Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Psychometric properties of instrument'

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The focus of the present study is to introduce into organizational researches a new psychometric scale that identifies the intention of an employee to leave the company he works for, based only on external and internal aspects to the organization (e.g. payroll, work and life balance); aspects that could stimulate a person to leave or remain in his/her current job. The Intention to Leave the Organization Scale (ILOS) was built with 31 items, using the Likert Scale model, ranging from 1 – Totally Disagree – to 6 – Totally Agree. All items of the ILOS referred to conditions that would influence the decision of an employee to leave his current organization, as for example, “I would move to another company if it was significantly larger than my current organization”. The instrument was distributed to 146 business employees of a same international company in the automotive field, located in over 46 countries. Participants were chosen randomly, despite their age, gender, business function or location. To be able to get to all participants, the questionnaire was introduced into an online platform – Google Docs - that enabled all answers to arrive anonymously and on time. The results were parted into five bigger groups of participants, based on other cross-cultural studies conducted in the organizational field. Those studies indicated a strong consistency between the cultural values of countries located in five main regions: Americas, Europe, Eastern-Europe, Africa and Asia. The reliability and validity of the scale were tested and approved, making the instrument a valid and useful tool for future researches. Beyond the possibility of using the ILOS as an organizational and academic instrument, the results acquired in this study can also be analyzed and used in future researches, especially the ones that are willing to make a comparison of the intention of an employee to leave his organization, cultural aspects he is surrounded, and the local labor market or economic situation.

The availability of quality treatment assessments for offender correctional programs in the United States is limited (Polaschek & Ross, 2010; Singh, Grann & Fazel, 2011). Therefore, a greater focus on the evaluation of assessment is needed to meet the criminogenic needs of offenders completing probation (Bourgon, Bonta, Rugge, Scott, & Yessine, 2010; Cullen & Gilbert, 2013). The researcher?s objective in this quantitative study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Moral Reconation Therapy Group Member Evaluation (MRT GME), an instrument designed to measure the fidelity of Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) treatment for offenders on probation. The validity, evidence, and findings were based on the analyses of a secondary data set using 227 scores of offenders who received MRT group therapy while participating in a federal probation pre-trial services treatment program in a Midwestern state. The psychometric properties of a 26-item ?receipt of MRT? treatment scale and scores from a 3-item ?self-efficacy? instrument were tested. The ?receipt of treatment? scale had an internal consistency reliability (alpha) of .96, and the 3-item scale of self-efficacy had an internal consistency reliability (alpha) of .57. There was evidence of construct validity of the sample scores by utilizing factor analysis. Analysis utilizing the Varimax rotation of the data identified four factors: assessment of self, positive relationships, current relationships, and positive identity. The results of the analysis indicated that the MRT GME and the Self-Efficacy scales correlated positively and explained 68.1% of the variance. Recommended changes to the instrument included adding and revising scale items and incorporating multicultural components into the scale. Limitations of the research, implications, and recommendations for future research regarding fidelity of MRT and implementation of other offender treatment program suggestions regarding fidelity are discussed.

With the growing number of older adults in the general population, there is also a concomitant rise in the number of older adults who require mental health services, making the measurement of psychological conditions in later life a priority. However, due to a lack of measures created for older adults, researchers and clinicians must often rely on measures created for younger populations. Three studies were designed to add to the field of evidence-based assessment and determine which anxiety measures possess strong evidence when used with older adults to warrant their use with this specific population. In the first study, I systematically reviewed the literature to identify the anxiety measures most commonly used with older adults. I reviewed each measure to examine its psychometric properties (e.g., internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity) and the availability of age-appropriate norms in order to evaluate whether the instruments are appropriate for use with older adults. In the second study, I conducted a reliability generalization meta-analysis to estimate the mean reliability of each commonly used anxiety measure identified in the first study. Finally, in the third study, I examined whether the anxiety measures commonly used with an older population can be consistently and accurately categorized as evidence-based. The literature review and the reliability generalization study both revealed that most of the most commonly used measures lacked sufficient evidence to warrant their use with older adults. However, three measures (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Geriatric Mental Status Examination) showed psychometric properties sufficient to justify the use of these instruments when assessing anxiety in older adults. In addition, two measures developed specifically for older adults (Worry Scale and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory) were also found to be appropriate for use with older adults. This suggests that based on their overall level of reliability and previous psychometric evidence, both researchers and clinicians assessing anxiety in a geriatric population should consider these measures as likely to be the best currently available.

Att vara aktiv och klara av att utföra sitt arbete har en central betydelse för en individs hälsa och välbefinnande. Begreppet arbetsförmåga är ett komplext begrepp som beskrivs som flerdimensionellt. Vid bedömning av arbetsförmåga är det viktigt att bedömaren använder sig av tillförlitliga metoder som syftar till att hjälpa individen med sin fortsatta rehabilitering. Syftet med studien är att kartlägga olika bedömningsinstrument som mäter arbetsförmåga i olika avseenden. Bland annat vilket syfte instrumentet har, vilken datainsamlingsmetod instrumentet använder samt vilka psykometriska egenskaper som har prövats för instrumentet. För att besvara syftet gjordes en systematisk litteraturstudie med sökning i följande databaser: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus och OT-seeker vilket resulterade i tio artiklar. En manuell sökning utfördes för att komplettera den initiala sökningen vilket resulterade i ytterligare sex artiklar. Resultatet visar att sju instrument kunde identifieras som på olika sätt mäter en individs arbetsförmåga. Majoriteten av dem har ett tydligt syfte samt är förankrade i en teoretisk grund och är prövade utifrån olika psykometriska egenskaper. Författarna har konstaterat att begreppet arbetsförmåga saknar enhetlig definition och är ett komplext begrepp. I diskussionen föreslås en samverkan av olika instrument som framkommit i studien för att tydliggöra och bistå bedömningen av en individs arbetsförmåga.

Being active and able to perform one’s work is of central importance to an individual’s health and wellbeing. Work capacity is a complex concept that is described as multidimensional. When assessing an individual’s work capacity, it is of great importance to use reliable methods designed to help the individual with his continuing rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to identify existing assessment instruments for measuring work capacity in different ways, considering for example: the purpose of the instrument, the method for data collection, and the psychometric properties tested for the instrument. A systematic literature review was performed by searching the following databases; PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and OT-seeker.  The search resulted in ten articles. A complementary manual search was conducted, producing six additional articles. The contents of the 16 articles identified seven instruments, all of which measured an individual's work capacity in different ways. The majority of the instruments had a clear purpose, were anchored in a theoretical basis, and were tested on different psychometric properties. The authors found that the concept of work capacity has no single definition and is a complex concept. The discussion suggests the combined use of various instruments that emerged in the study to clarify and assist in the assessment of an individual’s work capacity.

Thesis advisor: Dorothy A. Jones
In Taiwan, the ability to measure the changing of health care reform and the improvement in nursing practice environment is hindered by the lack of a valid, reliable, and culture-sensitive instrument for measuring nursing practice environment. The purposes of this two-phase study were to translate and psychometrically validate the Chinese versions of the PPE Scale (CPPE). Phase I focused on translating and adapting the 38-item PPE into CPPE and evaluating the semantic and content equivalency. Semantic equivalence of the CPPE was secured using Translation Validity Indices as judged by American and bilingual experts. The content equivalence of the CPPE was supported by the satisfactory Content validity Indices. To increase the cultural sensitivity and comprehensiveness of the CPPE, 27 items were added at the suggestion of Taiwanese experts following content validation. A 66-item CPPE including 38 PPE items, 1 adapted item and 27 new items was produced for psychometric evaluation. Phase II focused on establishing the psychometric properties of the CPPE. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to test the 66-item CPPE on 977 Taiwanese nurses working in acute care settings. PCA with Varimax rotation on the 38 PPE items produced an eight-component solution for the 36-item CPPE after deleting two items. Cronbach's alpha was .90 for the total 36-item CPPE and .68 - .87 for the eight subscales. PCA with Varimax rotation on 66 items of the CPPE produced an eleven-component solution for the 58-item CPPE after deleting 8 items. Cronbach's alpha was .95 for the total 58-item CPPE and .71 - .87 for the eleven subscales. Both the 36-item CPPE and the 58-item CPPE demonstrated satisfactory test-retest reliability and concurrent validity. The psychometric structures of the 36-item CPPE and the 58-item CPPE were different from the original PPE. Both the 36-item CPPE and the 58-item CPPE were reliable and valid, but the 58-item CPPE is culturally sensitive to the Taiwanese nurses. The 58-item CPPE is useful for measuring Taiwanese nursing practice environment
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing
Discipline: Nursing

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)
The diagnosis of adult ADHD is a complex process that requires information from different sources. Instruments are used to screen or diagnose adult ADHD. The aim of the study was to identify instruments measuring adult ADHD from good quality research. This systematic review was executed following the recommended PRISMA steps. A comprehensive search was conducted across identified databases. The SFS scoring system was used to critically appraise for methodological rigour and coherence. Meta-synthesis was used to summarize extracted data from 26 articles included in the final summation. Ethics clearance was issued by the UWC Senate Research Committee. Sixteen instruments measuring adult ADHD were identified. Screening instruments measure core symptoms whereas diagnostic instruments assess all criteria. Fourteen instruments were based on DSM-IV criteria and four were based on DSM-V criteria for adult ADHD including rival explanations for the symptoms. The lack of adoption of DSM-V criteria remains a concern given criticism against DSV-IV criteria for adult ADHD. Overall instruments presented acceptable psychometric properties. However, the performance of the instruments was study dependent. A cautionary note is that these indices must be interpreted carefully. Further research must explore the reasons underlying the lack of adoption of DSM-V criteria in research, and the lack of revision of instruments measuring adult ADHD.

Includes bibliographical references
Aim: The overall aim of the study was to investigate the performance of the EQ-5D-Y, a self-reported Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) outcome measure, in children between eight and twelve years of age. The study objectives were to examine the measure's psychometric properties of criterion validity, discriminant and concurrent validity, when used on children with different health statuses, and to determine its ability to detect change within the different groups over a period of time. The study also set out to determine whether a life event had an impact on HRQoL, and whether children and their therapists or parents shared the same perceptions of HRQoL. The feasibility of using the EQ-5D-Y as a routine, additional, physiotherapy assessment tool was monitored. The study also assessed the usefulness of the collected data to the therapists administering the measure to children under their management. Method: A longitudinal, analytical descriptive study design was used. Typically developing children attending a Main Stream (MS) school (105), children with lifelong physical disabilities at a Special School (SS) (35), chronically ill children at an institution (CI) (32) and acutely ill children in hospital (AI) (52) were recruited. The EQ-5D-Y was the primary outcome measure, and was administered at baseline and again at three monthly intervals, or, in the case of AI children, at admission and discharge. The PedsQL as a parallel HRQoL measure, the WeeFim as a functional measure and the Faces Pain Scale (FPS) to monitor pain were used. A self-designed questionnaire was completed by the therapists treating the children to assess feasibility and usefulness of the EQ-5D-Y. Data analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample and the health conditions of the participants. Reliability of the measures was determined at different time intervals by Cohen's kappa coefficient for dimension scores. Spearman's rho and Intraclass Correlation (ICC) were used to determine reliability of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and also total scores of the measures over time. The same analysis was used to compare self-reports and proxy reports. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA by ranks, median scores and mean rankings were used to examine discriminant validity between known groups, using the same outcome measure and convergent validity between similar dimensions on different outcome measures. Responsiveness was described by examining the effect size of the Wilcoxon Signed-rank test. The VAS score was compared against the ranking of different levels of the dimensions, across groups, using Kruskal-Wallis H statistic. A discrepancy between changes in VAS and changes in Worried, Sad or Unhappy (WSU) dimension were examined after three months to determine whether these were related to life events and/or changes in management of health condition. The clinical feasibility of using the EQ-5D-Y and its usefulness as an additional evaluation tool in providing a holistic assessment of the child's condition was established by analysing the frequency of positive responses on the questionnaire. Results: A total of 224 children were recruited. The level of problems on the dimensions was associated with institution and in all cases, apart from Mobility, the AI children reported more problems. The EQ-5D-Y only demonstrated discriminant validity between the MS children and AI children. The MS group scored significantly lower ranked scores on all dimensions and a significantly higher VAS (better overall HRQoL) compared to the AI group with more problems on each dimension and lower VAS. When comparing VAS across the mean ranking on each dimension, it was found to be significantly correlated at the AI only. Convergent validity between EQ-5D-Y and PedsQL was evident only at the AI for all similar dimensions. The other groups demonstrated convergent validity with some, but not all of the dimensions. Convergent validity was evident between the EQ-5D-Y VAS and total scores of PedsQL and WeeFim (p<.05 in all cases) across institutions. The treatment effect over time was largest in the AI. For all groups, there was limited agreement between proxy and self-report at a dimension level, except for Mobility with moderate to good agreement. Even though the proxy and self-report VAS scores demonstrated good (.58) ICC overall, at an institutional level, this was only significant in the MS children. The EQ-5D-Y only took five minutes to complete. Six of the nine therapists who took part in the study, found the measure easy to apply, used the information in the management of the child and would continue to use it in future. Conclusion: The performance of the EQ-5D-Y, as determined by the psychometric properties, was variable. It could discriminate between children with an acute illness and children in the MS school. In addition, good convergent validity was demonstrated in the AI children and the largest treatment effect was observed in these children. However, it does not perform as well in children with no health condition or chronic conditions and should be used with caution in these groups. HRQoL did not appear to be linked to a life event. It is recommended that both proxy and self-report measures be taken into account when assessing a child's HRQoL but these should not be used interchangeably. It appears to be feasible and useful to include the EQ-5D-Y in routine assessments. It was concluded that the EQ-5D-Y self-report can be used with confidence as an outcome measure for acutely-ill children.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the psychometric properties of three global user subjective measures of the ”The Quality Star” clinical review model: Consumer Satisfaction Scale, Global Quality of Life scale, and Perceived Global Distress scale. The mental health implementation context of this review model emphasizes the client as an agent of change, taking part in shared decision making in an empowered role as collaborative partner to the professional clinicians. In Paper I study the patient self-rating Consumer Satisfaction Scale gave results comparable to those obtained by independent interviewer assessors. Out of cost-effective perspective professional time is saved and logistics simplified. In Paper II the visual analogue self-rating Global Quality of Life scale was shown to have satisfactory test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity with the “Life as a whole” item of Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). The patients’ conceptualizations of the scale based on associative findings with a number of validating instruments were consistent with expected areas of concern for Serious Mentally Ill persons. Similarly, in Paper III the visual analogue scale the Perceived Global Distress scale, showed acceptable clinical test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity with the MANSA item, “How satisfied are you with your mental health”. In associative analyses it was found that depressive, anxiety, interpersonal and existential elements contributed to the patient´s conceptualization of the construct. In Paper IV, a previous finding suggesting that women were more satisfied with the health care and had better social functioning compared to men was further elaborated investigating the discriminative properties of the subjective instruments. In the multi-centre cohort of 2552 patients it was possible to detect differences between genders and functional levels professionally assessed with the split version of Global Assessment of Functioning rating scale. The General discussion underlines that although subjective measures tend to have strong interrelations, supporting earlier findings, one has to use multiple measures for an optimal management of mental illness as the subjective outcome ratings have to be individually interpreted in a feed-back dialogue with the patient and be compared to observational assessments.

L'autisme est un trouble envahissant du développement qui affecte toutes les fonctions sensorielles, perceptives, cognitives, communicatives, émotionnelles et relationnelles de l'enfant. S'appuyant sur la triade symptomatique autistique (altération qualitative des interactions sociales, altération qualitative de la communication et de l'imagination, caractère restreint, répétitif et stéréotypé des comportements, des centres d'intérêts et des activités), la définition de l'autisme de l'enfant a longtemps exclu les particularités sensorielles dont attestent pourtant à la fois les personnes avec autisme et les études scientifiques. Le DSM-5 a aujourd'hui réparé cet oubli. Actuellement si ces dysfonctionnements auditifs peuvent être identifiés par le clinicien à l'aide d'outils diagnostiques ou comportementaux validés, à notre connaissance, il n'existe pas d'outil spécifique pour les évaluer. Le premier objectif de cette recherche est d'élaborer une échelle d'Évaluation des Altérations du Comportement Auditif Autisme - Enfant (EACAA-E) utilisable par les cliniciens dans des situations d'examen de l'enfant avec TSA et qui présentent les qualités métrologiques nécessaires pour un usage en pratique clinique et en recherche. Le second objectif est de montrer que les altérations du comportement auditif chez des enfants avec TSA seraient une composante particulière de l'autisme, puis qu'indépendantes du degré de sévérité de l'autisme et du degré de sévérité du retard mental. Cinquante enfants et adolescents avec troubles du spectre de l'autisme et d'âge réel compris entre 2 ans et 18 ans sont recrutés dans des services de soins médico-psychologiques (Pédopsychiatrie, CAMSP) et inclus dans la recherche après consentement de la famille. Le diagnostic d'autisme est effectué à partir des critères du DSM 5 (rétrospectivement pour certains d'entre eux pour qui avait été utilisé initialement le DSM-IV-TR) et l'évaluation quantitative diagnostique est effectuée à l'aide de la CARS, de l'ADOS et de l'ADI-R. Le développement intellectuel et psychologique et le degré de sévérité du retard mental sont évalués à l'aide de tests appropriés (PEP 3, EDEI-R, BECS). L'échelle l'EACAA-E est une échelle originale qui a fait l'objet d'une première étude (Master recherche) et d'une première analyse psychométrique (Filipova et al. 2014) qui a abouti à sa forme définitive : l'échelle comporte 24 items couvrant 7 dimensions de la sensorialité auditive (bizarrerie, fascination, paradoxe, inconfort, hypoesthésie, hyperesthésie, difficulté). La cotation des items (de 0 à 4) permet de calculer un score global et un score par dimension. L'observation des comportements auditifs de l'enfant est réalisée au cours d'un examen psychologique du développement de la cognition et de la communication. Cet examen peut être enregistré. La cotation des items de comportements de l'échelle est réalisée à la fin de la séance par l'examinateur. Une double cotation inter et intra-cotateur est effectuée à partir du document vidéoscopique de l'examen. Les analyses psychométriques indiquent une bonne homogénéité de l'échelle et une bonne fidélité inter et intra-cotateur. L'étude antérieure préliminaire avait aussi montré que l'échelle EACAA-E est sensible aux changements induits par une prise en charge intégrative incluant la T.E.D (Filipova et al. 2014). Ces résultats attestent les qualités métrologiques de l'échelle. Par ailleurs, le score global est corrélé négativement au quotient de développement global, indiquant l'existence d'un lien entre la sévérité du retard mental et l'intensité des altérations du comportement auditif. Par contre, les scores à l'EACAA-E semblent indépendants de la sévérité globale de l'autisme, telle qu'évaluée quantitativement par la CARS. L'EACAA-E apparaît donc comme une échelle clinique francophone pertinente pour l'évaluation des altérations des comportements auditifs chez les enfants présentant un TSA
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects all sensory, perceptual, cognitive, communicative, emotional and relationship to the child. Based on the autistic triad of symptoms (qualitative impairment in social interaction, qualitative impairments in communication and imagination, restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities), the definition of child's autism has long ruled the sensory characteristics which nevertheless attest to both people with autism and scientific studies. The DSM-5 has now fixed this oversight. Currently if auditory dysfunction can be identified by the clinician using validated diagnostic or behavioral tools, to our knowledge, there is no specific tool to evaluate them. The first objective of this research is to develop the Auditory Behaviour Alterations Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ABAA-C) for use by clinicians in children's exam situations with ASD and having the metrological required for use in clinical practice and research. The second objective is to show that alterations of the auditory behavior in children with ASD would be a particular component of autism, as independent of the degree of severity of autism and the degree of severity of mental retardation. Participant. Fifty children and adolescents with disorders of the autism spectrum and actual age between 2 and 18 years were recruited from medical and psychological care (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, CAMSP) and included in the search after family consent. The diagnosis of autism is made from DSM 5 (retrospectively for some of them who had initially used the DSM-IV-TR) and diagnostic quantitative evaluation is performed using the CARS, the ADOS and ADI-R. The intellectual and psychological development and severity of mental retardation are evaluated using appropriate tests (PEP 3, EDEI-R, SCEB). Measurement'method. The Auditory Behaviour Alterations Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ABAA-C) is an original scale which was the subject of a first study (Master's degree) and a first psychometric analysis (2014 Filipova et al.) Which resulted in its final form: the scale includes 24 items covering seven dimensions of auditory sensory (oddity, fascinating, paradoxical, discomfort, hypoesthesia, hyperesthesia, difficulty). The listing of items (0 to 4) calculates an overall score and a score by dimension. The observation of the child's auditory behavior is made during a psychological examination of the development of cognition and communication. This examination can be registered. Trading on the scale behavior of items is performed at the end of the session by the examiner. A double rating by inter and intra-rater is carried out from the document videoscopic examination. Psychometric analysis indicates good homogeneity of the scale and good reliability inter and intra-rater. Preliminary earlier study also showed that ABAA-C scale is sensitive to changes induced by integrative care including T.E.D (Filipova et al. 2014). These results demonstrate the metrological qualities of the scale. Moreover, the overall score is negatively correlated to the overall development quotient, indicating the existence of a link between the severity of mental retardation and intensity alterations of the auditory behavior. By against and scores to the Auditory Behaviour Alterations Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ABAA-C) appear to be independent of the overall severity of autism, as assessed quantitatively by CARS. The Auditory Behaviour Alterations Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ABAA-C) appears as a relevant francophone clinical scale for assessing alterations in auditory behavior in children with ASD

Esta dissertação é composta por quatro estudos acerca de instrumentos para a avaliação de sintomas de ansiedade. O objetivo do Estudo 1 foi realizar uma revisão sistemática dos instrumentos disponíveis para avaliar sintomas de ansiedade e transtornos de ansiedade (TA) em população brasileira. O objetivo do Estudo 2 foi realizar o processo de adaptação transcultural da Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) para o Brasil. O objetivo do Estudo 3 foi examinar a sensibilidade e especificidade da Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) para o diagnóstico de TA em uma amostra comunitária de crianças e adolescentes brasileiros. O objetivo do Estudo 4 foi investigar as propriedades psicométricas da SCAS em amostras comunitária e clínica de crianças e adolescentes brasileiros. Os resultados do Estudo 1 fornecem um panorama das características e evidências de adequação dos instrumentos disponíveis para avaliar sintomas de ansiedade e TA em população brasileira. Os resultados dos Estudos 2, 3 e 4, em conjunto, apresentam a versão brasileira da SCAS como um instrumento adequado para avaliar sintomas de ansiedade infantil em contextos comunitário e clínico no Brasil. Implicações para a avaliação e o tratamento psicológico e psiquiátrico de TA são discutidas.
This Master Thesis encompasses four studies about instruments to the assessment of anxiety symptoms. The aim of the Study 1 was to conduct a systematic review of the instruments available to assess anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders (AD) in Brazilian population. The aim of the Study 2 was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation process of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) to Brazil. The aim of the Study 3 was to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) to the diagnosis of AD in a community sample of Brazilian children and adolescents. The aim of the Study 4 was to investigate the psychometric properties of the SCAS in a community and a clinical sample of Brazilian children and adolescents. Results from Study 1 provide an overview of the characteristics and the adequacy evidences of the instruments available to assess anxiety symptoms and AD in Brazilian population. Results from Studies 2, 3, and 4, altogether, present the Brazilian version of the SCAS as an instrument suitable to assess pediatric anxiety symptoms in Brazilian community and clinical settings. Implications for the psychological and psychiatric assessment and treatment of AD are discussed.

The overall aim of the present thesis was to explore and compare professional co-operation in child welfare investigations, explore the psychometric properties, and describe the clinical utility from different perspectives of a translated Swedish version of the standardized assessment instrument the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (the HOME Inventory). Social workers in Sweden, Denmark, Britain, Germany, and Texas (USA) co-operated with different professionals around a fictitious child welfare case. Differences were found between and within country-based samples, indicating an unsystematic work procedure in the social work agencies studied. The psychometric properties of the translated Early Childhood version (EC-HOME) and Middle Childhood version (MC-HOME) of the HOME Inventory were explored in terms of inter-observer reliability and by Rasch analysis. The samples were authentic Swedish child welfare cases recruited from a field setting. Inter-observer reliability was satisfactory. Results were ambiguous regarding measurement construction of the two versions studied. Because of the differentiating ability of the EC-HOME and MC-HOME, total scores could provide an indication of inadequate home environments. Experiences of social work practitioners of the clinical utility of the HOME Inventory suggested that they considered the instrument to be comprehensive and have explicit potential benefits, i.e. to be clinically useful. Correspondingly, caregivers’ overall perceptions of the HOME Inventory were positive, determining the content relevant and the format acceptable. However, certain flaws have to be rectified before the HOME Inventory is to be implemented and used successfully. Further, education and the possibility to practice administering the instrument seemed to be essential conditions for future use according to social workers. When social workers and teachers’ apprehensions about support and stimulation provided by caregivers to children in their home environments were compared, preschool teachers’ apprehensions correlated poorly with the social workers’ assessment. These results suggest that the HOME Inventory is promising but cultural adaptation and further studies of psychometric properties are necessary. Different forms of support to practitioners and agencies for successful implementation are required. Awareness of the type of information provided by different sources is important when co-operating in child welfare.

The topic of the study is to asses the larynx cancer patients needs from the viewpoint of the patient, his or her family and nursing personnel, using quantitative and qualitative research methodology. The significance of the reseaarch. The needs and difficulties of larynx patients are very significant in clinical practice. It is important to evaluate if the nursing needs are equally and adequately understood by the patient, family and the nursing personnel. It is a common practice to use the worldly acknowledged instruments. The use of the quantative method in the research improves the quality of the research and allows to deepen the understanding of the needs of the patient. The hypothesis of the research. The needs of the larynx cancer patient can be disclosed using the adapted version of Needs Evaluation Questionnaire and by disclosing the attitude of the family, nursing personnel towards the needs of the patient by means of quantitative research. The aim of the study is to determine the larynx patient needs by using Needs Evaluation Questionnaire and to assess the attitude of the family and the nursing by means of quantitative research. The goals: 1. Determine the suitability and reliability of the Needs Evaluation Questionnaire by evalutaing the needs of the larynx patients. 2. Determine the attitude of the family towards the needs of the patient by using partially structured interview. 3. Determine the attitude of the nursing personnel towards the needs of the... [to full text]

A operação segura e confiável de usinas nucleares não depende só da excelência técnica do projeto e construção, mas também das pessoas e da organização. Por essa razão, a importância dos fatores organizacionais nos mecanismos causais de acidentes tem sido reconhecida por uma série de organizações de pesquisas na Europa, EUA e Japão. Deficiências nesses fatores revelam fragilidades na cultura de segurança da organização. Uma preocupação básica na avaliação de uma cultura de segurança é garantir que os instrumentos de pesquisa sejam válidos e confiáveis. Nas áreas de saúde e de segurança do trabalho há uma série de instrumentos para avaliar a cultura de segurança, para os quais são apresentados estudos de suas proporiedades psicométricas (confiabilidade e validade), mas muito pouco com essas qualidades na área nuclear. No caso específico do Brasil, nenhum. Portanto, o principal objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um modelo capaz de avaliar com medidas válidas e confiáveis a cultura de segurança de instalações nucleares. O instrumento de pesquisa foi desenvolvido com base em princípios psicométricos estabelecidos para pesquisas quantitativas e, portanto, foram realizadas a análise da confiabilidade e as validações de conteúdo, de face e de construto. O instrumento foi aplicado nos institutos de pesquisa da Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), obtendo-se um total de 226 questionários respondidos. Os resultados da pesquisa possibilitaram caracterizar demograficamente os respondentes e identificar muitos aspectos fortalecidos, mas também algumas fragilidades na cultura de segurança dos institutos avaliados. O instrumento apresentou boas evidências de confiabilidade com o coeficiente alpha de Cronbach de 0,95 para o instrumento como um todo. A validação de construto foi realizada por meio de uma análise fatorial utilizando-se a Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP) e rotação fatorial ortogonal Varimax. Os resultados da análise fatorial permitiram concluir que o instrumento possui boas evidências de validade de construto, mas também sugeriram alguns ajustes no caso de uma nova aplicação do instrumento.
The safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants does not depend only on technical excellence, but also it depends on people and on the organization. For this reason, the importance of organizational factors in causal mechanisms of accidents has been recognized by a number of research organizations in Europe, USA and Japan. Deficiencies in these factors reveal weaknesses in the organization\'s safety culture. A primary concern in evaluating a safety culture is to ensure that research instruments are valid and reliable. In the areas of occupational health and safety there are series of tools to evaluate the safety culture that present studies of its psychometric properties (reliability and validity), but very few of these qualities in the nuclear area. In the specific case of Brazil, none of these tools exist. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to develop a model to assess the safety culture in nuclear facilities with valid and reliable measures. The survey instrument was developed in accordance with the psychometric principles established for quantitative research and thus were held to analyze the reliability and validation of content, face and construct. The instrument was applied in the research institutes of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy National Commission (CNEN), yielding a total of 226 completed questionnaires answered. The survey results made it possible to characterize demographically the respondents and identify many strengthened aspects, but also some weaknesses in the safety culture of the evaluated institutions. The instrument showed good evidence of reliability with Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient 0,95 for the total instrument. The construct validation was performed by means of a factor analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) extraction method and Varimax orthogonal factor rotation. Although factor analysis results have shown that the instrument has good evidence of construct validity, some adjustments in case of a new application of the instrument have also been suggested.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease which may exert significant effects on the lives of patients. The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) remains the most widely used outcome measure in MS, despite its limitations. The use of healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) as outcome measure has been increasing in the last years, with development and utilization of several instruments. One of most utilized is the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), a generic measure utilized for general population and for many diseases, including MS. The goals of this study are to assess psychometric properties of SF-36 (Brazilian version) in MS patients, and measure HRQoL in MS patients in the city of Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. HRQoL was measured in 23 MS patients and in 40 subjects of general population (blood donors) in Uberlândia, using the Brazilian version of the SF-36. EDSS score was assigned by neurologic examination at the time of interview. Reliability and validity of SF-36 were assessed. Mean scores of SF-36 domains in general and MS patient groups, general and MS patient subgroup with EDSS < 3.5, and MS patients with EDSS < 3.5 e > 4.0 were compared. Correlations among clinical aspects of disease and SF-36 scores were assessed. The Brazilian version of SF-36 is reliable and valid for use in MS patients. MS patients show lower scores in all SF-36 scales than do the general population, principally in physical function domains (p<0.05). Patients with EDSS scores < 3.5 also show lower scores in all SF-36 scales than control group. The patients with EDSS scores < 3.5 have higher mean scores in physical functioning, bodily pain, general health and energy/vitality domains than do the patients with EDSS scores > 4.0 (p<0.05). There is no correlation among time of disease and time since diagnosis with SF-36 scores. Depressive symptoms and heat intolerance show correlation with SF-36 domains and components. In conclusion, the Brasilian version of SF-36 is valid to measure HRQoL in MS patients. MS patients have a significant negative impact on all HRQoL domains measured by SF-36, including mental and social domains, compared with general population, even in the stages with less disability. Physical SF-36 scales, but not mental and social scales, decrease with EDSS progression.
A esclerose múltipla (EM) é uma doença crônica que pode ter efeitos profundos na vida dos pacientes. O Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ainda é o instrumento mais utilizado como medida de evolução de incapacidade na EM, mas não é capaz de determinar outros efeitos da doença na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde (QVRS). Um dos instrumentos mais usados para medir conceitos gerais de saúde é o Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Sua versão brasileira ainda não foi utilizada em portadores de EM. Este estudo tem como objetivos verificar as propriedades psicométricas da versão brasileira do SF-36 e avaliar a QVRS em portadores de EM da cidade de Uberlândia por meio deste instrumento. O SF-36 foi aplicado em 23 portadores de EM e em 69 doadores de sangue na cidade de Uberlândia. O EDSS foi aplicado no grupo de portadores durante exame neurológico à entrevista. Confiabilidade e validade do SF-36 foram determinadas. Foram comparados os escores médios dos domínios do SF-36 entre os grupos de portadores e controle, entre os portadores com EDSS < 3,5 e os controles, e os portadores com EDSS < 3,5 e > 4,0. Correlações entre aspectos clínicos da doença e escores do SF-36 foram medidas. O SF- 36 se mostrou confiável e válido para a avaliação da QVRS em EM. Os portadores de EM apresentaram escores mais baixos em todos os domínios do SF-36 que a população geral, principalmente nos domínios de função física (p<0,05). Portadores com EDSS < 3,5 também pontuaram menos em todos os domínios que o grupo controle (p<0,05). Pacientes com escores de EDSS ≤ 3,5 apresentaram maiores escores nos domínios capacidade física, dor, estado geral da saúde e vitalidade que os pacientes com EDSS ≥ 4,0 (p<0,05). Não houve correlação da duração da doença e do tempo de diagnóstico com os domínios e componentes do SF-36. Sintomas depressivos e intolerância ao calor mostraram correlação com domínios e componentes do SF-36. Concluindo, a versão brasileira do SF-36 é válida para avaliar a QVRS em portadores de EM. A doença provoca um impacto negativo significante em todos os domínios do SF-36, comparados à população geral, mesmo nas fases de menor incapacidade. Escores físicos diminuem com a progressão do EDSS, mas os escores mentais e sociais são baixos nos estágios iniciais, refletindo o impacto psicológico do diagnóstico de EM, e se mantém relativamente estáveis com a progressão da doença.
Mestre em Ciências da Saúde

Os objetivos foram: 1) traduzir e adaptar transculturalmente ao idioma português do Brasil a Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5); 2) avaliar as propriedades psicométricas (confiabilidade, validade e responsividade) da versão de pais e versão de crianças do SOHO-5; 3) avaliar o impacto da cárie dentária e leões dentárias traumáticas (LDT) na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal (QVRSB) da criança desde a percepção de pais e filhos; 4) avaliar a concordância entre relatos de pais e filhos sobre à QVRSB da criança. A adaptação transcultural do SOHO-5 foi testada em dois pilotos com 40 crianças de 5 e 6 anos de idade e seus pais. A validade e confiabilidade foram testadas em 193 crianças e pais. Das 193, 154 completaram o SOHO-5 de 7 a 14 dias após o tratamento odontológico da criança para analisar a responsividade. Para este fim eles também responderam julgamentos de transição global sobre a percepção de mudança na saúde bucal após tratamento. As medidas de responsividade incluíram tamanhos de efeito (TE) e médias de respostas padronizadas (MRP). Para avaliação do impacto, 335 pares de crianças e pais completaram o SOHO-5, e as crianças foram examinadas por três examinadores calibrados. A concordância entre relatos foi avaliada em 298 pares mãe-criança e 37 pares pai-criança. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a consistência interna pelo alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,90 e 0,77 para a versão da criança e dos pais, respectivamente. Para a confiabilidade teste-reteste, o Coeficiente de Correlação Intraclasse (CCI) do escore total da versão da criança foi 0,92 e dos pais 0,98. O SOHO-5 mostrou validade de construto e discriminante satisfatória. Em relação à responsividade, houve melhora na saúde bucal após o tratamento em ambas as versões (p<0,001). Houve diferença significativa entre os escores pré- e pós tratamento nos grupos que relataram ter melhorado um pouco e ter melhorado muito (p<0,05). Para ambas as versões, o TE e MRP das médias de escore de mudança para escores totais e para os julgamentos de transição global foram moderados a grandes. O modelo multivariado mostrou associação entre a cárie dentária e a pior QVRSB na criança, de acordo com as crianças e pais, RTR (Razão de Taxa Robusta) (IC 95%) = 6.37 (4,71; 8.62) e 10.81 (7,65; 15.27), respectivamente. A média da diferença direcional para escore total de -1,35 (IC 95% -2,330; -0,372) foi significativamente diferente entre os relatos de pares pai-criança. O CCI para escores totais foi de 0,84 (IC 95% 0,798; 0,867) e 0,67 (IC 95% 0,445; 0,814) entre pares mãe-criança e pai-criança, respectivamente. A versão brasileira do SOHO-5 é confiável, válida e responsiva para crianças de 5 e 6 anos de idade no Brasil. A cárie dentária na criança, mas não as LDT, está associada à pior QVRSB da criança de 5 e 6 anos de idade. As mães avaliaram a QVRSB dos seus filhos de forma similar às crianças, enquanto que os pais a subestimaram.
The aims were: 1) translate and cross-cultural adapt the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5) to the Brazilian Portuguese language; 2) to assess the psychometric properties (reliability, validity and responsiveness) of self- and parental proxy-reports of the SOHO-5; 3) to assess the impact of dental caries and trauma dental injuries (TDI) on childrens oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) according to both self- and parental reports; 4) to assess the agreement among parents and children regarding the childs OHRQoL. We tested the cross-cultural adaptation in two pilots with 40 children aged 5- 6-years and their parents. Validity and reliability were tested on 193 children and parents. Of the 193, 154 completed the SOHO-5 7-14 days after the childs dental treatment to assess responsiveness. For this purpose, they also answered global transition judgments on subjects perceptions of change in their oral health following treatment. Measures of responsiveness included standardized effect sizes (ES) and standardized response mean (SRM). To assess the impact, 335 pairs of parents and children completed the SOHO-5 and three calibrated examiners performed the childrens oral examinations. Agreement among reports was assessed in 298 mother-child and 37 father-child pairs. The internal consistency by Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient was 0.90 and 0.77 for the children self- and for parental proxy- reports, respectively. For test-retest reliability, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for total score was 0.92 of of the child version and 0.98 of the parental version. The SOHO-5 showed satisfactory construct and discriminant validity. For responsiveness, there was an improvement of childrens oral health after treatment (p<0.001). There were significant differences in the pre- and post-treatment scores of those who reported improving a little and those who reported improving a lot (p<0.05). For both versions, the ES and SRM based on change scores mean for total scores and for categories of global transitions judgments were moderate to large. The multivariate model showed an association between dental caries and a worse childs OHRQoL, according to children and parents perceptions, (RR (Rate Ratio) (CI95%) = 6.37 (4.71; 8.62) e 10.81 (7.65; 15.27)), respectively. The mean directional difference of the total scores of -1.35 (CI95% -2.330; -0.372) was only significant for the father-child pairs. The ICC for total scores was 0.84 (CI 95% 0.798; 0.867) and 0.67 (CI 95% 0.445; 0.814) among mother-child and father-child pairs, respectively. The Brazilian version of the SOHO-5 is reliable, valid and responsive for 5-6 years-old children in Brazil. Dental caries, but not TDI, is associated with worse OHRQoL in children aged 5-6-years. Mothers do rate their young childrens OHRQoL similarly to childrens self-reports, while fathers tend to underreport.

There is an evident under-representation of Hispanic students in Gifted and Talented (GT) programs. This is due to several reasons including lack of valid instruments, biased standardized tools, biased teacher perceptions, and misinterpretation of tests scores among others. The need to develop and/or validate instruments that reflect students?? cultural backgrounds has become a priority in the U.S. today. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reliability and validity facets of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) developed by Irby and Lara-Alecio (1996), more specifically, the split-half reliability and the concurrent validity when correlated to the Bilingual Verbal Abilities Test (BVAT). Participants were 527 students from two elementary schools in Texas. Students were administered the HBGSI in May 2003 and a reduced sample was administered the BVAT in the latter part of 2003 and the beginning of 2004. Results were analyzed, interpreted and discussed. The researcher found that the HBGSI has evidence of high reliability coefficients using Guttman, Spearman-Brown and Cronbach??s alpha ranging from .93 to .97. Concurrent validity was computed using Pearson correlation coefficient r =.39. Additionally, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted and revealed the existence of 5 factors. Among the primary limitations is the generalizability of the findings. Readers should use caution in applying the findings of this study to other settings and populations. Further research is recommended to establish the concurrent validity of the HBGSI with other achievement measures. In conclusion, there has been a contemporary move to the incorporation of inclusive screening instruments for use with language minority students. This movement suggests the inclusion of portfolio and performance assessment, checklists, and teacher observations in addition to standardized measures. The HBGSI has shown promising results in the arena of Hispanic gifted identification. This instrument is recommended to be used at the first stage of the screening process of potential Hispanic GT students. This study provided insight into the improvement of practices and identification of Hispanic bilingual students.

Introdução: O comprometimento cognitivo (CC) na Esclerose Múltipla (EM) possui taxas de prevalência de 43% a 70% e pode surgir desde a Síndrome Clinicamente Isolada (CIS) aos estágios iniciais da EM. O CC na EM pode evoluir independentemente dos sinais e sintomas motores, dos resultados do EDSS e ausência de lesões ativas (captantes) na Ressonância Magnética. Neste contexto, o Multiple Sclerosis National Questionaire (MSNQ) e o protocolo Brief International Cognitive Assesment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) são instrumentos internacionais empregados para a triagem e o monitoramento nos centros de atendimento para os pacientes com EM. Estudos posteriores e reuniões do mesmo comitê concluíram que o MSNQ possui várias limitações por ser uma medida não objetiva e a triagem única pelo Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) por si só não é capaz de acessar outras áreas que podem estar comprometidas na EM. Com a segunda revisão do MMSE, e na falta de instrumentos de triagem objetivos capazes de triar os pacientes que precisassem ser melhor acompanhados pelo BICAMS, buscou-se no presente estudo criar a partir do BICAMS e do MMSE-2 uma medida rápida para triagem, que tivesse medidas de memória episódica, velocidade de processamento, atenção e memória operacional. Objetivo: Para obter uma ferramenta de triagem para este propósito (MMSE-MS) foram conduzidos estudos de adaptação segundo o estímulo: estudo de protótipos, estudo de adaptação, propriedades psicométricas e normas do MMSE-2 (como a nossa ferramenta experimental) e estudo preliminar de desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta objetiva de triagem para EM, com base no MMSE-3. Métodos: Todos os estudos de tradução e adaptação foram conduzidos seguindo um mesmo método, já amplamente utilizado pela literatura. O primeiro estudo consistiu no estudo convencional e de protótipos para verificar qual possuía melhor estimativa de equivalência entre as culturas. O segundo estudo consistiu em adaptar, verificar as propriedades psicométricas e estabelecer normas para o MMSE-2. Similarmente ao estudo anterior, um juiz internacional discutiu os resultados do estudo de adaptação para estabelecimento dos parâmetros de transculturalidade. O último estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de obter uma ferramenta com estimativas de sensibilidade e especificidade similares ao BICAMS, mas que fosse designada à triagem dos pacientes que são elegíveis para ser acompanhados pelo BICAMS. Para tal participaram do primeiro estudo, 374 voluntários da comunidade e 25 pacientes com EM. No segundo e terceiro estudo, participaram 128 pacientes com EM e 602 voluntários saudáveis. Todos os estudos clínicos e com as amostras da comunidade foram realizados no período de 2013 à 2015 e contaram com a parceria em pesquisa do Instituto Brasileiro de Neuropsicologia (IBNeuro) e do Laboratório de Instrumentação e Avaliação Psicológica (LABIAP). A coleta de pacientes foi realizada no Ambulatório de Neuroimunologia do Hospital das clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Perto (FMRP-USP). Resultados: No primeiro estudo, foram mantidas 5 palavras das 15 da versão original. A razão para as modificações na lista Brasileira foram as diferenças entre a divisão silábica, extensão das palavras e presença de protótipos. Verificou-se ainda que até a quarta palavra evocada na nossa cultura em cada categoria semântica foram as mesmas que foram evocadas na língua nativa do instrumento, mas a ordem da frequência variou dentro de cada categoria, mostrando que embora existam palavras que são prototípicas às duas culturas na classificação semântica global, o contexto cultural interfere muito quando partimos para as especificidades dentro de cada classificação e categoria semântica. O MMSE-2 também apresentou estimativas de validade e precisão comum às duas culturas. No quarto estudo, as medidas do MMSE-2 que tiveram melhor relação com o BICAMS e índices de sensibilidade e especificidade parecidos foram as medidas da tarefa de evocação, atenção e cálculo, memória de histórias e codificação dígitos-símbolos. As correlações selecionadas foram aquelas classificadas em moderadas e fortes. Como segundo critério, as medidas do MMSE-2 foram comparadas às medidas do BICAMS pela curva ROC. As medidas do MMSE- 2 que tiveram especificidade e sensibilidade significativas (p<0,001) foram as elegíveis para compor o teste de triagem. Como a tarefa de codificação dígitos-símbolos é susceptível à demanda motora, optou-se pelo uso da forma oral do SDMT em conjunto. Deste modo, no nosso instrumento de triagem, normas para este instrumento foram criadas a partir da soma dos itens do MMSE-MS com o SDMT oral. Conclusão: A integração de dados desses diversos estudos evidencia cautela quanto aos procedimentos de adaptação empregados para adaptação transcultural das tarefas que são de origem verbal e semântica. Há também evidências da necessidade de instrumentos capazes de triar esses pacientes. Para tal, o MMSE-EM mostrou-se válido, preciso, com índices de sensibilidade e especificidade similares ao BICAMS, com normas ajustadas ao contexto Brasileiro.
Background: The cognitive impairment (CI) in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has the prevalence rate from 43% to 70% and may occur from the Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) to the early stages of MS. The CI in MS can advance independently of motor signs and symptoms, EDSS scores and MRI stable. In this context, the National Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (MSNQ) and the International Brief Cognitive Assesment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) are international tools used to screening and monitoring MS patients in care centers. Further studies and meetings provided by same committee alluded that MSNQ has several limitations for being a non-objective measure and the screening using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) alone is not effective because other areas that may be impaired in MS is not screened. With the second revision of the MMSE, and the lack of objective screening tools to quikly screening MS patients that needed to be monitored by BICAMS, we aimed in the presente study to create a fast measurement to screening the episodic memory, processing speed, attention and working memory from BICAMS and MMSE-2. Objective: To obtain brief a screening tool for MS (MMSE-MS) were conducted four studies using different tools: first the prototype study to development of CVLT-2 lists, adaptation, psychometric properties and normative data of BICAMS to the Braziliam context (as our gold standard), Cross cultural adaptation, psychometric properties, and normative data of MMSE-2 (the experimental tool) and the preliminary study of development of MMSE-MS. Methods: All translation and adaptation studies were conducted following the same method, as widely used in the literature. The first study consisted of conventional adaptation and prototypical norms, aiming to see which had the best estimates of equivalence between the cultures. The second study with BICAMS protocol show that MS scored significantly lower on all BICAMS tests. At the end of the study, the results were discussed with a member of the international committee to confirm the evidences of transculturality between the original and Brazilian versions. The third study consisted of Adapt, to investigate the psychometric properties and stablish normative data to the MMSE-2. Similarly to the previous study, an international judge discussed the results of the study of adaptation to identify the estimatives of transculturality. The fourth and last study was conducted in order to obtain a tool with sensitivity and similar specificity estimates BICAMS, but it was designed to screen patients who are eligible to be accompanied by BICAMS. Participated of the first study, 374 healthy volunteers and 25 patients with MS. In the second and third study participated 128 MS patients and 602 healthy volunteers. All clinical studies and community samples were carried out from 2013 to 2015 and had the partnership of the Brazilian Institute of Neuropsychology (IBNeuro) and the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Psychological Assessment (LABIAP). The collection of patients was performed at the Neuroimmunology Outpatient Clinic from Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP). Results: In the first study, were kept 5 words of 15 from the original American version. The reason for these changes in the Brazilian list were the differences between the syllabic division, extension of the words and the presence of prototypicall words. Was also found that until the fourth word evoked in our culture, in each semantic category were the same as those mentioned in the native language, but the order of the frequency varied within each category, indicating that although there are words that are prototypically commom between the two cultures in the overall semantic classification, the cultural context changes when we analyse the specifics prototipically words inside of each classification and semantic categories. To the second study, the BICAMS showed similar estimates of reliability and validity for current use as monitoring tool for MS in the Brazilian contexto, supporting the diagnostic validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation The normative data were satisfactory (p <0.001) in relation to the vocational status. The third study, with MMSE-2 also provided good estimates of validity and precision to the both cultures. To the fourth study, the MMSE-2 was compared to the BICAMS. The MMSE-2 tasks which had similar sensitivity and specificity to the BICAMS protocol was the recalling, attention and calculation, history memory and processing speed (Symbol Digit-coding). The selected tasks were those classified as moderate and Strong correlations. The second procedure consisted on comparisions among the MMSE-2 measurements and BICAMS using ROC curve. So, the MMSE-2 measures that had significant (p <0.001) specificity and sensitivity and similar area under the curve (ROC) were eligible to composse the screening tool. As the digit-symbol coding task is susceptible to motor demand, we decided to include the oral SDMT to the task. Thus, to get our screening tool, normative data for this instrument were created from the sum of the MMSE-MS items with oral SDMT. Conclusion: The overall of the data from these studies calls attention to the necessity of the caution to the adaptation procedures used in cross-cultural adaptation of the tasks that has verbal and semantic stimuli. There is also the need of tools abel to screening MS patients. For this, these preliminar data for MMSE-MS showed evidences of validation, similar sensitivity and and specificity, with normative data culturally adjusted to the Brazilian context.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2009.
Title from screen (viewed on August 27, 2009). School of Social Work, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Cathy Pike, Hea-Won Kim, Margaret Adamek, Drew Appleby. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 317-330).

The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Burnout Inventor for employees in a selected organization in South Africa. A purposive, non-probability sample was used (N = 365). The Burnout Inventory and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of the questionnaire. Two internally consistent factors, namely, Organisation and Work-context were extracted. AFRIKAANS : Die doelstelling van hierdie studie was om die psigometriese eienskappe van die Burnout Inventory vir werknemers in n geselekteerde organisasie in Suid- Afrika te bepaal. ‘n Doelgerigte nie-waarskynlikheidsteekproef is gebruik (N = 365). Die Burnout Inventory en biografiese vraelys is afgeneem. Verkennende Faktoranalise met teikenrotasies het die konstrukekwivalensie van die vraelys bevestig. Twee interne konsekwente faktore, organisasie en werkskonteks is onttrek. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Karodia, TR 2007, Psychometric properties of the burnout inventory, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02222012-110515 / > C12/4/198/gm
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Human Resource Management
unrestricted

Antecedentes: La traducción directa cuestionarios puede conducir a errores debido a diferencias culturales y lingüísticas. La utilización en estudios científicos de cuestionarios desarrollados en otros idiomas, precisa además de su traducción una adaptación cultural y validación. El Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ) sirve para medir las dificultades percibidas en el trabajo debido a problemas de salud. Objetivos: 1) Revisar la literatura sobre la traducción, adaptación cultural y validación (TACV) de cuestionarios, y sintetizar y hacer recomendaciones para facilitar este proceso, 2) traducir y adaptar el WRFQ al castellano y 3) examinar la fiabilidad, validez y sensibilidad al cambio del WRFQ para su uso en estudios evaluativos. Métodos: La TACV se llevó a cabo mediante un riguroso procedimiento por etapas. Se diseñó un estudio transversal con 455 participantes y uno longitudinal prospectivo con 102 participantes para evaluar la fiabilidad, validez sensibilidad al cambio. Se evaluaron la consistencia interna, la fiabilidad testretest, la validez aparente y de contenido. La validez estructural se exploró mediante análisis factoriales confirmatorios. La validez de constructo se evaluó por medio de hipótesis. La sensibilidad al cambio se examinó mediante enfoques basados en la distribución y validez de las puntuaciones. Resultados: La TACV del WRFQ fue satisfactoria. Para la escala total, el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach fue 0.98 y el coeficiente de correlación intraclase fue 0.94. La validez aparente y de contenido se consideró adecuada. La estructura con cinco factores reflejó adecuadamente las diferentes dimensiones del cuestionario. Se confirmaron 7 hipótesis para evaluar la validez de constructo. Además, 4 hipótesis fueron confirmadas y 1 fue rechazada para evaluar la sensibilidad al cambio del cuestionario del instrumento. Conclusiones: El WRFQ es un instrumento válido y fiable para medir el funcionamiento en el trabajo en relación con la salud. Se encontró evidencia de la sensibilidad al cambio del cuestionario.
Background: Direct translation of questionnaires may lead to misinterpretation due to cultural and language differences. When using questionnaires developed in other languages in scientific studies, besides the translation, is necessary a cultural adaptation and validation. The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ) is an instrument to measure perceived difficulties to perform the job due to health problems. Objectives: 1) Review the literature on translation, cultural adaptation and validation (TCAV) of questionnaires, and synthesize and make recommendations to facilitate this process, 2) translate and adapt the WRFQ to Spanish and 3) examine the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the WRFQ in a Spanish working population so that it could be used in evaluative studies. Methods: A rigorous stepwise procedure was followed to achieve the TCAV. A cross-sectional study with 455 participants was designed to evaluate reliability and validity. A longitudinal prospective study with 102 participants was carried out to examine responsiveness. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, face and content validity were assessed. Structural validity was examined by means of confirmatory factor analyses. Construct validity was evaluated by hypotheses testing. Responsiveness was examined with a combination of distribution and anchor-based approaches. Results: The TCAV of the WRFQ to Spanish was satisfactory. For the overall scale, Cronbach alpha was 0.98 and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.94. Face and content validity was considered adequate. The five factor structure reflected fair dimensionality of the construct. For construct validity, seven hypotheses were confirmed and for responsiveness four hypotheses were confirmed and one was rejected. Conclusions: The WRFQ-SpV is a reliable and valid instrument to measure health-related work functioning in Spanish-speaking populations. Evidence about the possible use of the WRFQ for evaluative purposes has been found

Frontal encephalographic (EEG) alpha asymmetry has been proposed as a measure of the relative difference in average cortical activity between the right and left anterior cortex, where this difference is taken as a physiological marker of trait and state level variables associated with affect. The validity of asymmetry as an indicator of both physiological and psychological variables is in part determined by the psychometric properties of asymmetry scores. The present studies focus on the psychometric assessment of frontal alpha asymmetry measured during rest. The first study involves a novel approach in the assessment of the internal consistency reliability of asymmetry scores. Previous studies estimated internal consistency reliability via Cronbach's alpha, using a relatively small set of asymmetry score that summarized activity over segments of the EEG data (e.g. one minute). Such an approach, however, will create estimates dependent on the number of segments utilized rather than the total amount of data recorded. Thus in the first study, individual FFT epochs were treated as items, thereby maximizing the total number of items used to estimate internal consistency reliability. Results of this study suggest internal consistency reliability is greater than previously reported, and as such, the duration of resting EEG data necessary to achieve a reasonable reliability criterion may be shorter than the current standard. In the second study, asymmetry scores were assessed as a specific case of difference scores, which are susceptible to a statistical artifact associated with differences in true-score variance for the component measures. Predicted asymmetry scores associated with the statistical artifact were obtained by estimating the true-score variance of right and left alpha power. The use of hierarchical linear regression showed some influence of the statistical artifact on the relationship between asymmetry scores and a measure of depressive severity, suggesting that some caution may be warranted in interpreting asymmetry results with relatively small effect sizes.

Skinner (1957) published a theoretical viewpoint of verbal behavior that suggested a comprehensive behavioral account of language. However, this publication contained no empirical research and expanded only conceptually on the basic principles of operant conditioning with nonhuman organisms. Since this publication, there has been some research to support the concepts of verbal operants described by Skinner (1957), yet the research has been of relative limited scope and depth (Dymond et al., 2006). In the decades that followed Skinner's text, a number of empirical and conceptual advances have been documented which have concluded that language learning is more complex than initially thought (Hayes et al., 2001). A number of applied curriculum and assessment protocols have been developed to use Skinner's concepts of language to teach such skills to children with autism and related disabilities. However, those published documents contain no empirical support of their effectiveness, and do not include either a) post-1957 Skinner era behavior analysis or b) concepts found in Skinner's own 1957 text beyond the basic verbal operants. As a result, the present study examined the utility of a new behavior analytic system to teach language and cognition to children with autism and related disorders. Specifically, this study evaluated the relationships between the PEAK Relational Training System and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Illinois Early Learning Standards. Also, the research looked at the effects of a novel implementer compared to a familiar caregiver. Using 13 children (ages 3-8) exposed to the PEAK system for a period of three months, it was found that educational gains were observed in all students. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation of the PEAK Relational Training System and the PPVT. Also a positive correlation was found between the PEAK score and the Illinois Early Learning Standards. The data also suggests that the PEAK Relational Training System can be implemented with same procedural fidelity with a novice implementer compared to a familiar caregiver.

Several experts in the area of postsecondary student evaluations of courses have concluded that they are stable or reliable measures as well as being measures that provide ways of making valid inferences regarding teacher effectiveness. Often these experts have offered these conclusions without supporting evidence. Surprisingly, a thorough review of the literature revealed very few reported test-retest reliability studies of course evaluations and the results from these studies are contradictory. In the area of validity, the conclusions offered by scholars who conducted meta-analyses of mutlisection course studies are inconsistent. This leads to the following two research questions: 1. What is the test-retest reliability over a 3-week period of the course evaluation currently employed at Utah State University? 2. Can results of the course evaluation employed at Utah State University be used to make valid inferences about a teacher's effectiveness? Two parts of a study were conducted to answer these questions. First, a test-retest reliability part was conducted with students from courses at Utah State University, employing a 3-week time lapse between administrations of the course evaluations. Second, a multisection course validity part was conducted using existing student ratings data and final examination scores for 100 sections of MATH 1010 over a 5-year period. Correlational analyses were conducted on the resulting data from both studies. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranging from 0.64 to 0.94 were found. In the second study, the correlation coefficients from the validity study ranged from -0.39 to 0.71, with a mean coefficient of 0.14 and 0.11 for final examination score by instructor rating and final examination score by course rating, respectively. Results from both parts of the study suggest that the course evaluation used at USU is not reliable and that results of the course evaluation do not provide information that can be used to make valid inferences regarding teacher effectiveness.

This study examined the psychometric properties for the Draw-A-Person (DAP) test (Naglieri, 1988). Data were collected from 191 children following the accepted procedure from an earlier study (Badger & Jones, 1988). Drawings were scored using both Harris' (1963) and Naglieri's (1988) scoring systems following the procedures outlined in the manuals. Basically, the DAP test demonstrated reliable and valid properties. The Naglieri's (1988) scoring system was favored in this study because it demonstrated more consistent internal consistency, higher inter- and intra-rater reliability and satisfactory construct validity. Positive and moderate high correlations with the scores obtained from Goodenough-Harris's scoring systems supported that the Naglieri's version measured the same concept as the old system. Psychometric properties of the DAP test support use in clinical and research settings to gather data from children about their general abilities.

Aims: Our understanding of adolescent attachment representations is limited, largely due to the lack measures which exist to assess attachment in this developmental period. The current study aimed to explore the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Adolescent Story Stem Profile (ASSP); an online measure of internal representations, adapted from narrative story-stem techniques. Methods: A community sample of 253 adolescents in mainstream secondary schools completed the ASSP, and their responses were used to assess the ASSP's ability to predict self- and teacher-rated difficulties as measured by the SDQ and CGAS. Responses of a clinical sample of 32 adolescents in residential or foster care were compared to those of an age- and gender-matched subset of the community sample. Results: The factor structure of the ASSP was analysed using principal component analysis, revealing a four-factor model. These factors were found to predict responses on two of the five SDQ subscales, but not the total SDQ difficulties or the CGAS. Scores on two of the four factors were found to differ significantly in the clinical sample when compared to the subset of the community sample. Conclusions: The ASSP shows promising results in its ability to measure the attachment representations of adolescents, however improvements could be made. This are discussed with reference to the limitations of the study, and suggestions for future work are made.

Research suggests rumination and worry, which have typically been considered as strongly linked to depression and anxiety, respectively, may be better conceptualized through a transdiagnostic construct. According to Ehring and colleagues (2011), a construct broader than worry or rumination might be considered as Repetitive Negative Thinking. Ehring notes three key characteristics of repetitive negative thinking: the thinking is repetitive; it is at least partly intrusive; and it is difficult to disengage from. Two additional features include: individuals perceive it as unproductive and it captures mental capacity. This working definition of these five features formed the basis for the initial development and validation of the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring, Zetsche, Weidacker, Wahl, Schönfeld, & Anke, 2011) which is intended to be a content-independent measure of RNT. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire includes 15 total items with three items for each of the assumed characteristics of repetitive negative thinking (repetitive, intrusive, difficult to disengage from, unproductive, and capturing mental capacity). The PTQ is designed to assess for a common process found not only in individuals with prominent worry (as seen in GAD) or rumination (as seen in depression) but also in other diagnoses such as obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. In its current state, the PTQ remains largely untested, leaving its utility in the changing field questionable. The current study intended to assess the psychometric quality of the PTQ to ensure its usefulness as a potential diagnostic tool and as a reflection of Ehring’s model of RNT. The current study administered the PTQ to a large and diverse group of college students located at a Midwestern university. Additional measures were administered to assess the psychometric properties of the measure. Construct and convergent reliability were demonstrated through comparison between the PTQ and the other measures. Unexpectedly, the PTQ and Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire demonstrated a positive correlation, suggesting the measures are tapping into similar constructs. The factor structure of the PTQ was of particular interest in the current study. Further assessment of the factors reportedly contained in the PTQ was valuable, not just to assess the quality of the measure, but also because doing so would provide support for or undermine the proposed definition and key characteristics believed to underlie the construct of repetitive negative thinking. In this study, a two factor model was best supported for the current data, through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. This finding prompts further consideration and research for the construct of repetitive negative thinking.

The talent mindset of an organisation is a critical success factor which can enhance its capability in driving its strategic objectives. For some, the talent of the organisation may not yet have been defined in relation to the long term objectives whilst other organisations have defined talent but experience uncertainty around the linkage of the various talent management practices. The successful organisations are those that not only understand what core talent means to them, but how to leverage the talent in a manner that allows it to act decisively to drive competitive advantage as well as secure the future success of the organisation. These organisations generally embody a talent mindset. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of a talent mindset index which proposes to measure the talent mindset of an organisation through its nine dimensions. The research thus aimed to define the construct validity as well as the reliability of the instrument for usage in business. The ambit of this would be to validate an instrument that could be utilised to establish intervention areas to sustain a talent mindset. Furthermore, the review would allow researchers to further explore the concept of talent mindset, mental models, culture and other related constructs. The talent mindset instrument was administered to a population of 558 Managers and HR professionals, of which a total sample of 154 was obtained within an organisation in the aviation industry. Only 150 of the response data was considered valid for usage in statistical analysis. The researcher conducted an analysis of the data in terms of the descriptives, ran an exploratory factor analysis and reviewed the reliability coefficients of the index in order to identify the psychometric properties of the instrument. The findings were that the instrument displayed a low degree of construct validity with the current methodology, as only one factor could be derived as opposed to the nine proposed in the instrument. The instrument was however found to have a high internal consistency (reliability) with a Cronbach alpha of 0.93, after the 30 items representing the factor were tested. Copyright 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Welby-Cooke, G 2010, The psychometric properties of a talent mindset index, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02162012-113318/ > C12/4/200/gm
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Human Resource Management
unrestricted

Thesis advisor: Pamela J. Grace
Background: As established in professional codes of ethics, critical care nurses must be equipped to provide good (ethical) patient care. This requires ethical awareness, which involves recognizing the ethical implications of all nursing actions (ranging from the mundane to the dilemmatic). Ethical awareness is imperative in successfully addressing patient needs, however, evidence suggests that the ethical import of everyday issues may often go unnoticed by nurses in practice. Assessing nurses’ ethical awareness is a necessary first step in preparing nurses to identify and manage ethical issues in the highly dynamic critical care environment. Purpose: To use Rasch principles to develop a psychometrically sound instrument to assess the nature and extent of critical care nurses’ ethical awareness in the context of everyday nursing practice, and to assess the success of scale development using a Rasch model. Method: An item bank representing nursing actions was developed (33 items). Content validity testing with nursing ethics experts (n = 5) was performed (CVI-I = 1). Eighteen items were selected for face validity testing with graduate nursing students (n = 7). After revisions, two full-scale pilot administrations were performed to run item analyses. Sample: Critical care nurses (n = 116) at a large academic teaching hospital in New England. Results: Pilot test analyses suggest sufficient item invariance across samples and sufficient construct validity. Final analyses demonstrate a progression of items uniformly along a hierarchical continuum; items that match respondent ability levels; response categories that are sufficiently used; a Principle Components Analysis demonstrating randomness of residuals, and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.83). Mean ethical awareness scores were in the low/moderate range (M = 34.9/54; logit = -0.21). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the Ethical Awareness Scale (EAS) is a psychometrically sound, reliable, and valid measure of ethical awareness in critical care nurses
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017
Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing
Discipline: Nursing

This thesis describes studies into the psychometric properties of a Swedish language version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument. The psychometric properties of this instrument have been examined in two previous studies: an American study was conducted by the developers of the interview, Friedman and Utada (1989), and a Swiss study was undertaken by Bolognini et al. (2001). The American and the French (as used in the Swiss study) versions of ADAD exhibit good validity and reliability, in the form of both interrater reliability and the internal consistency of the composite scores. Study I evaluated the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the ADAD interview in normal adolescents and adolescents with antisocial problems. It was found that the instrument has good interrater reliability, that the composite scores exhibit moderate internal consistency, and that the concept validity was acceptable and similar to that of the American and Swiss versions. The results also showed that the problem areas of ADAD produced meaningful correlations. The interviewer ratings, the adolescent’s ratings and the composite scores were compared and discussed. Some problems concerning the composite scores were discovered and will need to be analyzed in future studies. Study II investigated the utility and problems associated with the composite scores in the ADAD within and between normal adolescents and adolescents with antisocial problems. When comparing interviewer severity ratings and composite scores within the two groups, the composite scores were found to behave differently to the interviewer ratings. For normal adolescents, the composite scores are generally higher than the interviewer ratings, but for the adolescents with antisocial problems the reverse is true. The interviewer severity ratings seem to be the most appropriate outcome when the objective is to separate antisocial and normal groups of adolescents from each other. The difference between the two groups is smaller as measured by composite scores. The composite scores appear to function as viable indicators of current problems in all areas except for Medical and Alcohol problem area. The critical items within the Medical and Alcohol composite scores are explored and discussed.  Study III investigated the concurrent and predictive validity of the ADAD Psychological status and problem area. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between the ADAD, Youth Self Report (YSR) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. The predictive validity of this problem area of the ADAD was tested by exploring its correlations with the YSR, BDI, and DICA problem ratings; moderate correlations were observed, suggesting that in clinical practice, the ADAD Psychological status and problem area may be a useful tool for the assessment and measurement of current psychological problems. The utility obtained by making decisions using the test is substantial. Overall, the results of these studies indicate that the Swedish version of ADAD appears to be a psychometrically good instrument for assessing the severity of adolescents’ problems and their need for treatment, but there are some problems with the Medical and Alcohol composite scores.

Psychometric properties of the Parenting Stress Index ? Short Form were investigated using a heterogeneous sample of 185 mothers and fathers of children between the ages of 4-10 years. The Difficult Child and Parent Distress subscales, as well as Total PSI-SF, were found to be internally consistent. Confirmatory factor analysis did not reveal support for a three-factor model. Results were mixed in terms of support for convergent and discriminant validity. The PSI-SF Total and subscales were related to measures of parent psychopathology and perceptions of child adjustment, but not to observed parent and child behavior. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Conduct disorders in children are very common. The consequences of such problems are far-reaching not least because they impact upon the quality of the parent-child relationship. Parent Management Training (PMT) is a widely recognised treatment for childhood conduct disorders although the outcomes for many children are disappointing. Theoretically, the current study considers why outcomes are not more favourable and illustrates that attention should be paid to the role of maternal cognition in the quality of mother-child relationships. The aims of this study were to: • orientate the reader to the nature of the problem • describe the development of a tool that measures the quality of the mother-child relationship, The Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) • assess the psychometric properties of the PCRQ • discuss the findings, strengths and weaknesses of the study and consider future research ideas Control mothers completed the PCRQ once. Referred mothers completed the PCRQ and a measure of depression pre and post PMT. These mothers also completed a measure of parenting stress pre group only. A further sample of mothers completed the PCRQ twice. Principal components analysis was used to determine a) the factor structure of the PCRQ and b) whether this differed between a control and referred sample. One factor was extracted from the control sample and two from the referred. The two factors extracted were named Negative Cognition and Emotion (NC-E) and Behavioural Management (BM). Reliability analysis revealed adequate levels of alpha (Cronbach's) for the PCRQ and NC-E subscale although only barely adequate for BM subscale in both samples. Testretest reliability analysis on a small sample revealed a high Pearson's correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation coefficients for total PCRQ and the BM subscale were reasonable whereas for NC-E the coefficient was weak. Criterion validity was explored by comparing the control and referred sample means. The differences between the means were significant. Concurrent and convergent validity were investigated by computing correlations between the PCRQ and the Parenting Stress Index Short-Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995). This showed moderate correlations between the measures. The correlations between two PSI-SF dimensions and the BM subscale were low. Discriminant validity was investigated by computing correlations between the PCRQ and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck & Steer, 1993). This showed a moderate relationship. Sensitivity to change following PMT was investigated by computing a paired samples t test in the referred sample. This test was also used to compare the pre and post group scores for the individual subscales. The changes were significant. There was no relationship between PCRQ scores and either age or gender. Normative values for the PCRQ and its subscales were calculated using a theoretical normal distribution. The results suggest that the PCRQ can be used to investigate the extent of negative maternal cognition underlying the quality of the mother-child relationship. Its usefulness is enhanced by employing a measure of maternal depression.

This dissertation explores the concept and development of metacognitive social justice through three manuscripts. The first manuscript defines metacognitive social justice through an extensive literature review from prominent social justice scholars and theorists to find common themes that either explicitly or subtly permeate social justice content. Drawing from theory and empirical data, the first manuscript provides a foundation of this cognitive process that is relatable to all social justice scholarship, defining cognitive common ground. The themes found across the literature can be distilled to four metacognitive attributes found in "social justice thinking": (1) self-awareness through consciousness-raising, (2) value in the narratives of others, (3) awareness of unseen forces, and (4) questioning historical origins or intents. The second manuscript is a qualitative analysis of the perception of self- proclaimed social justice thinkers, exploring how they define 'social justice thinking' and the role it plays in their daily choices and decision-making. Through thoroughly coded and analyzed transcripts of one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, this manuscript explores three other emergent themes of action, discomfort and community, as a well as the need for developing social justice thinkers, and highlights significant connections to the attributes in the first manuscript. The third manuscript is a detailed description of the development of the metacognitive social justice survey for college undergraduates, a psychometric instrument designed to measure the metacognitive social justice attributes in individuals described in the theoretical manuscript. The instrument was found to be increasing in quantitative validity through two exploratory factor analyzes (EFA) with still room for improvement. Drawing on the questions developed so far, a final version of this psychometric instrument will provide a snapshot of what metacognitive social justice attributes are found in undergraduate classes and potentially to what extent. This is the first edition of the instrument, with the idea that the instrument should be ever evolving, becoming more accurate and valid, and carefully reworded for different audiences beyond college undergraduates.
Ph. D.

Thesis advisor: Dorothy A. Jones
A metasynthesis of 90 published qualitative studies was conducted on the nurses’, students’, and patients’ perception of nurse caring. A mid-range theory of Nurse Caring emerged from the data, including three attributes: Presence, Concern for the Other, Knowledgeable, Competent Care, and Respect for the Person. The Nurse Caring Patient Scale (NCPS) was developed from patient descriptors within the metasynthesis. NCPS was tested to establish the psychometric properties of the instrument with 341 adult acute in-patients of a northeastern United States metropolitan teaching medical center. Initial reliability for total NCPS was .92. Factor analysis using principal components analysis with varimax rotation resulted in a parsimonious three factor solution that accounted for 50.49 % of the total variance. The final NCPS was 23 items with an alpha of .91. Component 1 (Presence, Concern for the Other) was comprised of 11 items with an alpha of .89. Component 2 (Knowledgeable, Competent Care) contained five items with an alpha of .77. Component 3 (Respect for the Person) had seven items and an alpha of .73. Participants were asked to write about an experience with a nurse. Components of caring and uncaring experiences described by participants did not add to the body of data from the metasynthesis or to the items of the NCPS. This study was limited by sample population, and the items of NCPS may be applicable only to those included in the synthesized qualitative studies. The metasynthesis of qualitative studies and mid-range theory of Nurse Caring add to the theoretical concept of caring by including the patients’ perceptions of the nurse-patient encounter. Components of Nurse Caring add competency, and respect to presence with the patient for a comprehensive definition of caring. NCPS offers nurses and administrators a valid reliable measure for patient perceptions of quality of care and satisfaction that were until now unseen and unmeasured. The theory of Nurse Caring provides nurse educators with a framework for nursing curricula, since the theory incorporates all aspects of nursing practice within its definition
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008
Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing
Discipline: Nursing

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2004.
Thesis research directed by: Psychology. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

This study aimed to provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the Systems Coaching Survey (SCS). Systems coaching is an approach to building capacity among groups of educators to drive educational reform efforts by employing seven interdependent sets of skills (interpersonal communication, data-based problem solving, team facilitation, content knowledge dissemination, leadership, professional learning, evaluation). The SCS was designed to measure educators’ skills to facilitate implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). The 41-item survey was piloted nationally in the spring of 2017 by 1,060 educators across 180 schools in six U.S. states who had responsibilities for facilitating MTSS practices in their schools. This study used multilevel confirmatory factor analysis to examine the construct validity and reliability of the tool at the educator and school levels. Results indicated support for seven factors at the educator level representing the seven systems coaching skill sets, and one between-level factor labeled School Context. Congeneric reliability estimates were in the acceptable to high ranges. Implications for future research on the SCS and use of the tool in practice are discussed.

The Online Student Connectedness Survey (OSCS) was introduced to the academic community in 2012 as an instrument designed to measure feelings of connectedness between students participating in online degree and certification programs. The purpose of this study was to examine data from the instrument for initial evidence of validity and reliability and to establish a nomological network between the OSCS and similar instruments utilized in the field. The study utilized sequential exploratory factor analysis- confirmatory factor analysis (EFA-CFA) and correlational analysis to assess results of the data. Students enrolled in online courses at higher education institutions located in the United States served as the sample for this study. Three instruments were used during the study. The OSCS was administered first so that the factor structure could be examined for factor validity. Once confirmed, the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) and the Community of Inquiry Scale (COI) served as the instruments to examine nomological validity through correlational analysis of data.This study provided evidence of factor validity and reliability for data from the OSCS. After the initial EFA-CFA, the four-factor structure held, and 16 of the 25 original items remained for nomological testing. Statistically significant correlations were demonstrated between factors contained in the OSCS, CCS, and COI, providing further evidence of construct validity. These results indicate that for the sample used in this study, the OSCS provides data that are valid and reliable for assessing feelings of connection between participants in online courses at institutions of higher learning.

A principal axis factor analysis with promax rotation yielded four factors, or joint variations between the 20 items, that were inter-correlated with eigenvalues greater than 1. The ADBQ was also found to have high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .86). The four factors were used to form four subscales of aggressive driving behavior that included anger/aggression, speeding/minor infractions, overt expression, and judgment of other drivers. The four subscales were found to correlate with self-reported biographical and driver history data, as well as, gender differences across scales. Additional analyses were conducted using data from the present sample from the University of Central Florida (N = 285) and the data from the previous study from Old Dominion University (N = 230) and Michigan Technological University (N = 265) for a combined sample of 780 undergraduate students. The findings in this present study provided additional support for the consistency, predictive validity, and factor structure of the ADBQ instrument. The Aggressive Driving Behavior Questionnaire proves to be a valuable measure in predicting the likelihood of a person engaging in aggressive driving behavior. The implications for driving behavior assessment, training, and instrument development are also discussed.; Over the past decade, aggressive driving behavior has become a topic of concern among the public, media, and researchers in the psychological community. Aggressive driving is a problematic pattern of social behavior that is not only a leading cause to motor vehicle accidents, but a serious threat to public safety. One instrument that has been developed to assess aggressive driving behavior is the Aggressive Driving Behavior Questionnaire (ADBQ). The ADBQ is a 20-item paper and pencil questionnaire intended to measure a driver's likelihood for engaging in aggressive driving behavior. The ADBQ was developed using a factor-analytic approach that combined five previously developed aggressive driving behavior scales (Brill, Mouloua & Shirkey, 2007). Of the 81 items of the five combined scales, nineteen latent variables were extracted and accounted for 67.4% of the explained variance for the observed responses. The final 20th item was developed by splitting one of the latent variables. A previous study, conducted at Old Dominion University (N = 230) and Michigan Technological University (N = 265), examined the ADBQ's factor structure and internal consistency, and found relatively high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .77) and the identification of six factors using a principal axis factor analysis (Brill & Mouloua, 2011). The ADBQ was also tested in a controlled laboratory environment and found significant evidence that suggest the ADBQ is a valid predictor of aggressive driving behavior in a simulated environment (Brill, Mouloua & Shirkey 2009). The purpose of the present study was to further investigate the psychometric properties of the ADBQ. Based on a sample of 285 undergraduates (170 women and 115 men) from the University of Central Florida, the study examined the internal consistency, predictive and construct validity, and factor structure of the new questionnaire.
B.S.
Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983), which assesses specific social skills involved in adaptive and non-adaptive behaviors. The factor structure and internal consistency were studied in a sample of children from Cordoba (n = 578) of 7 to 13 years old (M = 9.48, SD = 1.47) of both sexes (52.77% males). An exploratory study of data and variables was conducted; then the factor structure was studied. Results suggest that the structure of five factors was the simplest and theoretically most consistent: Aggressiveness/Antisocial Behavior, Appropriate Social Skills, Friendship, Overconfidence/Jealousy/Pride and Loneliness/ Social Anxiety. The internal consistent coefficients were good or acceptable in most dimensions. Gender differences observed in the dimensions and total score provide evidence of the validity of the instrument.
Se evalúan las propiedades psicométricas de la versión de Autoinforme de la Escala Matson para la Evaluación de Habilidades Sociales con Jóvenes (Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983), que permite evaluar habilidades sociales especificas implicadas en comportamientos adaptativos y no adaptativos. Se estudia la estructura factorial y consistencia interna en una muestra de niños cordobeses (n = 578) con edades entre los 7 y 13 anos (M = 9.48, DE = 1.47), de ambos sexos (52.77% varones). Se analizaron los datos y variables de manera exploratoria, y luego se analizo la estructura factorial. La estructura de 5 factores resulto la más simple y teóricamente coherente: Agresividad/Conducta Antisocial, Habilidades Sociales Apropiadas, Amistad, Sobreconfianza/Celos/Soberbia y Soledad/Ansiedad Social. Los índices de consistencia interna fueron buenos o aceptables en la mayoría de dimensiones. Las diferencias de sexo en las distintas dimensiones y en la puntuación total ofrecen evidencia de la validez del instrumento.

Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore and describe radiographers‟ professional competence based on patients‟ and radiographers‟ experiences and to develop a context-specific instrument to assess the level and frequency of use of radiographers‟ professional competence. Methods: The design was inductive and deductive. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The data collection methods comprised interviews (Studies I-II) and questionnaires (Studies III-IV). The subjects were patients in study I and radiographers in studies II-IV. In study I, 17 patients were interviewed about their experiences of the encounter during radiographic examinations and treatment. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. In study II, 14 radiographers were interviewed to identify radiographers‟ areas of competence. The critical incident technique was chosen to analyse the interviews. Studies III and IV were based on a national cross-sectional survey of 406 randomly selected radiographers. Study III consisted of two phases; designing the Radiographer Competence Scale (RCS) and evaluation of its psychometric properties. A 42-item questionnaire was developed and validated by a pilot test (n=16) resulting in the addition of 12 items. Thus the final RCS comprised a 54-item questionnaire, which after psychometric tests was reduced to 28 items. In study IV, the 28-item questionnaire served as data. The level of competencies was rated on a 10-point scale, while their use was rated on a six-point scale. Results: In study I, the female patients‟ comprehensive understanding was expressed as feelings of vulnerability. The encounters were described as empowering, empathetic, mechanical and neglectful, depending on the radiographers‟ skills and attitudes. Study II revealed two main areas of professional competence, direct patient-related and indirect patient-related. The first focused on competencies in the care provided in close proximity to the patient and the second on competencies used in the activities of the surrounding environment. Each of the two main areas was divided into four categories and 31 sub-categories that either facilitated or hindered good nursing care. In study III the analysis condensed the 54-item questionnaire in two steps, firstly by removing 12 items and secondly a further 14 items, resulting in the final 28-item RCS questionnaire. Several factor analyses were performed and a two factor-solution emerged, labelled; “Nurse initiated care” and “Technical and radiographic processes”. The psychometric tests had good construct validity and homogeneity. The result of study IV demonstrated that most competencies in the RCS received high ratings both in terms of level and frequency of use. Competencies e.g. „Adequately informing the patient‟, „Adapting the examination to the patient‟s prerequisites and needs‟ and „Producing accurate and correct images‟ were rated the highest while „Identifying and encountering the patient in a state of shock‟ and „Participating in quality improvement regarding patient safety and care‟ received the lowest ratings. The total score of each of the two dimensions had a low but significant correlation with age and years in present position. The competence level correlated with age and years in present position in both dimensions but not with the use of competencies in the “Nurse initiated care” dimension. Conclusion: This thesis has shown that professional competence is important in the encounter between patient and radiographer. It has also demonstrated that radiographers‟ self-rated professional competence is based on nursing, technological and radiographic knowledge. From a radiographer‟s perspective, „Nurse initiated care‟ and „Technical and Radiographic processes‟ are two core dimensions of Radiographer Competence Scale. The 28-item questionnaire regarding level and frequency of use of competence is feasible to use to measure radiographers‟ professional competence.