively.ConclusionsThe newly developed 30-item PCES is a psychometrically reliable and valid instrument that assesses women’s overall experience of postnatal care. Future research should aim to use the PCES in various populations to obtain further evidence for its validity and reliability.

Developing a scale for examining the perspective of university students on parental care.

With the declining birth rate and increasingly aging population in Japan, an increased care burden may be placed on the family and the younger generation will address challenging circumstances when they can care for their parents. This study aimed to develop a scale for examining the perspectives of Japanese university students on parental care and determines its reliability and validity. A web-based survey on a total of 408 Japanese students was adopted. This study performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to obtain the underlying factors of the scale. Reliability was verified using Cronbach's α coefficient and Spearman-Brown's split-half reliability α coefficient. Validity was verified through sample, criterion-related, and convergent and discriminant validity. In total, the study identified a three-factor 11 item-scale. Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.901, and the Cronbach's α and split-half reliability α coefficients of each factor were greater than 0.7. Three factors explained 64.6% of the total variance. The model indicators were χ2/df = 2.241, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.951, incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.951, TLI = 0.942, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.078 (p < 0.001). Thus, the study confirmed that the convergent and discriminant validity is acceptable. Correlations were noted for criterion-related validity (r = 0.675, p < 0.001). The results show that the scale for examining the perspective of Japanese university students on parental care was confirmed with good reliability and validity.

6 Remote Smartphone Cognitive and Motor Testing in Frontotemporal Dementia Research: Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity

Objective:Therapeutics targeting frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are entering clinical trials. There are challenges to conducting these studies, including the relative rarity of the disease. Remote assessment tools could increase access to clinical research and pave the way for decentralized clinical trials. We developed the ALLFTD Mobile App, a smartphone application that includes assessments of cognition, speech/language, and motor functioning. The objectives were to determine the feasibility and acceptability of collecting remote smartphone data in a multicenter FTD research study and evaluate the reliability and validity of the smartphone cognitive and motor measures.Participants and Methods:A diagnostically mixed sample of 207 participants with FTD or from familial FTD kindreds (CDR®+NACC-FTLD=0 [n=91]; CDR®+NACC-FTLD=0.5 [n=39]; CDR®+NACC-FTLD&gt;1 [n=39]; unknown [n=38]) were asked to remotely complete a battery of tests on their smartphones three times over two weeks. Measures included five executive functioning (EF) tests, an adaptive memory test, and participant experience surveys. A subset completed smartphone tests of balance at home (n=31) and a finger tapping test (FTT) in the clinic (n=11). We analyzed adherence (percentage of available measures that were completed) and user experience. We evaluated Spearman-Brown split-half reliability (100 iterations) using the first available assessment for each participant. We assessed test-retest reliability across all available assessments by estimating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). To investigate construct validity, we fit regression models testing the association of the smartphone measures with gold-standard neuropsychological outcomes (UDS3-EF composite [Staffaroni et al., 2021], CVLT3-Brief Form [CVLT3-BF] Immediate Recall, mechanical FTT), measures of disease severity (CDR®+NACC-FTLD Box Score &amp; Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale [PSPRS]), and regional gray matter volumes (cognitive tests only).Results:Participants completed 70% of tasks. Most reported that the instructions were understandable (93%), considered the time commitment acceptable (97%), and were willing to complete additional assessments (98%). Split-half reliability was excellent for the executive functioning (r’s=0.93-0.99) and good for the memory test (r=0.78). Test-retest reliabilities ranged from acceptable to excellent for cognitive tasks (ICC: 0.70-0.96) and were excellent for the balance (ICC=0.97) and good for FTT (ICC=0.89). Smartphone EF measures were strongly associated with the UDS3-EF composite (ß's=0.6-0.8, all p&lt;.001), and the memory test was strongly correlated with total immediate recall on the CVLT3-BF (ß=0.7, p&lt;.001). Smartphone FTT was associated with mechanical FTT (ß=0.9, p=.02), and greater acceleration on the balance test was associated with more motor features (ß=0.6, p=0.02). Worse performance on all cognitive tests was associated with greater disease severity (ß's=0.5-0.7, all p&lt;.001). Poorer performance on the smartphone EF tasks was associated with smaller frontoparietal/subcortical volume (ß's=0.4-0.6, all p&lt;.015) and worse memory scores with smaller hippocampal volume (ß=0.5, p&lt;.001).Conclusions:These results suggest remote digital data collection of cognitive and motor functioning in FTD research is feasible and acceptable. These findings also support the reliability and validity of unsupervised ALLFTD Mobile App cognitive tests and provide preliminary support for the motor measures, although further study in larger samples is required.

The Adaptation of the Regret Elements Scale to Turkish Culture

Humans feel the need to reflect on their past decisions throughout their lives. Regret plays a significant role in this evaluation. Acknowledging regret is crucial, as it helps in rectifying undesirable past decisions and making healtier options in the future. Regret has cognitive and affective dimentions. Cognitive regret refers to reviewing past decisions, while affective regret belong to negative emotions. This study aims to adapt the regret elements scale (RES) in the Turkish adult population. The study involved 48 participants in the pilot application stage, 40 participants in the language validity stage, 599 participants in the confirmatory factor analysis stage, and 52 participants in the test-retest stage. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 60 years. The study examined the language validity, confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion-related validity of the scale. Additionally, reliability measures such as Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, test-retest reliability coefficient, and differences between the 27% lower and upper groups were utilized. Mean explained variance (AVE) and combined reliability (CR) values were also calculated. The findings indicate that the language validity of the scale was high (.80). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 2-dimensional and 10-item scale had acceptable fit indices [x2 / df= 2.09, RMSEA= .043, SRMR= .07, NNFI /TLI = .91, CFI= .94, GFI= .92]. The scale and its sub-dimensions were negatively correlated with Satisfaction with Life. Reliability analyses found high Cronbach's Alpha reliability (.92), Spearman-Brown split-half reliability (.95), and test-retest reliability (.75) coefficients, as well as significant differences between the regret score averages of the lower and upper groups of 27%. The AVE and CR values of the scale were also high. The findings suggest that the 2-dimensional (affective regret and cognitive regret) and 10-item RES is a valid and reliable measuring tool for assessing regret in the field of mental health for adult individuals in Turkey. Overall, the RES can be considered a useful tool for measuring regret and its various dimensions. It is thought that the adaptation of the regret elements scale (RES), which includes these dimentions, will contribute to the literature.

The Persian Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS-Fa): Translation and Validation Study.

Approximately 110 million Farsi speakers worldwide have access to a growing mobile app market. Despite restrictions and international sanctions, Iran's internal mobile health app market is growing, especially for Android-based apps. However, there is a need for guidelines for developing health apps that meet international quality standards. There are also no tools in Farsi that assess health app quality. Developers and researchers who operate in Farsi could benefit from such quality assessment tools to improve their outputs. This study aims to translate and culturally adapt the Mobile Application Rating Scale in Farsi (MARS-Fa). This study also evaluates the validity and reliability of the newly developed MARS-Fa tool. We used a well-established method to translate and back translate the MARS-Fa tool with a group of Iranian and international experts in Health Information Technology and Psychology. The final translated version of the tool was tested on a sample of 92 apps addressing smartphone addiction. Two trained reviewers completed an independent assessment of each app in Farsi and English. We reported reliability and construct validity estimates for the objective scales (engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality). Reliability was based on the evaluation of intraclass correlation coefficients, Cronbach α and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability indicators (for internal consistency), as well as Pearson correlations for test-retest reliability. Construct validity included convergent and discriminant validity (through item-total correlations within the objective scales) and concurrent validity using Pearson correlations between the objective and subjective scores. After completing the translation and cultural adaptation, the MARS-Fa tool was used to assess the selected apps for smartphone addiction. The MARS-Fa total scale showed good interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.89) and good internal consistency (Cronbach α=.84); Spearman-Brown split-half reliability for both raters was 0.79 to 0.93. The instrument showed excellent test-retest reliability (r=0.94). The correlations among the MARS-Fa subdomains and the total score were all significant and above r=0.40, suggesting good convergent and discriminant validity. The MARS-Fa was positively and significantly correlated with subjective quality (r=0.90, P<.001), and so were the objective subdomains of engagement (r=0.85, P<.001), information quality (r=0.80, P<.001), aesthetics (r=0.79, P<.001), and functionality (r=0.57, P<.001), indicating concurrent validity. The MARS-Fa is a reliable and valid instrument to assess mobile health apps. This instrument could be adopted by Farsi-speaking researchers and developers who want to evaluate the quality of mobile apps. While we tested the tool with a sample of apps addressing smartphone addiction, the MARS-Fa could assess other domains or issues since the Mobile App Rating Scale has been used to rate apps in different contexts and languages.

Development of the knowledge of exercise during pregnancy scale

Objective: Benefits of exercise in pregnancy on maternal and fetal health are well-documented, whereas physical activity participation and knowledge of exercise during pregnancy are limited among pregnant women. This research purposed to develop a tool to measure knowledge of exercise during pregnancy. Material and Methods: This is a methodological study. After review of the literature, a pool of items was created. These items were regulated into a Likert-type scale. The content validity of the 27-item pilot-scale was assessed by expert review. The pilot-scale was applied online to women aged over 18 years with a history of at least one full-term live delivery. After the pilot application, validity and reliability were analyzed. Results: The content validity ratios (CVR) of items were between 0.500-0.900, and the content validity index (CVI) of the scale was 0.690. The scale underwent item analysis for reliability, and factor analysis for validity assessment. Subsequently, a total of 15 items were removed due to increasing Cronbach's alpha coefficient (k=10) and if having a communality value below 0.30 in the extraction column of the communalities table (k=5). The remaining 12 items were collected under a single factor with an eigenvalue of 5.731 that explained 47.8% of the variance. The scale was found to be highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha 0.894, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability coefficient 0.796, Guttman split-half reliability coefficient 0.792). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for the 12-item scale. Conclusions: The newly developed 12-item Knowledge of Exercise during Pregnancy Scale is valid and reliable for use with Turkish women to assess knowledge of exercise during pregnancy.

Adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Stoma-QOL questionnaire among Chinese rectal cancer patients with colostomy.

The purpose of this study was to translate the Stoma-quality of life into Chinese and evaluate its psychometric properties in Chinese patients. Quality of life is an important issue for patients with colostomy, and its appropriate and precise measurement is beneficial to promoting better care. The Stoma-quality of life questionnaire has been widely used; however, the validity and reliability of its Chinese version has not been determined. A cross-sectional validation study was conducted. We translated the Stoma-quality of life into Chinese using standardized methods. Then it was psychometrically tested on a convenience sample of 513 patients with colostomy. Construct validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was measured with Cronbach's alpha and the split-half Spearman-Brown coefficient. The content validity, the Cronbach's α coefficient and the Spearman-Brown split-half reliability coefficient indicated adequate validity and reliability. The exploratory factor analysis yielded four common factors, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 67.5%. Moreover, the confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit. This study confirmed that the Chinese version of Stoma-quality of life is an effective and reliable measurement for evaluating the quality of life of patients with colostomy.

Validity, internal consistency, and responsiveness of the Turkish version of The Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study is to conduct validity (language, content and confirmatory factor), internal consistency and responsiveness properties for Turkish version of the Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised (FNQ-R). Methods It was carried out with 185 family members who met study inclusion criteria and provided care for the patients with TBI. Sociodemographic characteristics form and the FNQ-R were used as data collection tools. Validity was assessed by language validity, content validity and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and item-total correlation were used for reliability analysis. Responsiveness analyses were evaluated with infit and outfit statistics, person–item maps and point biserial correlation. Results The language validity of FNQ-R was provided by translation-back translation. The content validity index values were above 0.80. Fit indices were at an acceptable level in confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach alpha of subscales was found to be between 0.69 and 0.85 and Spearman–Brown split-half reliability was between 0.68 and 0.85. A positive and significant relationship was found between the subscales. The item fit statistics were at the acceptable level. Conclusion It has been determined that the FNQ-R is a valid and reliable measurement tool to identify the needs of the family members who provide care to patient with traumatic brain injury and can be used for Turkish population.

Reliability analysis of the Malay version of the center for epidemiologic studies-depression scale (CESD) among adolescents in Malaysia

Depression is a common mental disorder that affects many adolescents worldwide. Therefore, there is a need for reliable instruments to screen for depression symptoms among adolescents.This study aims to determine the reliability of the Malay version of the Centre of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD) among adolescents in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 65 adolescents ages between 12 and 14 years from two secondary schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur from May 2017 to July 2017. Cronbach’s alpha (α), McDonald's omega (ω), Spearman Brown split half reliability (rSB), and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were examine to determine the internal consistency and two week test-retest reliability. The overall CESD scale was found to have good internal consistency with α = 0.882 (95% CI 0.837, 0.914), ω = 0.886 (95% CI 0.837, 0.916) and rSB = 0.909. The CESD subscales, Somatic symptoms (α = 0.824; 95% CI 0.739, 0.878; ω = 0.828; 95% CI 0.738, 0.885; rSB = 0.825), Depressive affect (α = 0.822; 95% CI 0.745, 0.880; ω = 0.834; 95% CI 0.750, 0.884; rSB = 0.847) and Positive affect (α = 0.610; 95% CI 0.326, 0.721; ω = 0.612; 95% CI 0.379, 0.723 and rSB = 0.608) indicated acceptable to good internal consistency. The 2-week test–retest reliability ICC was 0.926 (95% CI 0.851, 0.961) for the total score reliability. The reliability analysis of the Malay version of CESD shows satisfactory α, ω, rSB and ICC values, therefore making it a reliable instrument to screen for depression among adolescents in Malaysia.

Desenvolvimento e validação de medidas psicofísicas de sensibilidade ao contraste de segunda-ordem

A medida de sensibilidade ao contraste (SC) de primeira ordem é frequentemente utilizada para avaliação da percepção espacial. Nosso objetivo foi desenvolver e validar um teste de SC de segunda ordem para aplicação clínica. Modificações metodológicas foram realizadas na rotina psicofísica para redução do tempo de testagem e no primeiro experimento validamos a nova metodologia. Em um segundo experimento, dezesseis participantes foram testados nas mesmas condições do primeiro experimento. As medidas de consistência interna por alfa de Cronbach foram robustas para a medida de primeira ordem sendo α= 0,788, segunda ordem por ruído branco α= 0,668 e por ruído rosa α= 0,717. O desenvolvimento e validação deste novo experimento para medidas de SC de segunda ordem permitirá avançar nos estudos dos mecanismos básicos da percepção de espaço para estímulos complexos, assim como a aplicação clínica em diversas doenças.

The Development and Psychometric Assessment of Chinese Medication Literacy Scale for Hypertensive Patients (C-MLSHP).

ObjectiveTo develop the medication literacy scale for patients with hypertension, and to test the reliability and validity of the scale.MethodsThe initial draft of the scale was formulated based on the operationalization of medication literacy with four core elements of knowledge, attitude, skill, and practice, and was developed through procedures of literature review, interviews to hypertensive patients, and research group discussion. Expert panel meeting, interviews, and pre-test on the initial draft of the scale to 10 hypertensive patients, as well as a two iterations of expert feedback were used to form a primary medication literacy scale for pilot investigation and item selection. In this study, 260 patients with hypertension in Changsha city of China were purposively selected to conduct a pilot survey using the primary medication literacy scale. After item selection by a series of statistical analysis method and item re-wording according to patients’ feedback, the scale was revised to form a formal investigation scale with four domains and 37 items. A formal investigation was carried out on 650 patients with hypertension selected purposively in a tertiary general hospital and two community health service centers in Changsha city of China. The reliability and validity of the scale were analyzed.ResultsFinally, the formal scale consists of four domains on knowledge, attitude, practice and skills, 11 sub-factors and 37 items in total. The scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) of this scale was 0.968, and the I-CVI for each item ranged from 0.833 to 1.000, indicating a good and acceptable content and face validity. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.849 for the overall scale and ranged from 0.744 to 0.783 for domains. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients between domains and the total scale were ranging from 0.530 to 0.799. Besides, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient among domains of the scale ranged from 0.157 to 0.439. The Spearman-Brown split-half reliability coefficient was 0.893 for the total scale and ranged from 0.793 to 0.872 for domains. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the total scale was 0.968 and ranged from 0.880 to 0.959 for domains. Four domains of knowledge, attitude, skill, and practice were identified through the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis from each domain. The total explained variation of domains for the overall scale was 51.420%. Eleven sub-factors for domains were extracted through respective exploratory factor analysis from each domain, and the total explained variation of sub-factors for its belonging domain were ranging from 56.111 to 64.419%. The confirmatory factor analysis showed the fit indices of the four-domain model were as follows (χ2/df=2.629, GFI=0.804, AGFI=0.777, RMR=0.012, IFI=0.746, RMSEA=0.066, PNFI=0.599, PCFI=0.689), which indicated an acceptable model fit.ConclusionsThe medication literacy scale for hypertensive patients has good reliability and acceptable validity, which is suitable and acceptable for evaluating the medication literacy level of hypertension patients in China. In the future, further construct and model fit validation and English translation with appropriate adaptation of this whole scale are required, so that this scale can be further validated and applied worldwide.

Validation of the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool for children in the Dominican Republic: Preliminary results.

BackgroundThis study initiated the validation process of a translated and adapted version of the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT) for children in the Dominican Republic (DR). Like Malawi before the development of the MDAT, the DR did not have early childhood development (ECD) tools explicitly designed for low-resource areas that are also valid assessments of child development. We chose MDAT because it underwent a rigorous validation process and retained measurements of test items that were culturally adaptable from the Denver Developmental Screening Test II. We aimed to test the internal consistency and inter-rater reliability of the MDAT in children under the age of two years living in low-income neighborhoods in Santo Domingo in 2017.Methods and findingsForty-two children from 2 to 24 months of age (mean = 11.26, SD = 6.37, boys = 22, girls = 20) and their corresponding caregiver participated in the study. We conducted a cross-sectional, pre-experimental study. The primary outcome measure was an index of ECD, as assessed by the Dominican adaptation of the MDAT. The tool evaluates children in four domains: social, fine motor, language, and gross motor. To determine internal consistency, we obtained Spearman-Brown split-half reliability for each sub-scale. The results showed a good consistency (>.6) for social, fine motor, and gross motor, and an acceptable consistency (>.5) for language. Second, to test the inter-rater reliability, we conducted a Kendall’s Taub test of independence for both the general scale and each sub-scale. Significant rτ scores ranged from .923 to .966, indicating appropriate inter-rater reliability. Third, we correlated the age variable with each subscale to determine if the development scale followed a progression of abilities that are expected to increase with maturation. The age variable correlated positively with all the subscales (social r = .887, p < .001; fine motor r = .799, p < .001; language r = .834, p < .001; gross motor r = .805, p < .001), indicating that the older the child, the better scores in the development measurements, as expected. There were no adverse events. This study, however, has multiple limitations. We did not gather information about socioeconomic position, which is an important variable when assessing child development; however, all participants lived in a low-income neighborhood. Given that this is the first ECD tool specific to the Dominican Republic, norm-referenced scores for the Dominican population do not yet exist. This study sample size is insufficient to make inferences about the national population.ConclusionsThis study represents the first attempt to obtain a valid tool to screen for development milestones in children living in poverty in the DR. More research is needed to refine the instrument. The availability of the tool will enable impact evaluations of ECD intervention programs and the development of evidence-based public policies in the DR.

Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the fear of intimacy with helping professionals scale.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the internal consistency, reliability, convergent validity, known-group comparisons, and structural validity of the Chinese version of Fear of Intimacy with Helping Professionals (C–FIS–HP) scale in Macau.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used on a sample of 593 older people in 6 health centers. We used Chinese version of Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale (C-ESCAS) and Morisky 4-item medication adherence scale to evaluate self-care actions and medication adherence. The internal consistency and reliability of C–FIS–HP were analyzed using the Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, Cronbach’s alpha, and test–retest reliability. Convergent validity was tested the construct of C–FIS–HP and self-care actions. Known-group comparisons differentiated predefined groups in an expected direction. Two separated samples were used to test the structural validity. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) tested the factor structure of C–FISHP using the principal axis factoring. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was further conducted to confirm the factor structure constructed in the prior EFA.ResultsThe C–FIS–HP had a Spearman-Brown split-half coefficient, Cronbach’s alpha, and intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.96, 0.93, and 0.96, respectively. Convergent validity was satisfactory with significantly correlations between the C-FIS-HP and C-ESCAS. C–FIS–HP to differentiate the differences between high-, moderate-, and low- medication adherence groups. EFA demonstrated a two-factor structure among 297 older people. A first-order CFA was performed to confirm the construct dimensionality of C–FIS–HP with satisfactory fit indices (NFI = 0.92; IFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94; CFI = 0.95 and RMSEA = 0.07) among 296 older people.ConclusionsC–FIS–HP is a reliable and valid test for assessing helping relationships in older Chinese people. Health professionals can use C–FIS–HP as a clinical tool to assess the comfort level of patients in a helping relationship, and use this information to develop culturally sensitive therapeutic interventions and treatment plans. Further studies need to be conducted concerning the different psychometric properties, as well as the application of C–FIS–HP in various regions.

A STUDY OF UNIVERSITY LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, NIGERIA

The study investigated the university life satisfaction among undergraduates. The study employed the survey design technique. The population consisted undergraduates of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. A total of four faculties out of the thirteen faculties in the school were selected using simple random sampling technique. From each faculty, 150 undergraduates were selected using convenience sampling technique. An adapted instrument titled “Students University Life Satisfaction Scale (SULSS)” was used to collect information from the students and the instrument yielded Spearman Brown Coefficients and Spearman Brown Split-half reliability tests values of 0.77 and 0.83 respectively at 0.05 level of significance. Percentage, rank order and t-test statistics were employed to analyse the data. The results showed that 342 (57%) of undergraduates were highly satisfied with the university life. It was revealed that the most factors that were responsible for the university life satisfaction among the undergraduates were academic activities 563 (94%), recreational activities 521 (87%) and spiritual programmes/activities 521 (88%). Also, the results showed that the problems of university life satisfaction were overcrowded lecture rooms 573 (96%), academic workload 548 (91%) and unstable academic calendar 538 (90%). Finally, the results showed that there was no significant difference between sex and university life satisfaction (t-test = -0.582, df.= 598, p > 0.05), but significant difference was found between place of residence and university life satisfaction (t-test = 0.012, df.= 598, p < 0.05), The study concluded that the students were highly satisfied with university life but depended much on factors such as academic activities, recreational activities and spiritual programmes/activities and physical facilities for their satisfaction. Article visualizations:

“Thinking Creatively with Sounds and Words: Sounds and Images IIA” validity study in the Turkish language

Creativity, although it had existed since the existence of humanity, nowadays it is gaining more and more importance. In this process, creativity have been addressed in a variety of ways such as the studies of development on creativity and determination of the level of creativity. For this reason some scales or tests have been developed. Developed tests in a certain culture or language have reflect this culture and language’s understanding and qualifications. It is important to be done in a systematic way to test or scale adaptation studies in order to be applicable and meaningful in different culture or language.The purpose of this research is to study the validity of the Turkish language of the Test of Thinking Creatively with Sounds and Words: Sounds and Images IIA developed by Torrance and Cunnington.Language validity study was conducted in the academic year 2014-2015 by Dokuz Eylül University Buca Education Faculty Department of Foreign Language Education and Literature Faculty Department of Translation and Interpreting 4. Grade students (n=55). For the reliability and validity study, the Sounds and Images IIA Turkish form was conducted in the academic year 2014-2015 by Dokuz Eylül University, Adnan Menderes University, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Education Faculty Department of music Education 1.- 4. Grade students (n=276).The reliability of the test was determined through the value of Cronbach’s Alpha. The Cronbach’s Alpha value of the Sounds and Images IIA English form was determined .64, for the Sounds and Images IIA Turkish form was determined .61 [.60 ≤ α &lt; .90]. To determine the correlation between English and Turkish forms the correlation analysis was made. The correlation was determined .81 and there is a positive significant relationship between scores [r=.81, p&lt;.01]. There isn’t statistically significant difference between the English and Turkish form scores [t=.29, p&gt;.01].The Sounds and Images IIA Turkish Form Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient is .61, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability coefficient is .59 [.60 ≤ α &lt; .90]. This result shows that the Sounds and Images IIA Turkish Form is a reliable measuring instrument for Turkish language.

Motives and Consequences of Online Game Addiction: A Scale Development Study.

We aimed to develop the Online Game Addiction Scale (OGAS) and examine its properties. Three hundred and twenty-seven secondary school students (92% males and 8% females) participated in this study. A draft scale that included 69 items was used for assessing its validity and reliability. The exploratory factor analysis was used for assessing construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability were used for assessing reliability. After performing the exploratory analyses, a three-factor structure comprising 21 items was obtained, which explained the 59% of variance. The factor loads of the items ranged from 0.606 to 0.876. Reliability analyses revealed that Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.91, coefficients of the Spearman-Brown split-half reliability ranged from 0.88 to 0.94, and outcomes of the test-retest reliability ranged from 0.71 to 0.94. Our results revealed that OGAS is a valid and reliable tool that has adequate psychometric properties.

AN EMPRICAL STUDY ON THE CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AND IT’S FFECT ON PERFORMANCE AT THE WORKPLACE OF SUPERMARKETS IN HYDERABAD

The research study reports the results on causes of occupational stress and its effect on the employee performance at the workplace of Supermarkets in Hyderabad. A survey of 200 employees consisting of 120 men and 80 women from the Supermarkets in around Hyderabad carried out to assess the nine independent stress causing factors Work Overload, Floor Manager, Role Ambiguity, Role Overload, Co-workers, Customer Behaviour and Satisfaction, Stock Handling, Shift System, Physiologicalfactors and its effect on employees’ Performance a dependent factor. The descriptive analysis, correlation techniques and parametric statistics like t-test carried out to arrive at the conclusions. To measure the reliability of the scale used in this study, and internal consistencies of the survey questionnaire, the reliability statistics Cronbach’s alpha (C-Alpha) and Spearman-Brown Split-Half reliability were estimated. The overall C-Alpha value is 0.84 whereas the Spearman-Brown Split-Half static is 0.92. The C-Alpha values ranged from 0.70 to 0.82, for all the 9 independent and one dependent factor. The results of the study indicate that the medium level occupational stress exist at the workplace in general, effecting the performance moderately. Health-wise, some supermarkets employees developed musculoskeletal disorders, chronic neck and back pain, an effect of long sitting hours at work and some employee developed chronic leg pains due to mild varicose vein disorders may be because of long standings and women employees of the supermarkets are more prone towards the occupational stress than men and employees experience more stress during the first ten days of the month because of heavy purchasing. The authors believe there are very few studies reported on occupational stress in the area of supermarkets.

A Comparative Analysis on the Causes of Occupational Stress among Men and Women Employees and its Effect on Performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector, Hyderabad

The research study presents the outcome of a comparative analysis on causes of occupational stress among the Men and Women employees and its effect on the employee performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector (ITS), Hyderabad. A survey of 200 employees consisting 110 Men and 90 Women working in the IT sector was carried out to assess the six independent stress causing factors Job related, Organizational Related, Career, Physiological, Behavioral and Individual factors and its effect on employees’ Performance a dependent factor. The descriptive analysis, correlation techniques and parametric statistics like t-test, F-test and multiple regression analysis carried out to arrive at the conclusions. To measure the reliability of the scale used for this study, and internal consistencies of the survey questionnaire, the reliability static Cronbach’s alpha (C-alpha) and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability statistics were estimated. The overall C-alpha is 0.89 whereas the Spearman-Brown split half statistic is 0.83. The C-alpha values ranged from 0.62 to 0.76 for Men and 0.60 to 0.74 for Women, for all the 6 independent and one dependent factor. The results of the study indicate that the medium level occupational stress exists at the workplace in general, effecting the performance moderately. Health-wise, some employees developed chronic neck and back pain, an effect of long sitting hours at work. The study confirms that Women will have more stress than Men, however the factors causing the stress among the Men and Women are not similar.

A Comparative Analysis on the Causes of Occupational Stress among Men and Women Employees and its Effect on Performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector, Hyderabad

The research study presents the outcome of a comparative analysis on causes of occupational stress among the Men and Women employees and its effect on the employee performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector (ITS), Hyderabad. A survey of 200 employees consisting 110 Men and 90 Women working in the IT sector was carried out to assess the six independent stress causing factors Job related, Organizational Related, Career, Physiological, Behavioral and Individual factors and its effect on employees’ Performance a dependent factor. The descriptive analysis, correlation techniques and parametric statistics like t-test, F-test and multiple regression analysis carried out to arrive at the conclusions. To measure the reliability of the scale used for this study, and internal consistencies of the survey questionnaire, the reliability static Cronbach’s alpha (C-alpha) and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability statistics were estimated. The overall C-alpha is 0.89 whereas the Spearman-Brown split half statistic is 0.83. The C-alpha values ranged from 0.62 to 0.76 for Men and 0.60 to 0.74 for Women, for all the 6 independent and one dependent factor. The results of the study indicate that the medium level occupational stress exists at the workplace in general, effecting the performance moderately. Health-wise, some employees developed chronic neck and back pain, an effect of long sitting hours at work. The study confirms that Women will have more stress than Men, however the factors causing the stress among the Men and Women are not similar.