Parents' perceptions of caregiving: development and validation of a measure of processes

The authors describe the development of a 56-item questionnaire, the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC-56), designed to find out what parents of a child with a chronic health problem think of the services they and their child receive and of how those services affect psychosocial outcome. The instrument is internally consistent and is reliable on retests. Its validity was shown by positive correlations of its five scales with parents' satisfaction, and negative correlations with parents' stress in relation to services received. The MPOC-56 is a generic measure which can be used for clinical, quality assurance and research purposes.     

The development of a multifaceted measure of rehabilitation effectiveness: Theoretical rationale and scale construction.

Describes the construction and validation of the Human Service Scale, a test of a theory of rehabilitation outcome, using the responses of 1,018 15–60 yr old clients of vocational rehabilitation agencies in 29 states and 1 territory. It was found that clients' responses were similar to Maslow's (1970) categories of basic human needs and that the study can be considered a partial test of the validity of applying Maslow's theory to the measurement of rehabilitation effectiveness. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of a scale to measure concepts of schizophrenia: experience among Brazilian psychiatrists

During anthropogenic activities, such as agricultural soil management and traffic on unpaved roads, size distribution measurements were performed of atmospheric particulate radionuclides at a site in the Chernobyl 30-km exclusion zone. Analysis of cascade impactor measurements showed an increase of the total atmospheric radioactivity. In the cases of harrowing by a tractor and traffic on unpaved roads, a common shape of the size distribution was found with two maxima, the first in the 2-4 microm range, the second in the 12-20 microm range. The size distributions were compared to measurements during wind-driven resuspension. Particle number concentration measurements with an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer showed a dynamic dependence of the particle concentration in different size ranges on anthropogenic action. The increase of the mean concentration was for the large particles more than one order of magnitude higher than for fine particles during anthropogenic enhanced resuspension. From the measurement of the mass concentration, the radioactive loading could be estimated. An enrichment of radionuclides on resuspended particles (compared to soil particles) was found, with the highest enrichment for large particles. Micrometeorological considerations showed that large particles may frequently be subject to medium range transport. The dry deposition velocity was measured; the mean value of 0.026 m s(-1) +/- 0.016 m s(-1) is typical for 6-9 microm diameter particles.     

Preliminary development and validation of a measure of relationship authenticity.

The authors describe the preliminary development and validation of the Authenticity in Relationships Scale. An initial pool of 37 items addressing various elements of the proposed definition of "relationship authenticity" was administered to 2 independent samples of undergraduates (N = 487) who acknowledged being in a current romantic relationship. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that 2 interpretable factors (Unacceptability of Deception, Intimate Risk Taking) effectively represented the data in both samples. Retest data over a 3-month interval were also gathered from a separate independent sample of 121 participants. Subscale scores composed of factor-unique items demonstrated good reliability and test-retest stability, correlated in expected directions with scores on several measures used to establish construct validity, and made unique contributions to the prediction of relationship satisfaction after gender, self-esteem, commitment level, and adult attachment orientations were controlled. (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)     

Emotion regulation among school-age children: The development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale.

To foster the study of emotion regulation beyond infancy and toddlerhood, a new criterion Q-sort was constructed. In Study 1, Q-scales for emotion regulation and autonomy were developed, and analyses supported their discriminant validity. Study 2 further explored the construct validity of the Emotion Regulation Q-Scale within a sample of 143 maltreated and 80 impoverished children, aged 6 to 12 years. A multitrait-multimethod matrix and confirmatory factor analyses indicated impressive convergence among the Emotion Regulation Q-Scale and established measures of affect regulation. This new scale also was discriminable from measures of related constructs, including Q-sort assessments of ego resiliency. The use of this new measure was further supported by its ability to distinguish between maltreated and comparison children and between groups of well-regulated versus dysregulated children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Perceptions of Fair Interpersonal Treatment Scale: development and validation of a measure of interpersonal treatment in the workplace

The Perceptions of Fair Interpersonal Treatment (PFIT) scale was designed to assess employees' perceptions of the interpersonal treatment in their work environment. Analyses of the factor structure and reliability of this new instrument indicate that the PFIT scale is a reliable instrument composed of 2 factors: supervisor treatment and coworker treatment. It was hypothesized that the PFIT scale would be positively correlated with job satisfaction variables and negatively correlated with work withdrawal, job withdrawal, experiences of sexual harassment, and an organization's tolerance of sexual harassment. Results based on 509 employees in a private-sector organization and 217 female faculty and staff members at a large midwestern university supported these hypotheses. Arguments that common method variance and employees' dispositions are responsible for the significant correlations between the PFIT scale and other job-related variables were eliminated. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Abnormality as a positive characteristic: The development and validation of a scale measuring need for uniqueness.

Defines need for uniqueness as a positive striving for abnormality relative to other people. Recent research regarding situational determinants of uniqueness motivation is described, and a dispositional individual-differences measure of need for uniqueness is presented. The development of the Uniqueness Scale aims at insuring construct validity as a guide for the item selection. The internal reliabilities, item-remainder coefficients, test–retest reliabilities, cross-validation information, factor analysis, and discriminant validation data are presented, and all meet the normal psychometric criteria expected of an individual-differences measure. Additionally, 8 separate validational studies, conducted with a total of 1,523 US and Israeli college students, are presented. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The adult self expression scale: validation by the multitrait-multimethod procedure

The present studies were designed to provide further validation of the Adult Self Expression Scale as a measure of assertive behavior for adults in general. Validation was approached by the Campbell and Fiske multitrait-multimethod procedure and was concerned with the convergent relationship of assertion as measured by the Scale with measures of dominance and abasement as well as the discriminant capability of the instrument in terms of its relationship to various types of aggression, both verbal and physical. A variety of self-report, peer-rating, and unobtrusive measures were obtained from four distinct samples: participants in avocational interest classes at a technical institute, adults enrolled in an evening course in counseling theories at a state university, psychiatric inpatients, and convicted male felons. The results indicated that the Adult Self Expression Scale exhibits moderately strong convergent validity and moderate discriminant validity. The utility of the scale as a measure of assertive behavior for use with adults in general was supported.     

A measure of positive and negative affect for children: Scale development and preliminary validation.

A child version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; D. Watson et al, see record 1988-31508-001), the PANAS-C, was developed using students in Grades 4–8 (N?=?707). Item selection was based on psychometric and theoretical grounds. The resulting Negative Affect (NA) and Positive Affect (PA) scales demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity with existing self-report measures of childhood anxiety and depression; the PANAS-C performed much like its adult namesake. Overall, the PANAS-C, like the adult PANAS, is a brief, useful measure that can be used to differentiate anxiety from depression in youngsters. As such, this instrument addresses the shortcomings of existing measures of childhood anxiety and depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of self-efficacy and coping with cancer: Development and validation of the Cancer Behavior Inventory.

This article reports the development of a measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer. Items culled from a variety of sources were chosen for inclusion in the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI) based on the psychometric properties of the items and the fit of the items in a factor structure. Factor analysis on a group of 502 persons with cancer yielded 6 factors: (a) Maintenance of Activity and Independence (α?=?.89), (b) Coping With Treatment-Related Side Effects (α?=?.88), (c) Accepting Cancer/Maintaining Positive Attitude (α?=?.87), (d) Seeking and Understanding Medical Information (α?=?.88), (e) Affective Regulation (α?=?.75), and (f) Seeking Support (α?=?.77). Cronbach's α for the entire measure was .96, and correlations with other measures supported its validity. The CBI may be useful for research and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The sickness impact profile: validation of a health status measure

Postmortem concentration of the three immunoglobulins IgA, IgG and IgM has been studied by single radial immunodiffusion in 81 cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy and in 6 deaths between 2 and 11 years of age. The examinations of serum were repeated after several days after the sera had been kept at different temperatures. For comparison the serum immunoglobulin levels of IgA, IgG and IgM were determined in 11 corpses of adults directly after death and again 1 or 2 days later. Results: With the radial immunodiffusion method postmortem serum immunglobulins are determinable. A critical estimation of postmortem IgA-, IgG- and IgM serum levels has to consider postmortem protein modifications and keeping sera at higher temperatures (+44 degrees C., + 20 degrees C.) For determinations at a later date sera must be kept at -35 degrees C. The measured postmortem serum levels of IgA and IgG in cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy correspond with the normal variation of value in healthy children of the same age. The lowest concentrations of IgG were found about the 5th. month in infancy. Many of the IgM levels were higher than the normal mean value in healthy children of the same age. This is not caused by postmortem influences. The higher IgM concentration in sera suggest an active immunological reaction before death.     

Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children.

Two studies describe the development and preliminary validation of a multidimensional measure of children's life satisfaction, the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). In the 1st study, a preliminary version of the MSLSS was administered to a sample of 312 elementary school students. The final version of the scale demonstrated a 5-factor solution and acceptable internal consistency for the total and subscale scores. In the 2nd study, the factor structure findings were cross-validated with an independent sample of 413 elementary school students. Acceptable internal consistency estimates were obtained again for total and subscale scores. For the most part, MSLSS subscales correlated in expected ways with various criterion measures. Total satisfaction scores also related predictably to demographic variables. The MSLSS appears useful for research purposes with preadolescent students (Grades 3–5). Suggestions for further research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health behavior in persons with spinal cord injury: development and initial validation of an outcome measure

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and initial psychometric properties of a new outcome measure for health behaviors that delay or prevent secondary impairments associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Persons with SCI were surveyed during routine annual physical evaluations. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury Unit, which specializes in primary care for persons with SCI. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine persons with SCI, aged 19-73 years, 1-50 years post-SCI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The newly developed Spinal Cord Injury Lifestyle Scale (SCILS). RESULTS: Internal consistency is high (alpha = 0.81). Correlations between clinicians' ratings of participants' health behavior and the new SCILS provide preliminary support for construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: The SCILS is a brief, self-report measure of health-related behavior in persons with SCI. It is a promising new outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical and educational efforts for health maintenance and prevention of secondary impairments associated with SCI.     

The Bedford Alzheimer Nursing Severity scale for the severely demented: validation study

Forty-three consecutive patients of venomous snakebite by the Japanese viper (Agkistrodon halys Blomhoffii, "Mamushi" in Japanese) were treated with an uniformly scheduled therapy from 1990 and 1994. The therapy was mainly composed of minimal dose of antivenin, methylprednisolon and cepharanthin. There were two clinical courses, i.e., the minimal envenomation course (Group A, n = 14) and the severe one (Group B, n = 29). Our treatment was so satisfactory that all patients of both groups fully recovered activities of daily living with neither organic disorders nor sequelae of the bitten extremities. The high appearance ratio of atypical lymphocytes (P < 0.05) and the increased ratio of lymphocyte count to White blood cell count (P < 0.02) could be indicators that predict which clinical courses the patients take.     

The Caregiver Activity Survey (CAS): development and validation of a new measure for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND: Most instruments that measure the impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease assess symptom severity. Little attention has been paid to the illness's impact on the time formal and informal caregivers spend caring for Alzheimer's individuals. A tool that measures the time spent caregiving would help to determine the economic impact of the illness. The Caregiver Activity Survey (CAS) was developed to measure the time caregivers spend aiding Alzheimer's patients with their day-to-day activities. METHODS: The test-retest reliability of the CAS was assessed during a 3-week study with 42 Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. The CAS was validated with the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the Physical Self Maintenance Scale (PSMS). RESULTS: The final version of the CAS consists of six items (communicating with the person, using transportation, eating, dressing, looking after one's appearance and supervising the person). The six-item CAS total score has high test-retest reliability, with ICC = 0.88 between weeks 1 and 3. The scale has strong convergent validity with the ADAS-Cog (r = 0.61), MMSE (r = -0.57) and PSMS (r = 0.43). Efforts to include a dimension that reflects caregiver burden were not successful, in part due to the reluctance of caregivers to acknowledge that caregiving is bothersome. CONCLUSIONS: The CAS provides a new tool that measures time spent caring for Alzheimer's individuals. The instrument may be used to augment existing clinical assessments that measure the efficacy of potentially therapeutic agents for persons with Alzheimer's disease.     

The Repression-Sensitization scale as a measure of adjustment: Relationship with the CPI.

The repression-sensitization dimension has been hypothesized to be associated with adjustment in a curvilinear fashion with both sensitizers and repressers showing more evidence of maladjustment than neutrals. The Repression-Sensitization (R-S) scale and the CPI were administered to 91 college undergraduates and intercorrelated. Approximately ? of the CPI scales yielded significant negative correlations with the R-S scale. Rather than the hypothesized curvilinear relationship, repressers appear to be the best adjusted of the 3, sensitizers the most maladjusted, while neutrals fall between the 2 defense groups. The 7 CPI scales which relate most consistently to repression-sensitization are Sociability, Sense of Well-Being, Self-Control, Tolerance, Good Impression, Achievement via Conformance, and Intellectual Efficiency. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Inventory of Functional Status-Dialysis: development and testing

Pet and wildlife populations are a potential source of various public health problems, and injuries and complications due to animal bites and scratches are the most obvious. As no population based data on the frequency of animal bites were available at a national level in Switzerland, a study was conducted by the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network. The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence of medical consultations due to bite and scratch injuries in humans caused by vertebrate animals, to identify possible risk factors, and to assess bite management habits in primary health care. An annual bite and scratch incidence rate of 325 per 100,000 population was estimated. Consultations peaked during the summer months and geographical differences in the reported incidence were observed. Dogs accounted for more than 60% and cats for about 25% of all cases reported. Animal bites and scratches were frequent in persons under 20 years of age. In most ages, the incidence was higher among women than among men, but not in children under the age of ten years. The incidence of cat bites was especially high in adult women. Bites to the head and neck were most frequent in infants and young children and accounted for approximately one third of the reported cases in this age group. Patients sought medical care principally for primary wound care (52.0%) and for vaccination advice (29.6%). Rabies postexposure prophylaxis was initiated in 1.1% of patients. Wound infection was reported in 10.9% of cases, with cat bites/scratches being more often infected than injuries due to dogs. Hospitalization was reported in 0.3 % of patients. Data from the emergency department of two district hospitals showed that head and neck injuries were more frequent in out-patients and a higher proportion of persons presented with wound infections (14.1%). The hospitalization rate for emergency department visits was 4.7%. Animal bites and scratches are common events in Switzerland. They represent a public health issue of growing importance due to the steadily increasing pet population. A practice based sentinel surveillance system may be an appropriate tool to monitor national trends in animal bites and scratches.     

The Body Investment Scale: Construction and validation of a body experience scale.

A new measure of emotional investment in the body is presented. The Body Investment Scale (BIS) pertains especially to self-destructive behavior and can be used to study a variety of normal and pathological behaviors. Studies 1 and 2 describe the construction of the BIS, factor analysis, and a group comparison (suicidal and nonsuicidal inpatients and normal adolescents). Study 3 tested the relationship between the BIS, physical anhedonia, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Study 4 examined the relationship between the BIS, perceived early care, self-esteem, and suicidal tendencies. The BIS consists of four internally reliable factors (body image feelings and attitudes, comfort in touch, body care, and body protection). The construct validity hypotheses were confirmed. The relevance of the BIS to self-destructive behavior and related processes is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)