Coping through emotional approach: Problems of conceptualizaton and confounding.

Two studies supported hypotheses that (1) published scales tapping coping through processing and expressing emotion are confounded with psychopathology; (2) previously demonstrated relations between emotional approach coping (EAC) and maladjustment are partially spurious; and (3) EAC, when tapped by items uncontaminated by distress, is beneficial under specific conditions. In Study 1, 194 psychologists rated a majority of published items, but no author-constructed EAC item, as indicative of pathology. Study 2 assessed relations of confounded and unconfounded EAC scales to 171 young adults' adjustment during stressful events. Confounded items evidenced weaker discriminant validity with distress measures than did unconfounded items, and they were weaker predictors of later maladjustment when initial adjustment was controlled than when it was not. Unconfounded EAC predicted improved adjustment for women and poorer adjustment for men over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of a Coping with Discrimination Scale: Factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Coping With Discrimination Scale (CDS). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (N = 328) identified 5 factors: Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, Resistance, and Detachment, with internal consistency reliability estimates ranging from .72 to .90. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 328) provided cross-validation of the 5-factor model as well as evidence for validity of the scale. The validity evidence was similar across racial groups and for males and females. In Study 3, the estimated 2-week test–retest reliabilities (N = 53) were between .48 and .85 for the 5 factors. Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Detachment were positively associated with active coping, self-blame, substance use, and behavioral disengagement, respectively, providing further support for validity of the CDS. Finally, incremental validity evidence was obtained in Study 4 (N = 220), where it was shown that the CDS explained variance in outcome variables (i.e., depression, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and ethnic identity) that could not be explained by general coping strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deriving childhood temperament measures from emotion-eliciting behavioral episodes: Scale construction and initial validation.

The authors describe the development and initial validation of a home-based version of the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB), which was designed to assess childhood temperament with a comprehensive series of emotion-eliciting behavioral episodes. This article provides researchers with general guidelines for assessing specific behaviors using the Lab-TAB and for forming behavioral composites that correspond to commonly researched temperament dimensions. We used mother ratings and independent postvisit observer ratings to provide validity evidence in a community sample of 4.5-year-old children. 12 Lab-TAB behavioral episodes were employed, yielding 24 within-episode temperament components that collapsed into 9 higher level composites (Anger, Sadness, Fear, Shyness, Positive Expression, Approach, Active Engagement, Persistence, and Inhibitory Control). These dimensions of temperament are similar to those found in questionnaire-based assessments. Correlations among the 9 composites were low to moderate, suggesting relative independence. As expected, agreement between Lab-TAB measures and postvisit observer ratings was stronger than agreement between the Lab-TAB and mother questionnaire. However, for Active Engagement and Shyness, mother ratings did predict child behavior in the Lab-TAB quite well. Findings demonstrate the feasibility of emotion-eliciting temperament assessment methodologies, suggest appropriate methods for data aggregation into trait-level constructs and set some expectations for associations between Lab-TAB dimensions and the degree of cross-method convergence between the Lab-TAB and other commonly used temperament assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scale construction.

The design, development, and evaluation of scales for use in counseling psychology research are discussed. Methods of scale construction described include the Thurstone, Q-sort, rank-order methods, Likert, semantic differential, Guttman, Rasch, and external criterion methods. Strengths and weaknesses, advantages, and disadvantages are considered, and ways of evaluating newly developed scales are presented. Other issues such as measurement versus statistics, bandwidth versus fidelity, empirical versus rational methods, response bias, and multimethod measurement are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation.

In Study I, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was administered to 425 undergraduates. Analyses yielded a three component solution comprising (a) rumination, (b) magnification, and (c) helplessness. In Study 2, 30 undergraduate participants were classified as catastrophizers (n?=?15) or noncatastrophizers (n?=?15) on the basis of their PCS scores and participated in a cold pressor procedure. Catastrophizers reported significantly more negative pain-related thoughts, greater emotional distress, and greater pain intensity than noncatastrophizers. Study 3 examined the relation between PCS scores, negative pain-related thoughts, and distress in 28 individuals undergoing an aversive electrodiagnostic medical procedure. Catastrophizers reported more negative pain-related thoughts, more emotional distress, and more pain than noncatastrophizers. Study 4 examined the relation between the PCS and measures of depression, trait anxiety, negative affectivity, and fear of pain. Analyses revealed moderate correlations among these measures, but only the PCS contributed significant unique variance to the prediction of pain intensity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Older Adult Disability Scale: Development and validation.

Examined the development and validity of the Older Adult Disability Scale (OADS), a self-report instrument designed to measure attitudes toward older adults (aged 60 yrs and older) with physical disabilities. Data from a community sample (n ?=?207) were used for alpha coefficients, subscale intercorrelations, demographic correlations, and factor analyses. Data from a reliability sample (n ?=?27) were used for a 2-week test-retest reliability check; and data from an identified "positive attitude" sample of health care professionals and students (n ?=?57) were used to test construct validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed resulting in a 36-item instrument with four subscales of Cranky Dependency, Discomfort with Aging, Positive Attributes of Aging, and Negative Expectations of Disability. Satisfactory internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and moderately high subscale intercorrelations were found. Validity was supported by the highly significant differences in OADS scores between the "positive attitude" and community samples. In conclusion, the OADS provides a promising measure of attitudes toward older adults with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Pain Coping Questionnaire: preliminary validation

Breda virus (BRV), a member of the genus torovirus, is an established etiological agent of diarrhea of cattle, which is found as two separate serotypes, BRV-1 and BRV-2. In this study, a 7.5 kb fragment of the BRV-1 genome that bracketed the genes for the structural proteins of BRV was amplified by long RT-PCR and the amplicon purified and sequenced directly. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of four open reading frames (ORF) corresponding to the peplomer (S), envelope (M), and nucleocapsid (N) genes, and an ORF for a novel 1.2 kb gene located between the M and N genes. This new gene was identical in nucleotide sequence to the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) gene of BRV-2. With the exception of this new ORF, BRV-1 manifests 80% nucleotide sequence identity with the torovirus prototype, Berne virus (BEV) in the 7.5 kb region from the 3' end of the genome that contains the genes for the structural proteins. A 504 base segment containing the ORF for the BRV-1 N gene was amplified by RT-PCR, and cloned into an Escherichia coli expression system. The resulting protein was purified by SDS-PAGE and used to immunize guinea pigs. Hyperimmune serum was reactive with bovine torovirus (BTV) and human torovirus (HTV) antigens. By immunoelectron microscopy, it was shown to aggregate broken but not intact torovirus particles from BTV-positive fecal specimens. By immunoblot, the hyperimmune serum reacted specifically with the 20 kD N proteins of both BTV and HTV, as well as with the expressed N protein. BRV-1 and BRV-2 immune sera from gnotobiotic calves, but not human convalescent sera from HTV-infected patients, reacted with the expressed N protein by immunoblot. These findings were applied to the design of a dot blot assay that could specifically detect BTV and HTV from fecal specimens.     

The Gambling Craving Scale: Psychometric validation and behavioral outcomes.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 23(4) of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (see record 2009-24023-002). Some data in Table 4 was inadvertently omitted. The complete Table 4 is presented in the erratum.] Although craving is an important feature of problem gambling, there is a paucity of research investigating craving to gamble. A major stumbling block for craving research in gambling has been the lack of a methodologically sound, multidimensional measure of gambling-related craving. This article reports the development of the Gambling Craving Scale (GACS). In Study 1 (N = 220), a factor analysis revealed the emergence of a 9-item scale with 3 factors: Anticipation, Desire, and Relief. An important finding was that the GACS predicted problem gambling severity, depression, and positive and negative affect. In Study 2 (N = 145), the factor structure of the GACS was confirmed using a community sample of gamblers. In Study 3 (N = 46), GACS scores significantly predicted persistence at play on a virtual slot machine in the face of continued loss. Specifically, the more participants craved to gamble, the longer they engaged in play. The implications of craving for the development and maintenance of problem gambling severity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The White Privilege Attitudes Scale: Development and initial validation.

In this article, the authors describe 3 interrelated investigations among White undergraduate and graduate students that document the development and initial validation of the White Privilege Attitudes Scale (WPAS). The WPAS assesses the multidimensional nature of White privilege attitudes, reflecting affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. In Study 1 (n = 250), exploratory factor analysis suggested a 28-item scale with 4 factors as follows: (a) Willingness to Confront White Privilege, (b) Anticipated Costs of Addressing White Privilege, (c) White Privilege Awareness, and (d) White Privilege Remorse. In Study 2 (n = 251), confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 4-factor model was a better fit of the data compared with competing models. The authors also found support for convergent validity between scores on the WPAS factors and theoretically related measures. Study 3 (n = 40) documented test–retest reliability of each of the WPAS factors and nonsignificant associations with socially desirable responding. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Deaf Identity Development Scale: A revision and validation.

The Deaf Identity Development Scale (DIDS; N. S. Glickman, 1993) was revised on the basis of recommendations by N. S. Glickman and was validated on a sample of 323 hearing-impaired participants residing in the southwestern part of the United States. The DIDS is an instrument designed to measure 4 deaf identity constructs: hearing, marginal, immersion, and bicultural. The findings were tested according to the deaf identity development theory and the data were analyzed for internal consistency reliability, item-to-scale reliability, and interscale correlations. Results of these and factor analysis support the existence of 4 relatively independent deaf identities. Results of 4 separate analyses of variance with post hoc multiple comparisons reveal that onset and severity of hearing loss influences one's deaf identity development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective personality and the content of emotional social support: Coping in organizations.

This field study extended previous research by simultaneously examining the influence of affective personality on 4 dimensions of emotional social support and job burnout. Furthermore, the dimensions of emotional social support were examined as to their differential effects on the components of burnout. Results suggest that affective personality characteristics are associated with emotional social support as well as burnout dimensions. Results also indicate that some types of emotional social support appear to guard against burnout, whereas other types appear to contribute to the burnout experience. These findings suggest that types of emotional social support may have different personality antecedents and that distinct dimensions of social support have differential consequences in regard to burnout. Suggestions for future research are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Creative Behaviour Disposition Scale: A Canadian validation.

Reports that the Creative Behaviour Disposition Scale (CBDS) had adequate validity, reliability, and internal consistency when tested on 181 Canadian university students. The CBDS is seen as providing a broader base for measuring creativity than other tests and, with both Canadian and American norms, may be used to compare populations. (French summary) (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of the State Hope Scale.

Defining hope as a cognitive set comprising agency (belief in one's capacity to initiate and sustain actions) and pathways(belief in one's capacity to generate routes)to reach goals, the Hope Scale was developed and validated previously as a dispositional self-report measure of hope ( C. R. Snyder et al, see record 1991-17270-001). The present 4 studies were designed to develop and validate a measure of state hope. The 6-item State Hope Scale is internally consistent and reflects the theorized agency and pathways components. The relationships of the State Hope Scale to other measures demonstrate concurrent and discriminant validity; moreover, the scale is responsive to events in the lives of people as evidenced by data gathered through both correlational and causal designs. The State Hope Scale offers a brief, internally consistent, and valid self-report measure of ongoing goal-directed thinking that may be useful to researchers and applied professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of the Ostomy Adjustment Scale.

Describes the development of the Ostomy Adjustment Scale, which is designed to measure psychological adjustment to ostomy surgery. 53 19–83 yr old ostomy patients responded to a mail questionnaire used for development of the scale; 30 of these Ss also completed a retest approximately 1 mo later. A 34-item scale comprised of items to be responded to on a 6-point Likert scale was developed. The scale was found to be reliable, and discriminant validity from measures of self-esteem and social desirability was demonstrated. Scores on the scale were related to time since surgery, return to work, and the amount of choice and preparation given Ss regarding the surgery. The scale also discriminated between these Ss and 31 undergraduates asked to simulate ostomy patients' responses. Factor analysis of the scale and the development of 2 short forms are also discussed. It is concluded that the scale will be useful in clinical practice with ostomates and in further research on adjustment to ostomy surgery. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social and emotional messages of smiling: An ethological approach.

Naturalistic observation at a bowling alley (N?=?1,793 balls) shows that bowlers often smiled when socially engaged, looking at and talking to others, but not necessarily after scoring a spare or a strike. In a 2nd study, bowlers (N?=?166 balls) rarely smiled while facing the pins but often smiled when facing their friends. At a hockey game, fans (N?=?3,726 faces) smiled both when they were socially involved and after events favorable to their team. Pedestrians (N?=?663) were much more likely to smile when talking but only slightly more likely to smile in response to nice weather than to unpleasant weather. These 4 studies suggest a strong and robust association of smiling with a social motivation and an erratic association with emotional experience. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Referential Thinking Scale as a measure of schizotypy: Scale development and initial construct validation.

This article describes the development of a measure of schizotypic referential thinking. The authors present a 34-item questionnaire that includes a wide variety of referential thoughts and experiences, including both simple and guilty ideas of reference. The Referential Thinking Scale (REF) displays adequate internal consistency and strong relations with other measures of schizotypy, such as the well-known Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation Scales. Item-level factor analysis of the REF suggests that referential thought is multidimensional in nature, including both simple and guilty ideas of reference components. The REF displays minimal relations with acquiescence, social desirability, and sex. The REF does not appear to assess normative personality constructs that involve heightened self-awareness such as self-monitoring, self-consciousness, or social desirability, nor does it appear to be unduly related to psychological state variables. The REF was developed in order to provide an additional schizotypy measure for use in large-scale screening efforts and schizotypy studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development and validation of a test of emotional styles.

Developed the Test of Emotional Styles based on 3 dimensions of emotionality: responsiveness (intensity of affect), expressiveness (interpersonal communication of affect), and orientation (attitudes toward emotion). 3 measures of these dimensions (incomplete sentences, true-false, and forced choice) were analyzed in a multitrait-multimethod matrix. Construct validity was established by correlations with peer ratings of emotionality, experimentally induced affect, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale, the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank, and the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory. There was substantial support for convergent and discriminant validity, and the measures were unconfounded with adjustment or social desirability. Females scored significantly higher than males on all dimensions in a sample of 120 undergraduates. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Integrated Developmental Model of supervison: Scale development and validation procedures.

Despite the growing empirical evidence for developmental models of supervision, the need for reliable, valid assessment procedures for identifying a trainee's level of development exists. This study sought to address this need by administering an instrument designed to assess constructs relevant to C. D. Stoltenberg and U. Delworth's (1987) Integrated Development Model (IDM) to counseling and clinical psychology trainees of varying levels of graduate education, counseling, and supervision experience. Primary data provided support for the IDM and suggested construct validity for the Supervisee Levels Questionnaire—Revised because scores on the instrument differed for certain trainee groups who varied in amount of previous training and experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mentors' perceptions of negative mentoring experiences: Scale development and nomological validation.

Three studies were conducted to develop a psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of mentors' perceptions of negative experiences with their protégés. In Study 1, items were developed, and content-related validity was established. In Study 2, CFA was used to establish the dimensionality of the new measure. Construct-related (convergent and discriminant) and criterion-related validity evidence were also obtained by using data from matched mentor-protégé dyads. Study 3 replicated the factor structure of the instrument and provided additional validity evidence by using a sample of female academic mentors. The findings are discussed in terms of broadening the scope of mentoring research to consider the mentor's perspective of relationship problems and dyadic processes in mentoring relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)