Construct refinement and confirmation for the Addiction Severity Index.

A series of analyses reconstruct and confirm the validity and reliability of hypothesized scales for the Addiction Severity Index. Using a diverse sample (n?=?990) of methadone maintenance substance abuse patients, a multistage scaling strategy was applied to identify 7 psychometrically integral addiction problem scales. Exploratory item analyses, confirmatory oblique item clustering, and 2nd order factor analysis verified that the scales comprised relatively little common variance and that each retained a substantial amount of unique and reliable variance. Concurrent and predictive validity were supported with a sample of 244 methadone patients assessed throughout treatment. The advantages of the new scales are discussed, including provision of computer code for calculating normalized standard scores for use in clinical practice and treatment outcome research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of self-reports of alcohol and other drug use: A multitrait-multimethod assessment.

Used 4 methods (self-reported rating, self-reported intake, peer-reported rating, and peer-reported intake) and multiple analytical criteria to assess the construct validity of reports of 3 types of substance use (alcohol, marihuana, and cigarettes) in a study of 194 college students who were members of friendship pairs. Ss answered questions about their own use and their friend's use of substances, classified their own and their friend's use of each substance according to 6 categories, and completed scales measuring the negative consequences of marihuana and alcohol. The resulting multitrait-multimethod matrix was analyzed in the traditional fashion as well as with confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and discriminant validity for the 3 substance use traits were quite adequate, although the validity of the peer-reported intake measure of alcohol use may be considered inadequate according to some criteria. Results demonstrate the usefulness of multimethod assessment and confirmatory factor analysis for research on construct validity and for derivation of more accurate measures of drug use. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of item weights and scale lengths for the SVIB.

7 SVIB scales were developed and cross validated on 461 managers from 13 varied Minnesota companies. Questions studied were (a) Which item weighting method results in the highest scale validity? (b) Are shorter scales as valid as longer scales? (c) How much may scales be shortened? (d) Why may they be shortened? Controls for scale length, content, validity, and for item weighting method were introduced. Results indicated (a) there was no practical difference in validities between simple unit versus variably weighted scales, (b) shorter scales were as valid as longer scales, (c) Clark's "40 to 60 item optimum scale length" hypothesis was supported, (d) although not conclusive, shorter scales appeared superior partly because their average item validities were greater and thus they perhaps should not be used where developmental item pools are rich in valid items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Using emerging international guidelines, stringent procedures were used to develop and evaluate Canadian-French, German and UK translations/adaptions of the 50 item, parent-completed Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF50). Multitrait analysis was used to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of the hypothesized item sets across countries relative to the results obtained for a representative sample of children in the US. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to estimate the internal consistency reliability for each of the health scales. Floor and ceiling effects were also examined. Seventy-nine percent of all the item-scale correlations achieved acceptable internal consistency (0.40 or higher). The tests of the item convergent and discriminant validity were successful at least 87% of the time across all scales and countries. Equal item variance was observed 90% of the time across all countries. The reliability coefficients ranged from a low of 0.43 (parental time impact, Canadian English) to a high of 0.97 (physical functioning index, Canadian French) across all scales (median 0.80). Negligible floor effects were observed across countries. Noteworthy ceiling effects were observed, as expected, for the hypothesized physical scales (mean effect 73%). Conversely, fewer ceiling effects were observed for the psychosocial scales (range 3-17% behaviour-parental emotional impact). The item-scaling results obtained in these pilot studies support the psychometric properties of the American-English CHQ-PF50 and its respective translations.     

Strategic item selection to reduce survey length: Reduction in validity?

The practical constraints of conducting rigorous research in applied settings often limit the ability to include well-validated, but lengthy, measures in survey designs. In the current study we tested the utility of using a strategic item selection process to alleviate this issue. We evaluated the measurement and structural model fit of items selected using a strategic item selection format and assessed the predictive validity of those abbreviated scales. We also compared fit and predictive validity to the full version item sets to assess the comparability of the abbreviated scales. Results indicated that measurement models and structural models for the a priori items produced similar fit when compared with full version items across both measures. When comparing the proportion of variance explained in the criterion, there were no differences between the strategically selected items and the full versions of the scales. We conclude that the a priori selection of items based on previous research may be a useful technique for developing short measures of psychological constructs that mitigate practical, analytical, and methodological issues associated with lengthy surveys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the MMPI-2 restructured clinical (RC) and clinical scales in a substance abuse treatment sample.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) restructured clinical (RC) scales were designed to assess the underlying distinctive core components of the MMPI-2 clinical scales in order to enhance discriminant and convergent validity. Analyses utilizing inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment samples (Tellegen et al., 2003) have demonstrated improvements in the psychometric functioning of the RC scales in comparison with the original clinical scales. The current study extends these analyses by comparing the RC and original clinical scales in a sample of 1,284 men assessed at intake to a substance abuse treatment program in a VA setting. Results indicate that the RC scales demonstrate a general improvement in psychometric properties, with some increases in convergent and discriminant validity compared to their clinical scale counterparts. These results replicate Tellegen et al.'s (2003) findings in a different type of treatment setting and with different criteria, and complement their report by examining the validity of scales RC3 and RC9, for which Tellegen et al. (2003) did not have appropriate criteria. Implications for deliverers of psychological services in public sector settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing anxiety and depression: Reexamination of the reconstructed Hamilton scales.

The discriminant validities of the original and the reconstructed Hamilton anxiety and depression scales (J. H. Riskind et al, 1987) were compared in patients who had principal Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III—Revised (DSM-III—R) anxiety disorders with or without 1 or more comorbid mood disorders. The reconstructed anxiety and depression scales had better discriminant validity (scale intercorrelation?=?.61) than the original scales did (r?=?.78). However, the reconstructed scales shared considerable variance (about 37%), which was significantly higher than the shared variance (about 2%) reported by Riskind et al. Discriminant analyses showed that the reconstructed scales did not distinguish anxiety patients with comorbid mood disorders from those without comorbid mood disorders better than the original scales did. However, the reconstructed scales eliminate item overlap, an obvious source of artifactual correlations between scores on the Hamilton anxiety and depression scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Alcohol Abuse and Drug Abuse scales and the identification of substance-abuse patients.

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Alcohol- and Drug-Abuse scales in identifying known alcohol and drug abusers in a sample of 561 adult psychiatric inpatients (408 women and 153 men). Only 43% of the alcoholics and 49% of the drug abusers were identified with the recommended base rate cutoff score of 75. False-positive rates were greater than 50% for each scale, and the scales had a significant positive intercorrelation. Although this study may have some limitations regarding how substance-abuse diagnoses were determined, these findings raise questions about the validity and clinical utility of these scales. Further studies of the item composition and effectiveness of these scales, as well as comparisons with other approaches to substance abuse assessment, are indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviewing older adults: Validity of self-reports of satisfaction.

Respondents in a personal interview study were asked to evaluate several domains of their lives using several different response scales that included both verbal and pictorial response alternatives. Structural equation models were specified to permit estimation of the validity of these survey measures. Across all of the items, the concept factors explain an average of about one half of the total variance, method factors explain about one tenth of the variance, and the remaining one third or so of the variance is unique to each item. Comparisons of the validity of the reports by respondents of different ages indicate that method factors explain almost twice as much of the variance in the responses of older respondents as in those of younger respondents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and evaluation of validity scales for the Neuropsychology Behavior and Affect Profile: A dissembling study.

The Neuropsychology Behavior and Affect Profile ( NBAP) is a peer-rated inventory of behavioral and affective changes in brain injured individuals and consists of five Clinical Scales that have demonstrated strong external validity. A potential confound is the NBAP's susceptibility to rater bias. In the present investigation, four validity scales were developed and external validity and psychometric properties were examined through a dissembling paradigm. Study1 describes item selection and construction of the validity scales. Study 2 demonstrates that various combinations of both the clinical and validity scales effectively differentiated dissemblers from informants of two groups of traumatic brain injury patients. Although results differed somewhat when dissemblers were grouped according to their level of neuropsychological training, highly trained dissemblers (licensed clinical neuropsychologists) could be detected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index.

The present study took a critical look at a central construct in couples research: relationship satisfaction. Eight well-validated self-report measures of relationship satisfaction, including the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; G. B. Spanier, 1976), and an additional 75 potential satisfaction items, were given to 5,315 online participants. Using item response theory, the authors demonstrated that the MAT and DAS provided relatively poor levels of precision in assessing satisfaction, particularly given the length of those scales. Principal-components analysis and item response theory applied to the larger item pool were used to develop the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) scales. Compared with the MAS and the DAS, the CSI scales were shown to have higher precision of measurement (less noise) and correspondingly greater power for detecting differences in levels of satisfaction. The CSI scales demonstrated strong convergent validity with other measures of satisfaction and excellent construct validity with anchor scales from the nomological net surrounding satisfaction, suggesting that they assess the same theoretical construct as do prior scales. Implications for research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing conflict communication in couples: Comparing the validity of self-report, partner-report, and observer ratings.

This study of married couples investigated the short-term predictive validity of the partner-report and self-report scales of the Conflict Communication Inventory and compared the validity of these scales with the validity of observer ratings. A sample of 83 married couples completed two problem-solving conversations. Self-report, partner-report, and observer ratings from Conversation 1 were used to predict behavior in Conversation 2, as rated by a separate panel of observers. The short-term predictive validity of partner-report ratings was extremely high and indistinguishable from the validity of observer ratings. Self-report ratings also demonstrated good validity, albeit slightly lower than other methods. Both partner-report and self-report scores explained a substantial amount of variance in concurrent observer ratings of communication after controlling for relationship satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tests of data quality, scaling assumptions, and reliability of the SF-36 in eleven countries: results from the IQOLA Project. International Quality of Life Assessment

Data from general population samples in 11 countries (n = 1483 to 9151) were used to assess data quality and test the assumptions underlying the construction and scoring of multi-item scales from the SF-36 Health Survey. Across all countries, the rate of item-level missing data generally was low, although slightly higher for items printed in the grid format. In each country, item means generally were clustered as hypothesized within scales. Correlations between items and hypothesized scales were greater than 0.40 with one exception, supporting item internal consistency. Items generally correlated significantly higher with their own scale than with competing scales, supporting item discriminant validity. Scales could be constructed for 93-100% of respondents. Internal consistency reliability of the eight SF-36 scales was above 0.70 for all scales, with two exceptions. Floor effects were low for all except the two role functioning scales; ceiling effects were high for both role functioning scales and also were noteworthy for the Physical Functioning, Bodily Pain, and Social Functioning scales in some countries. These results support the construction and scoring of the SF-36 translations in these 11 countries using the method of summated ratings.     

Some diagnostic scales for research in decision making and personality: Identity, information, and barriers.

Developed a 2-page form to operationalize a diagnostic scheme for research and career counseling. The form contains 3 scales: Vocational Identity, (the need for) Occupational Information, and Barriers (personal limits or environmental problems). The scales were developed using a sample of 496 high school sophomores and were validated using a new sample of 824 high school students, college students, and workers. Scale reliabilities ranged from .23 (Barriers scale, 4 items) to .89 (Vocational Identity scale, 23 items). Construct validity of scales was supported by external ratings, factor analysis, item content, item process analysis, correlational analysis, and earlier research. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing the construct validity of differential response latencies for personality test items.

Evaluated the effects of increasing scale reliability and of priming dimensional activation on the construct validity of personality test item differential response latencies. 93 undergraduates were computer-administered items from the 3 lengthened scales of the Personality Research Form. Findings show that differential response latencies can demonstrate remarkably strong evidence for their construct validity. In addition, the priming of personality traits may enhance the construct validity of their corresponding differential response latencies. Results support a model of test item responding where differential item response latencies reflect the interaction of an individual's schema with test item content. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demographic, individual, and interpersonal predictors of adolescent alcohol and marijuana use following treatment.

A vulnerability model of adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome provided the basis for selection of demographic, individual, interpersonal, and treatment factors to predict the follow-up use of alcohol and marijuana in a sample of 225 adolescents (aged 12–18 yrs) with psychoactive substance use disorders. Pretreatment levels of sibling substance use and aftercare participation predicted alcohol and marijuana use during the first 6 mo posttreatment. Pretreatment levels of deviant behavior also predicted the use of marijuana at 6-mo follow-up. Peer substance use at intake and 6-mo posttreatment both predicted substance use frequency outcomes at 12-mo follow-up. Alcohol and marijuana use frequencies at 6-mo follow-up also predicted continued use for these substances throughout the remainder of the 1st posttreatment year. Shorter treatment length and being male were risk factors for alcohol use during the 2nd half of the 1st posttreatment year. Elevated psychological substance dependence at 6-mo follow-up was a unique risk factor for subsequent marijuana use. Findings support conceptual models that attempt to explain adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome in terms of relationships among demographic, individual, interpersonal, and treatment factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the testing situation on item responding: Cause for concern.

The effects of faking on personality test scores have been studied previously by comparing (a) experimental groups instructed to fake or answer honestly, (b) subgroups created from a single sample of applicants or nonapplicants by using impression management scores, and (c) job applicants and nonapplicants. In this investigation, the latter 2 methods were used to study the effects of faking on the functioning of the items and scales of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. A variety of item response theory methods were used to detect differential item/test functioning, interpreted as evidence of faking. The presence of differential item/test functioning across testing situations suggests that faking adversely affects the construct validity of personality scales and that it is problematic to study faking by comparing groups defined by impression management scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory.

The construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) was examined in 3 samples. An archival clinic sample (n=318) of women completed the EDI, a structured interview, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory--II (MCMI-II). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) indicated that neither null nor 1-factor models of the EDI fit item-level or item-parcel data. The proposed 8-factor model did not fit at the item level but did fit item-parcel data. Reliability estimates of the 8 scales ranged from .82 to .93, and low-to-moderate interscale correlations among the eating and weight-related scales provided partial support for convergent validity. EDI personality scales showed moderate interscale correlations and were associated with MCMI-II scales. A final CFA of the EDI scales supported a 2-factor model (Eating and Weight, Personality) of the 8 EDI scales. Strong associations between depression and several EDI scale scores were found in a treatment study sample (n=50). The archival clinic sample scored significantly higher on the 8 EDI scales than the nonpatient college comparison sample (n=487). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Seven MMPI alcohol and drug abuse scales: An empirical investigation of their interrelationships, convergent and discriminant validity, and degree of racial bias.

Investigated the interrelationships, convergent and discriminant validity, and magnitude of racial differences on 5 MMPI alcohol scales and 2 drug scales with a sample of 1,048 inmates (mean age 22.3 yrs) who were heavy and moderate alcohol users, heavy and moderate drug users, and nonpsychoactive substance users. Five scales showed some degree of convergent or discriminant validity. Racial differences were observed on 5 scales, with Blacks scoring lower on all these scales except one. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)