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This article aims to compare the pattern of responses obtained by a web-based and a paper-based survey used to investigate the transit safety of travellers in railway stations in Sweden. This aim is achieved by evaluating whether the response and the completion rates change as the surveys progress, assessing the effect of the survey mode on respondents' answers (after controlling for the surveys' internal consistency and differences in the samples), and the potential impact of the order of alternatives in multiple-choice questions on the responses. To carry out the study, a sample of 500 responses was taken from each population and later compared using a series of statistical tests. Findings indicate that despite the surveys' high internal consistency, the prevalence of victimisation, fear of crime, and precautions detected in the web survey was higher than those found in the paper survey. The web survey shows a major drop just after the initial questions, while the paper survey shows a more stable pattern of responses, but was also affected by a single compulsory question that pushed the completion rate down. Finally, the order of alternatives in multiple-choice questions (fixed or random) did not affect the answers given by the respondents, providing a solid base for safety interventions in transit environments, regardless of survey mode. The article concludes by making suggestions for both research and practice., Correction: Ceccato, V., Gliori, G., Näsman, P. et al. Publisher Correction to: Comparing responses from a paper‑based survey with a web‑based survey in environmental criminology. Crime Prevention & Community Safety 26, 244 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41300-024-00210-x

Background: The Head and Neck Patient Symptom Checklist (HNSC) is a validated 2-part instrument used to ask patients with head and neck cancer about the nutrition impact symptoms they experience (part 1) and how these interfere with their eating (part 2). Purpose:The purpose of this work was to translate and culturally adapt the HNSC into Swedish in accordance with the guidelines of the International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Methods:The ISPOR guidelines include 10 steps, and these were thoroughly followed. In step 7, 9 health care professionals from the field of head and neck cancer assessed the perceived relevance (content validity) of each item in the HNSC, as well as the full HNSC. A total of 522 participants with head and neck cancer were included and followed up on 7 occasions using the HNSC to assess internal consistency. Results:The HNSC was translated from English into Swedish, ensuring accuracy through forward and backward translation and harmonization in the research team. Content validity for each part of the HNSC was rated excellent (scale content validity index 0.96). Internal consistency demonstrated a good Cronbach’s alpha score (>0.8) across the 7 follow-up time points (from baseline [before the start of treatment] and up to 24 months posttreatment). Conclusions:The HNSC has been successfully translated and culturally adapted into Swedish. The HNSC can be used in both clinical practice and research to screen for nutrition impact symptoms and symptoms that interfere with eating in patients with head and neck cancer.

Gaming disorder (GD) is a growing public health issue requiring reliable screening and diagnostic tools. A commonly used tool for assessing GD is the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). The GDT assesses GD based on International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) criteria; however, its psychometric testing has been conducted across studies but yet snythesized. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize psychometric data regarding the GDT globally. Adhering to pre-registration, a comprehensive search across databases identified 17 eligible studies (n=22,000) in 14 languages reporting on the psychometric properties of the GDT, especially its Cronbach's alpha. The pooled Cronbach's alpha was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83-0.89), indicating excellent internal consistency. Although significant heterogeneity was observed (I2= 98.54%), prediction intervals suggested true outcomes likely shared a positive direction. No moderating effects were found regarding sample characteristics, study quality, or geographical location. The meta-analysis provides robust and quantitative evidence supporting the internal consistency of the GDT across diverse populations. Moreover, qualitative synthesis indicates that the GDT has strong psychometric properties without risk of bias across the analyzed studies, indicating the GDT's ability to assess GD globally. However, the heterogeneity suggests cautious interpretation of the reliability estimates.

Purpose – This study examined the psychometric properties of intention to drop out and study satisfaction measures for first-year South African students. The factorial validity, item bias, measurement invariance and reliability were tested. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional design was used. For the study on intention to drop out, 1,820 first-year students participated, whilst 780 first-year students participated in the study on satisfaction with studies. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), differential item functioning (DIF), measurement invariance and internal consistency were used to test the scales. Findings – A one-factor structure was confirmed for both scales. For the intention to drop out scale, Items 3 and 4 were identified with statistically significant item bias; however, these differences had no practical impact. Except for scalar invariance for language, sufficient measurement invariance was established. No problematic items were identified for the study satisfaction scale. Practical implications – In essence, this study provides evidence of two short measures that are culturally sensitive that could be used as short and valid measures across contextual boundaries as practically valuable tools to measure intention to drop out and study satisfaction in diverse and multicultural contexts. Originality/value – This study contributes to limited research on bias and invariance analyses for scales that can be used in interventions to identify students at risk of leaving the university and utilising psychometric analyses to ensure the applicability of these two scales in diverse and multicultural settings.

This paper presents the version of the Embedded Figures Test (eft) that Sawa developed using Gottschaldt’s figures. The test indicates the perceptual restructuring ability and the field dependence-independence dimension of cognitive style. The instrument’s internal consistency and its structural and construct validity are examined using data collected in four previous studies in which the test was administered (n = 6.530). Results show high levels of internal consistency and adequate levels of structural validity. The construct validity was determined by examining the instrument’s behavior regarding sex and grade/age. Results indicate that the test behaves as expected considering the construct. Finally, the instrument’s norms are presented., O artigo apresenta a versão do teste eft, desenvolvida por Sawa sobre as figuras de Gottchaldt, como indicador da capacidade de reestruturação perceptiva e, do estilo cognitivo na dimensão independência-dependência do campo. A consistência interna do instrumento, sua validade estrutural e sua validade de construto são examinadas a partir dos dados coletados em quatro diferentes estudos em que o teste foi aplicado (n = 6.530). Os resultados indicam altos níveis de consistência interna e níveis adequados de validade estrutural do instrumento. A validade de construto é determinada examinando os comportamentos de teste em relação ao gênero e nível de escolaridade/ idade. Os resultados indicam que o instrumento se comporta conforme o esperado no construto. Por fim, são apresentadas as escalas do instrumento., El artículo presenta la versión del EFT de H. Sawa sobre las figuras Gottchadt, con las adaptaciones realizadas por el Grupo de Estilos cognitivos, como indicador de la capacidad de reestructuración perceptual y, en últimas, del estilo cognitivo en la dimensión de independencia-dependencia de campo. Se examina la consistencia interna del instrumento, su validez estructural y su validez de constructo a partir de los datos recogidos en cuatro diferentes estudios en los que ha sido aplicado (n=6530). Los resultados indican altos niveles de consistencia interna y adecuados niveles de validez estructural del instrumento. La validez de constructo se determina examinando los comportamientos de la prueba frente al sexo y el grado/edad. Los resultados indican que el instrumento se comporta de acuerdo con lo esperado en el constructo. Finalmente, se presentan los baremos del instrumento.

Although sleep issues are among the symptoms commonly experienced by the nonprofessional caregiver population, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is the most widely used instrument for the assessment of sleep quality, this has not been validated specifically for this population. The objective of this study was to analyze the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PSQI in a sample of Spanish non-professional caregivers. Trained clinical psychologists assessed sleep quality using the PSQI, as well as caregiver burden and psychological distress in 201 non-professional caregivers (87.1% female, Mage = 56.2 years). The internal consistency of the PSQI was 0.75. The two-factor model (Sleep quality and Disturbances) had an acceptable fit to the data, was found to be superior to the one-factor model, and more parsimonious than the three-factor model. There was a significant correlation between the PSQI and caregiver burden, as well as between the PSQI and psychological distress (p < 0.001 in all cases). A total score 9 allowed the identification of caregivers with possible anxiety and depression disorders (sensitivity 70.5%, specificity 71.9%). The results show that the PSQI is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of sleep quality in caregivers

Loneliness is a public health problem. Its assessment is important to identify older adults who experience greater loneliness and appropriate interventions can be carried out. The De Jong Gierveld Solitude Scale (DJGLS) is one of the most widely used, at least in the European context, to measure loneliness. Although the Spanish version of the DJGLS has shown reliability and validity in Spanish samples of older adults, there is no evidence of adequacy in the Latin American context. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the DJGLS in Peruvian older adults. Specifically, factorial validity, internal consistency and criterion-related validity were studied, based on a double analytical perspective: Classical Test Theory (SEM models) and Item Response Theory. The participants were 235 Peruvian older adults with ages ranging from 61 to 91 years old (Mean = 72.69, SD = 6.68) that assisted to Centers for the Elderly in the city of Trujillo, Peru. Together with the DJGLS, information from the three-item UCLA loneliness scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Brief Resilient Coping Scale and the Patient Health Questionnarie-2 was also gathered. The results support a one-dimensional structure of the DJGLS but with the presence of method effects associated to the negatively worded items. Additionally, the IRT multidimensional model applied also indicated the presence of a second dimension related to these negative items. Finally, other evidences of reliability and validity were adequate. In summary, the DJGLS may be considered a reliable and valid instrument to be used in the Peruvian (older adults) context., ODS 3: Salud y bienestar, ODS 10: Reducción de las desigualdades, ODS 11: Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles

Background: There is a need for an instrument to measure participation and independence in children with disabilities. FUNDES-Child-SE has its origin in the participation questionnaire Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation. Aims: Test the psychometric properties of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study included caregivers of 163 children with disability aged 6–18 years, 59 of whom were also included in the test-retest study. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the proportions of valid ratings. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were tested through Cronbach’s alpha and the intra-class correlation coefficient. Results: The amount of not relevant/not applicable ratings was substantial but varied between items and subdomains. Internal consistency was acceptable (0.8–0.95), and the test-retest was marginal to excellent (0.73–0.95). Conclusions: The reliability together with the content validity support the use of the FUNDES-Child-SE to measure participation and independence in children with disabilities. However, results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and possible selection bias. Modifications to reduce the not relevant/not applicable responses should be investigated together with the instrument’s responsiveness. Significance: FUNDES-Child-SE can be used to facilitate a discussion of participation and independence and to plan interventions in a habilitation setting.

Introduction. Food consumption affects the environment, so it is necessary to investigate what level of knowledge the urban population has about the origin of the food they consume. Objective. To design, validate, and determine the reliability of an instrument to assess the level of knowledge that the urban population has regarding agroecological foods. Materials and methods. The work was developed at the Universidad Central de Ecuador in Quito, Ecuador, during the period 2020-2021. The type of research was exploratory-descriptive, with a non-experimental design and stratified non-probabilistic sampling. The content of the instrument was evaluated using the Delphi method with the participation of seventeen experts. Two pilot tests were applied to 370 and 1323 participants. The internal consistency and the homogeneity index were determined using Cronbach’s Alpha. The dimensionality of the construct was established with the Cronbach-Mesbah curve. Construct validity was assessed with factor analysis. Results. The content validity showed a value greater than 75 % of convergence between experts. In the internal consistency validation, Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.9 and the homogeneity index was greater than 0.2. In the study of the dimensionality of the construct, the Cronbach-Mesbah curve indicated that the unidimensionality was fulfilled throughout the instrument. In the construct validity in the factor analysis, it was observed that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.753. Bartlett’s sphericity was 0.000 and the factor extraction test was greater than 77 %. Conclusions. The instrument achieved high validity and reliability both in its content assessed by experts, and in its internal consistency, dimensionality, and construct validity performed by statistical methods. The instrument is reliable and can be applied in the urban population., Introducción. El consumo de alimentos afecta el ambiente, por lo que es necesario investigar qué nivel de conocimiento tiene la población urbana sobre la procedencia de los alimentos que consumen. Objetivo. Diseñar, validar y determinar la confiabilidad de un instrumento para evaluar el nivel de conocimiento que tiene la población urbana respecto a los alimentos agroecológicos. Materiales y métodos. El trabajo se desarrolló en la Universidad Central del Ecuador en Quito, Ecuador, en el periodo 2020-2021. El tipo de investigación fue exploratorio-descriptivo, con un diseño no experimental y un muestreo no probabilístico estratificado. El contenido del instrumento se evaluó con el método delphi con la participación de diecisiete expertos. Se aplicaron dos pruebas piloto a 370 y 1323 participantes. La consistencia interna y el índice de homogeneidad se determinó mediante el alpha de Cronbach. La dimensionalidad del constructo se estableció con la curva de Cronbach-Mesbah. La validez del constructo se evaluó con un análisis factorial. Resultados. La validez del contenido arrojó un valor mayor al 75 % de convergencia entre expertos. En la validación de la consistencia interna el Alpha de Cronbach fue de 0,9 y el índice de homogeneidad fue mayor de 0,2. En el estudio de la dimensionalidad del constructo la curva de Cronbach-Mesbah, indicó que la unidimensionalidad se cumplió en todo el instrumento. En la validez del constructo en el análisis factorial, se observó que la medida Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin fue de 0,753. La esfericidad de Bartlett fue de 0,000 y la prueba de extracción de los factores fue mayor al 77 %. Conclusiones. El instrumento logró una validez y confiabilidad alta tanto en su contenido valorado por expertos, como en su consistencia interna, dimensionalidad y validez del constructo realizado por métodos estadísticos. El instrumento es confiable y puede ser aplicado en la población urbana.

Despite the importance of Internet risk perception, no instrument currently exists that measures this awareness in the Spanish population. The goal of this study was to provide information on studies of the validity and reliability of the Internet Risk Perception (IRP) Scale for adult Spanish citizens. We began with a literature review and validation using a mixed panel with 20 participants. We analyzed the degree to which the subjects agreed or disagreed with the criteria evaluated, including contributions for improving the instrument, and performed a pilot test with 517 adults aged 18 to 77. Construct reliability and validity were analyzed using various statistical analyses. The results from the confirmatory factor analysis showed a sufficient accuracy of the data with parameters that indicated an excellent fit for all items. The Spanish version of the scale for adults is a reliable and valid instrument for use in studies that investigate Internet risk perception in people over 18 years of age.

Detecting the difficulties that students perceive in their first contacts with the profession is essential in order to adapt their training. For this reason, this article aims to confirm the validity of the Teaching Problems Inventory (Jordell, 1985) for a sample of undergraduate and master degree education students. The sample is made up of 352 students, divided into 130 undergraduate students in Early Child-hood Education, 89 undergraduate students in Primary Education, and 89 students in Master’s Degree Education. For this purpose, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Teaching Difficulties Scale were performed to confirm that the theoretical structure proposed by previous studies fit our data. The goodness of fit was good overall, indicating that the four factors proposed by Cañón (2012) fit the data appropriately. Additional factors revealed a strong relationship of the items to each factor, as well as the lack of collinearity between these. Reliability analysis indicated that the items produced reliable scores in each factor as well as in the total score. Finally, sensitivity analysis showed that the scale was sensitive enough to capture different ratings with different age groups, Detectar las dificultades que los estudiantes perciben en sus primeros contactos con la profesión es esencial para adaptar su formación. Por ello, este artículo pretende confirmar la validez del Inventario de Problemas de Enseñanza (Jordell, 1985) para una muestra de estudiantes de Magisterio y de Máster del Profesorado. La muestra está compuesta por 352 alumnos, divididos en: 130 de Educación Infantil, de Primaria y 89 de Máster. Para ello, se realizaron análisis factoriales confirmatorios (AFC) de la Escala de Dificultades para la Enseñanza para confirmar que la estructura teórica propuesta por estudios anteriores se ajustaba a nuestros datos. La bondad del ajuste fue buena en general, indicando que los cuatro factores propuestos por Cañón (2012) se ajustan adecuadamente a los datos. Los adicionales revelaron una fuerte relación de los ítems con cada factor y la ausencia de colinealidad entre factores. El análisis de fiabili-dad indicó que los ítems producían puntuaciones fiables en cada factor, así como en la puntuación total. Por último, el análisis de sen-sibilidad mostró que la escala era lo suficientemente sensible como para captar diferentes puntuaciones con distintos grupos de edad.

The dimensions and effects of the construct “child routine” have been broadly investigated in the field of social psychology. Three studies were conducted to adapt this construct to the field of human–animal relationships and to measure dog routine. The procedure included the initial item generation and item reduction process. Study 1 was conducted to examine the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the scale. A total of 245 dog owners from Bogotá (Colombia) participated in this study. The results revealed four dimensions to measure the construct: (1) daily activities, (2) exercise, (3) discipline, and (4) family time. The reliability and validity of the scale were accepted. Study 2 was conducted to test the reliability of the scale in another country and in a different language (German). This study included an analysis of the nomological validity of the scale by examining the association between dog routine and canine behavioral problems. A total of 154 dog owners from Ingolstadt (Germany) participated in this study. The results supported the reliability and validity of the scale. Additionally, the results showed that a consistent routine is associated with reduced behavioral problems. Study 3 was performed to validate the scale in a third language (English) and to examine the associations between dog routine and behavioral problems, owner satisfaction, and intention to abandon the dog. A total of 182 English-speaking dog owners from Ingolstadt (Germany) participated in this study. The results showed that a consistent routine is associated with reduced behavioral problems, which is associated with higher owner satisfaction and reduced intention to abandon the animal. The implications of these results in the field of human–animal relationships and thoughts on future research are presented.

[Abstract] Although sleep issues are among the symptoms commonly experienced by the non-professional caregiver population, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is the most widely used instrument for the assessment of sleep quality, this has not been validated specifically for this population. The objective of this study was to analyze the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PSQI in a sample of Spanish non-professional caregivers. Trained clinical psychologists assessed sleep quality using the PSQI, as well as caregiver burden and psychological distress in 201 non-professional caregivers (87.1% female, Mage = 56.2 years). The internal consistency of the PSQI was 0.75. The two-factor model (Sleep quality and Disturbances) had an acceptable fit to the data, was found to be superior to the one-factor model, and more parsimonious than the three-factor model. There was a significant correlation between the PSQI and caregiver burden, as well as between the PSQI and psychological distress (p < 0.001 in all cases). A total score ≥ 9 allowed the identification of caregivers with possible anxiety and depression disorders (sensitivity 70.5%, specificity 71.9%). The results show that the PSQI is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of sleep quality in caregivers.

Background: Health professionals’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health are important to promote patients’ sexual health. Therefore, measurement of health professionals’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health is essential. Aim: This study aimed to adapt the questionnaire Students’ Attitudes towards Addressing Sexual Health (SA-SH-D) to health professionals working with rehabilitation in Danish municipalities and evaluated psychometric properties of the adapted questionnaire: The Danish Version of the Professionals’ Attitudes towards Addressing Sexual Health (PA-SH-D). Methods: The SA-SH-D was adapted to PA-SH-D and a face validity evaluation focusing on phrasing, functionality, perception and relevance was done. In a pilot study, the PA-SH-D was answered by health professionals and internal consistency reliability and floor and ceiling effects were evaluated. Outcomes: Face validity included phrasing, functionality, perception and relevance of the items in PA-SH-D, internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha in the total scale and floor and ceiling effects. Results: Face validity of the PA-SH-D was acceptable. The sample size was 52 health professionals working with rehabilitation, the internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.89 [lower confidence interval {CI}: 0.85]) and floor and ceiling effects (0.0%–13.7%) of the PA-SH-D were acceptable. Clinical translation: As sexual health is important in human quality of life, the validation of the PA-SH-D is highly valuable as it evaluates health professionals’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health, and thereby is able to measure the need for education and training in sexual health and detect changes in attitudes following an educational intervention. Strengths and limitations: Strengths were that the PA-SH-D measures both attitudes and competences and covered a need in clinical practice. The recruitment was broad and we used the work of others to orient this work. Limitations were that this study

The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) is one of the most commonly used measures of parenting stress both in clinical and research contexts. The PSI-SF is a 36-item, self-report measure with three subscales: Parental Distress (PD). Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction (PCDI), and Difficult Child (DC). The objective of this study was to analyse the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of PSI-SF. Two different samples (N = 309) of mothers with children under 8 years old participated in the study. The first sample comprised 203 mothers with difficulties managing their children's behaviour. The second sample comprised 106 mothers from the general population. Factor structure of the PSI-SF, convergent validity, and differences between groups were analysed. The expected three-factor structure was confirmed for both samples. Findings suggested that the total PSI-SF scale and the three subscales had adequate internal consistency and convergent validity. Differences between both samples, and between age and economic subgroups in the first sample were tested. The Spanish version of the PSI-SF can be considered an adequate measure of parenting stress in mothers of children under 8 years old with difficulties to manage their children's behaviour. Further studies with extended samples from the general population are needed.

Background: The Short Form 36 (SF-36) is a scoring system comprising of 36 items categorized into eight constructs corresponding to patients' health-related quality of life.It has been used extensively in various countries on different sub-populations and used to indicate the health status and help to ascertain the effect of clinical interventions on the particular population. Objective(s): To examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of SF-36 (Malay SF-36) summated rating scales and validate the scale among post-coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) patients at the National Heart Institute (IJN), Kuala Lumpur. Method(s): Five hundred and nine post-CABG patients at the IJN, Malaysia completed the questionnaires between 1 July and 31 December 2017. Psychometric tests endorsed by the "International Quality of Life Assessment Project" were utilised. Result(s): The data quality was excellent with a high questionnaire completion rate (100%). As hypothesized, the ordering of item means within scales was clustered. In unison, scaling assumptions were satisfied. Good discriminant validity was shown between subsets of patients with various levels of health status. Notwithstanding, there were probably translation issues of the Physical Functioning scale which showed small ceiling effects. We clearly observed high ceiling and floor effects in both Role Physical and Role Emotional scale most probably attributed to the dichotomous style of their choice of responses. Cronbach alpha values of the eight scales ranged from 0.73 to 0.90, showing good internal consistency reliability. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the 8-factor solution and Composite Reliability revealed internal consistency reliability except for Vitality and Social Functioning. Based on the Average Variance Extracted (AVE), convergent validity was adequate except for two domains. Discriminant Validity is good for the eight constructs as the AVE are generally higher than the corr

The accuracy of certain internal consistency estimators have been questioned in recent years. The present study tests the accuracy of six reliability estimators (Cronbach's alpha, omega, omega hierarchical, Revelle's omega, and greatest lower bound) in 140 simulated conditions of unidimensional continuous data with uncorrelated errors with varying sample sizes, number of items, population reliabilities, and factor loadings. Estimators that have been proposed to replace alpha were compared with the performance of alpha as well as to each other. Estimates of reliability were shown to be affected by sample size, degree of violation of tau equivalence, population reliability, and number of items in a scale. Under the conditions simulated here, estimates quantified by alpha and omega yielded the most accurate reflection of population reliability values. A follow-up regression comparing alpha and omega revealed alpha to be more sensitive to degree of violation of tau equivalence, whereas omega was affected greater by sample size and number of items, especially when population reliability was low.

This paper discusses the challenges of assessing faculty professional development programs and proposes using the self-determination theory to guide the development of an instrument to assess such programs. Previous experiences have shown that some professional development programs may become transformative learning experiences. These programs present unique challenges for assessment. Since the participants may experience a shift in their understanding of specific concepts, they may feel less competent after they have actively participated in a set of learning activities regarding those concepts. In this study, we propose measuring participants' perceptions of the three psychological needs suggested by the self-determination theory: Autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The participants of a professional development workshop on instructional design completed a pretest/posttest instrument designed to assess changes in their perceptions about autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the context of instructional design. This paper presents the preliminary validation of the instrument using factor analysis, checking for internal consistency, and assessing convergent and discriminant validity. Based on the results from these analyses, the research team proposes future directions for the refinement of the instrument and the assessment of professional development programs. Copyright © 2019 Camilo Vieira and Juan David Ortega-Alvarez.

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of two scales designed to examine attitudes regarding palliative care: Comfort Scale in Palliative Care (CSPC, Pereira et al.) and Tanatophobia Scale (TS, Merrill et al.) Method: Seventy-seven students who completed an online course on psychosocial aspects of palliative care offered by the Latin American Association of Palliative Care participated in the study. They also completed the scales before and after the course. Construct validity and reliability of the CSPC and the TS were assessed using a Principal Components Analysis, internal reliability coefficient and test-retest reliability. Further, comparative statistics between the pre-course and post-course results were obtained in order to determine changes in attitudes. Results: The Principal Components Analysis showed satisfactory fit to the data. 3 components were extracted: two for the CSPC and one for the TS, which explained 55.37[%] of the variance. Internal consistency coefficients were satisfactory in all cases and Cronbach’s Alphas were satisfactory for all the scales, particularly for the CSPC. Test-retest reliability in t1 and t2 was found to be non significant, indicating that measures were not related in time. Regarding pre-course/post-course comparisons, significant changes in comfort assisting patients (p = 0.004) and comfort assisting families (p = 0.001) following the course were identified, but changes in thanatophobia were non significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: both scales are valid and reliable. Attitudes regarding the practice of palliative care and how they change, particularly regarding psychosocial issues, can be accurately measured using the examined scales. © 2016, Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies. All rights reserved.

Occupational balance (OB) may be a major determinant of health outcomes due to its role in bringing a sense of purpose in the occupations that are personally experienced as a process of getting health and wellness. The Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) is a reliable instrument for measuring OB, although it has not been adapted and validated in Spain so far; therefore, this study had a double aim: (1) to translate and cross-culturally adapt the original OBQ version into Spanish (OBQ-E); (2) to analyze the psychometric properties for its use in the Spanish population. Standard procedures were used for the cross-adaptation process and pilot testing was carried out using three different samples to extend the applicability of the OBQ-E. Validation measures of the final version of the OBQ-E were conducted in a sample of 219 participants. The OBQ-E showed that items and instructions were culturally appropriate and written clearly. Psychometric testing showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87; Guttman split-half coefficient = 0.85), good test–retest reliability (rs (Spearman rho) = 0.73), and acceptable convergent validity (overall status, rs = 0.37; Related Quality of Life, rs = 0.42; Satisfaction with Life Scale, rs = 0.54). The findings suggest that the OBQ-E may be a suitable instrument for assessing OB in the Spanish population; hence, it is a promising tool for epidemiological research that will significantly contribute to the understanding of OB as a health-related factor. Nevertheless, further investigation is also warranted to explore the potentiality of this instrument for clinical purposes.

Cíl: Popsat proces dvou finálních fází tvorby znalostního dotazníku pro pacienty s diabetem mellitem 1. typu (DM1T) a diabetem mellitem 2. typu (DM2T), která spočívala ve vyhodnocení obtížnosti jeho položek a jeho vnitřní konzistence. Metody: Poslední fáze sběru dat pro výpočet obtížnosti položek a vnitřní konzistence dotazníku probíhala v období 08–11/2018. Z výsledků získaných od 258 pacientů (DM2T 226; DM1T 32) byla hodnocena obtížnost položek dotazníku pomocí výpočtu hodnoty obtížnosti Q (hodnota 0 = jednoduchá položka; hodnota 1 = obtížná položka). Reliabilita vytvořeného nástroje byla hodnocena výpočtem koeficientu vnitřní konzistence dle vzorce Kuder-Richardson 20 (minimální přijatelná hodnota 0,7). Výsledky: Hodnoty obtížnosti položek se pohybovaly v rozmezí 0,24–0,72. Dle obecně platných doporučení nespadá žádná z položek do oblasti extrémně jednoduchých či extrémně obtížných položek. Vnitřní konzistence pro jednotlivé části dotazníku se pohybovala v rozmezí 0,70–0,88. Závěr: Položky nově vytvořeného znalostního dotazníku lze na základě výpočtu obtížnosti z dat získaných od respondentů zhodnotit jako průměrně obtížné. Všechny části dotazníku dosáhly na minimálně přijatelnou hodnotu vnitřní konzistence. Vytvořený dotazník je ověřen a vhodný pro užití u česky hovořících pacientů., Aim: To describe the process of two final phases of creating a knowledge questionnaire for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1T) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2T), which consisted in evaluating the difficulty of its items and its internal consistency. Methods: The last phase of data collection for calculating the difficulty of items and the internal consistency of the questionnaire took place in the period 08–11/2018. From the results obtained from 258 patients (DM2T 226; DM1T 32), the difficulty of the questionnaire items was evaluated by calculating the value of difficulty Q (value 0 = simple item; value 1 = difficult item). The reliability of the created tool was evaluated by calculating the coefficient of internal consistency according to the formula Kuder-Richardson 20 (minimum acceptable value 0.7). Results: The difficulty values of the items ranged from 0.24–0.72. According to generally accepted recommendations, none of the items falls into the area of extremely simple or extremely difficult items. The internal consistency for the individual parts of the questionnaire ranged from 0.70–0.88. Conclusion: The items of the newly created knowledge questionnaire can be evaluated as average difficult based on the calculation of the difficulty from the data obtained from the respondents. All parts of the questionnaire reached a minimum acceptable value of internal consistency. The created questionnaire is verified and suitable for use in Czech-speaking patients.

Accessible Summary What is known on the subject? The literature shows a clear relationship between a good therapeutic relationship (TR) and the efficacy of nursing interventions. For the implementation of nursing psychotherapeutic interventions, the initial establishment of a good TR is essential. Several instruments assess the relationship established between the therapist and the patient in psychotherapy. However, no tool has been found to assess the quality of the TR established between the nurse and the patient. What this paper adds to existing knowledge? This study allowed the development and evaluation of the psychometric properties of a scale to assess the TR between the nurse and the patient in a sample of mental health nurses. The developed scale (Therapeutic Relationship Assessment Scale-Nurse) has psychometric properties that attest its reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) and construct validity as an instrument to assess the quality of the TR established between the nurse and the patient from the nurse's perspective. What are the implications for practice? As the TR is crucial for providing nursing care and, in particular, for implementing nursing psychotherapeutic interventions, the scale developed is a valid tool to assess the quality of the TR established between the nurse and the patient in the perspective of the mental health nurse. The use of instruments to assess the quality of the nurse-patient TR facilitates the identification of the relationship's gaps, which can serve as a basis for improving the relationship itself and the nursing care provision. Introduction The therapeutic relationship (TR) is essential to providing psychiatric and mental health nursing care. Nevertheless, no assessment tools exclusive for assessing nursing TR wer

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) recommends the use of new educational methodologies and the evaluation of student satisfaction. Different instruments have been developed in Spain to evaluate different aspects such as clinical decisions and teamwork, however no instruments have been found that specifically evaluate student self-confidence and satisfaction during clinical simulation. The aim was to translate the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale (SCLS) questionnaire into Spanish and analyse its reliability and validity and understand the level of satisfaction and self-confidence of nursing students with respect to learning in clinical simulations. The study was carried out in two phases: (1) adaptation of the questionnaire into Spanish. (2) Cross-sectional study in a sample of 489 nursing students. The reliability and exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses were performed. To analyse the relationship of the scale scores with the socio-demographic variables, the Fisher Student T-test or the ANOVA was used. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency reliability for the total scale and each of its dimensions. Cronbach's alpha was 0.88 (0.83 to 0.81) for each of the dimensions. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that both the one-dimensional and two-dimensional models were acceptable. The results showed average scores above 4 for both dimensions. The SCLS-Spanish translation demonstrated evidence of its validity and reliability for use to understand the level of satisfaction and self-confidence of nursing students in clinical simulation. Clinical simulations help students to increase their levels of confidence and satisfaction, enabling them to face real scenarios in clinical practice.

The emergency handover of critical patients is used to describe the moment when re-sponsibility for the care of a patient is transferred from one critical patient care healthcare team to another, requiring the accurate delivery of information. However, the literature provides few validated assessment tools for the transfer of critical patients in urgent care and emergency settings. To identify the available evaluation tools that assess the handover of critical patients in urgent and emergency care settings in addition to evaluations of their psychometric properties, a systematic review was carried out using PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, Web of Science (WoS), and PsycINFO, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using the COSMIN checklist. Finally, eight articles were identified, of which only three included validated tools for evaluating the handover of critical patients in emergency care. Content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency were the most studied psychometric properties. Three studies evaluated error and reliability, criterion validity, hypothesis testing, and sensitivity. None of them considered cross-cultural adaptation or the translation process. This systematic psychometric review shows the existing ambiguities in the handover of critically ill patients and the scarcity of validated evaluation tools. For all of these reasons, we consider it necessary to further investigate urgent care and emergency handover settings through the design and validation of an assessment tool. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Patient satisfaction is a crucial aspect in the evaluation of the quality of health care provided by health services and units, especially in patients that require physical rehabilitation. This study aims to design and analyze the factor structure and internal consistency reliability of the Hospital Physical Therapy Perceived Satisfaction Questionnaire (H-PTPS) measuring the level of physical therapy patient satisfaction in hospital rehabilitation services. This study has a multicenter cross-sectional survey design. This study used the structural validity and internal consistency domains from COSMIN (consensus-based standards for the selection of health status measurement instruments) guideline. The H-PTPS questionnaire consists of 20 closed questions. A sample of 384 adult patients from physical therapy units from three Spanish public hospitals completed this questionnaire. A factor structure and internal consistency reliability analysis were performed. The factor analysis including the 20 items of the H-PTPS showed an adequacy index of 0.922 according to the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure and the Barlett test allowed us to reject the null hypothesis (p < 0.001). In the rotated component matrix, four specific factors were obtained, explaining 66.75% of the accumulated variance. All factors present satisfactory internal reliability, achieving Cronbach’s alpha indices and Omega coefficients higher than 0.74. The H-PTPS questionnaire has shown a four-factor solution with satisfactory reliability evaluating the satisfaction of Spanish patients treated in physical therapy units in the hospital rehabilitation services.

Recent research has highlighted a need for the psychometric evaluation of instruments targeting core domains of the pain experience in chronic pain populations. In this study, the measurement properties of Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36),EuroQol 5-dimensions (EQ-5D) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were analyzed within the item response-theory framework based on data from 35,908 patients. To assess the structural validity of these instruments, the empirical representations of several conceptually substantiated latent structures were compared in a cross-validation procedure. The most structurally sound representations were selected from each questionnaire and their internal consistency reliability computed as a summary of their precision. Finally, questionnaire scores were correlated with each other to evaluate their convergent and discriminant validity. Our results supported that SF-36 is an acceptable measure of 2 independent constructs of physical and mental health. By contrast, although the approach to summarize the health-related quality of life construct of EQ-5D as a unidimensional score was valid, its low reliability rendered practical model implementation of doubtful utility. Finally, rather than being separated into 2 subscales of anxiety and depression, HADS was a valid and reliable measure of overall emotional distress. In support of convergent and discriminant validity, correlations between questionnaires showed that theoretically similar traits were highly associated, whereas unrelated traits were not. Our models can be applied to score SF-36 and HADS in chronic pain patients, but we recommend against using the EQ-5D model due to its low reliability. These results are useful for researchers and clinicians involved in chronic pain populations because questionnaires' properties determine their discriminating ability in patient status assessment.

Instructors in higher education frequently employ examinations composed of problem-solving questions to assess student knowledge and learning. But are student scores on these tests reliable? Surprisingly few have researched this question empirically, arguably because of perceived limitations in traditional research methods. Furthermore, many believe multiple choice exams to be a more objective, reliable form of testing students than any other type. We question this wide-spread belief. In a series of empirical studies in 8 classes (401 students) in a finance course, we used a methodology based on three key elements to examine these questions: A true experimental design, more appropriate estimation of exam score reliability, and reliability confidence intervals. Internal consistency reliabilities of problem-solving test scores were consistently high (all > .87, median = .90) across different classes, students, examiners, and exams. In contrast, multiple-choice test scores were less reliable (all < .69). Recommendations are presented for improving the construction of exams in higher education.

Aims: To develop and validate two instruments to measure dignity-protective continence care for care-dependent older people in residential aged care facilities: one instrument to be completed by care recipients and another for healthcare professionals. Method(s): The first phase of the project will involve a review of literature to identify the attributes of "dignity-protective continence care" for older people, which will be used to design the initial drafts of the instruments. Thereafter the Delphi survey technique will be used to establish the face and content validity of the draft instruments with three purposive samples; (a) care recipients (care-dependent older people with decisional capacity), (b) formal carers (nurses and personal care workers from residential aged care facilities, and (c) healthcare professionals with gerontological expertize in the management of incontinence. After instrument development, a large cross-sectional survey of care recipients and formal carers will be conducted to establish the internal consistency and construct validity of the instruments. This will be followed by a series of tests to establish their test-retest reliability. Conclusion(s): The completed research will result in two reliable and valid instruments that will support broader efforts to ensure that care practices in residential aged care facilities do not violate the dignity of care-dependent older people with continence care needs, and allow care partners and providers to act upon the results.Copyright © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the factorial structure of the Multigroup EthnicIdentity Measure on Ukrainians immigrants in two countries of Occidental Europe. Thefactorial structure was put to test with a confirmatory factorial analysis and with the factorialinvariance between the samples of both countries. The results indicate that the twodimensionalstructure has a better adjustment than the one-dimensional, two dimensions havea good internal consistency and they are directly correlated. The factorial invariance betweenboth countries has also been proved. It is concluded that the measure presents a twodimensionstructure and suggestions for future investigations are proposed.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the factorial structure of the Mjultigroup Ethnic Identity Measure on Ukrainians immigrants in two countries of Occidental Europe. The factorial structure was put to test with a confirmatory factorial analysis and with the factorial invariance between the samples of both countries. The results indicate that the two- dimensional structure has a better adjustment than the one-dimensional, two dimensions have a good internal consistency and they are directly correlated. The factorial invariance between both countries has also been proved. It is concluded that the measure presents a two-dimension structure and suggestions for future investigations are proposed., El objetivo del presente estudio es evaluar la estructura factorial de la Medida de Identidad Étnica Multigrupo en inmigrantes ucranianos en dos países de Europa occidental. La estructura factorial fue puesta a prueba con un análisis factorial confirmatorio y con la invarianza factorial entre la muestra de ambos países. Los resultados indican que la estructura bidimensional tiene un mejor ajuste que la estructura unidimensional, las dos dimensiones tienen una buena consistencia interna y están directamente correlacionados. También se ha demostrado la invarianza factorial entre ambos países. Se concluye que la medida presenta una estructura factorial bidimensional y se realizan sugerencias para futuras investigaciones.

This research presents the Psychometric Properties of the Riff SPWB Psychological Well-being Scale in secondary students of UGEL 02. It was administered to a sample consisting of 1188 adolescents, chosen by a probabilistic sampling. The objective of the present investiga-tion was to describe the psychometric properties of the Riff SPWB Psychological Well-being Scale in secondary students of UGEL 02. The scale was reduced from 34 to 12 items based on the item-test correlation ≥ .30, and the factor table ≥ .40. The relevance of the four-factor model to measure psychological well-being in adolescents was verified: Autonomy, Growth, Purpose and Self-acceptance. The internal consistency quantified with the Omega coefficient was 0.86 and for Alpha was 0.72, considered acceptable. Interpretation standards based on percentile ranks were developed., Se estudiaron las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Bienestar Psicológico SPWB de Riff en escolares secundarias de la UGEL 02. Con dicho fin y trabajando con 1190 adolescen-tes, que fueron seleccionados bajo muestreo probabilístico, se administró dicho instrumento.. Se redujo la escala de 34 a 12 ítems tomando como criterio la correlación ítem-test ≥ .30, y la tabla factorial ≥ .40. Se verificó la pertinencia del modelo de cuatro factores para medir bienestar psicológico en adolescentes: Autonomía, Crecimiento, Propósito y Autoaceptación. La consistencia interna cuantificada con los coeficientes Omega y Alpha fueron de 0.86 y 0.72, considerándose aceptable. Se elaboraron normas de interpretación basadas en rangos percentilares.

The objective of this research was to find evidence of the latent structure of the Social Anomie Scale as well as to generate empirical support for the factor invariance hypothe-sis according to the sex of 301 Peruvian pre-university students. A confirmatory factor analysis of each model was carried out, it was found support to the internal consistency of the scale, and then the factorial invariance of the proposed Model 2020 was raised. The results indicate that the model of three underlying factors is not sustained in its internal consistency; alternatively, the model of two factors obtains empirical evidence in favor of its consistency and internal structure. As for the weak invariance, this is not justified by problems linked to the group of women. It is concluded that the Social Anomie Scale shows difficulties associated with the presence of the subscale of Pessimism and in the evaluation of female participants., El objetivo de la presente investigación fue hallar evidencia de la estructura latente de la Escala de Anomia social así como generar el apoyo empírico a la hipótesis de invarianza factorial según el sexo de 301 estudiantes preuniversitarios peruanos. Se realizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio de cada modelo, se halló la consistencia interna de la escala, y, luego, se planteó la invarianza factorial del Modelo 2020 propuesto. Los resultados señalan que el modelo de tres factores subyacentes no se sustenta en su consistencia interna; de manera alternativa, el modelo de dos factores consigue evidencia empírica a favor de su consistencia y estructura interna. Respecto a la invarianza factorial débil, esta no se justifica por proble-mas vinculados al grupo de mujeres. Se concluye que la Escala de Anomia Social evidencia dificultades asociadas a la presencia de la subescala de Pesimismo y en la evaluación de participantes mujeres.

Resumen En el presente trabajo se examinan las propiedades psicométricas de la versión argentina del Cuestionario Honey-Alonso de Estilos de Aprendizaje (CHAEA). Primero se analiza la estructura interna de la escala mediante un análisis factorial confirmatorio y de invarianza factorial, segmentando la muestra según facultad; luego se estudia la consistencia interna de las dimensiones confirmadas y se comparan los resultados con los obtenidos en estudios previos; posteriormente se examina la estabilidad temporal de las puntuaciones de cada dimensión; y, por último, se estudian las evidencias de validez concurrente con otra escala que evalúa enfoques de aprendizaje. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio muestran un adecuado ajuste del modelo testeado a partir de distintos métodos de estimación, mientras que con el análisis de invarianza factorial se comprueba la equivalencia métrica del modelo. Asimismo, los índices de consistencia interna son aceptables, aunque el análisis de estabilidad temporal de las dimensiones no comprueba diferencias significativas entre la primera y segunda administración del instrumento. Finalmente, en consonancia con hallazgos previos, las evidencias de validez concurrente exhiben asociaciones positivas entre los estilos de aprendizaje y el enfoque profundo, así como asociaciones negativas entre los estilos y el enfoque superficial. Al final se discuten los resultados a partir de antecedentes teóricos y empíricos., The study is aimed at analyzing psychometric features of the local version of the Honey-Alonso Learning Styles Questionnaire. First, the inner structure of the scale is examined by means of a confirmatory factor analysis and an analysis of factorial invariance, splitting the sample by faculty. Second, internal consistency coefficients of the dimensions are analyzed and compared to previous results. Third, external convergent validity evidences are considered, regarding scores obtained from a learning approach scale which was used as an external criterion. Findings show an adequate model fit, even employing different estimation methods. Furthermore, the factorial invariance analysis verifies the metrical equivalence of the model. The internal consistency study finds acceptable values. The dimensions' stability reliability indices do not verify significant differences between test and retest. Finally, the convergent validity evidences analyses show positive associations between learning styles and the Deep learning approach on the one hand, and negative associations between the Surface approach and learning styles on the other, as reported in previous studies. Results are discussed on the grounds of the theoretical and empirical background.

Drivers of urban passenger buses who are within the informal economy in México seem to be especiallyvulnerable to various psychosocial consequences, including Burnout syndrome, however, the psychometric evidence for these psychosocial measures is practically non-existent in this sector. For this reason, this study analyzes the internal consistency and validity of scores from the MBI-GS (Maslach Burnout Inventory, General Survey), in a sample of drivers of urban passenger buses in Mexico. Internal consistency was adequate for all three dimensions (> .70). The Confirmatory Factor Analysis satisfactorily reproduced the trifactorial structure of the MBI-GS (CFI = .989, RMSEA = .045, SRMR = .075) and low to moderate correlations were observed with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders (symptoms) (GHQ-28) thus confirming the criteria validity. The implications ofthe results are discussed, Los conductores del transporte urbano de pasajeros que se encuentran dentro de la economía informal en México parecen especialmente vulnerables a diversas consecuencias psicosociales entre ellas el síndrome de Burnout, sin embargo, la evidencia psicométrica de las medidas utilizadas para su evaluación es prácticamente inexistente en este sector. Por ello, en el presente estudio se analiza la consistencia interna y la validez de puntajes del MBI-GS (Maslach Burnout Inventory, General Survey), en una muestra de conductores del transporte urbano de pasajeros en México. La consistencia interna fue adecuada para las tres dimensiones (>.70). El Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio reproduce satisfactoriamente la estructura trifactorial del MBI-GS (CFI = .989, RMSEA = .045, SRMR = .075) y se observan correlaciones de bajas a moderadas para la validez de criterio con trastornos (síntomas) psiquiátricos no psicóticos (GHQ-28). Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados.

Selfitis—which started off as a hoax but has now been investigated empirically—has been defined as the obsessive–compulsive desire to take photos of oneself and post them on social media. Furthermore, a scale to assess selfitis, the Selfitis Behavior Scale (SBS), has been developed. This study applied advanced psychometric testing methods, including confirmatory factor analysis (utilizing classical test theory) and the Rasch model (utilizing modern test theory), to examine the psychometric properties among Persian speakers (in Iran and Afghanistan). The participants (3163 Iranians and 1100 Afghanistani) completed an online survey posted on Instagram pages. The SBS showed promising properties, including satisfactory reliability (e.g., internal consistency and test–retest reliability), excellent construct validity (e.g., good fit in the CFA and Rasch models), and acceptable measurement invariance across Iranian and Afghan samples. Consequently, the SBS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing selfitis among Persian-speaking samples.

This study was conducted to generate empirical evidence on the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the item of a mental health instrument. Construct validity through the Face validity and content validity by expert looking at the items in the questionnaire and agreeing that the item is valid measure of the concept. However these studies more focus on the validation stage (quantitative data) of the research instrument. The reliability was examined by analysis SPSS to determine the internal consistency reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha. A Validation study with a random sample of 50 respondents undergraduate students from University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The internal consistency reliability of the construct depression, anxiety, stress and fear was very impressive with Cronbach’s alpha value in the range 0.847 to 0.865. Each item from each constructs, only seven items from overall 40 items with the weak coefficient correlation but each item still in the good internal consistency reliability with the range 0.8 to 0.9. In conclusion, this study has established valid construct for development of instrument for assessing the mental health level to improved mental health well-being and academic performance.&nbsp

Purpose: There is a paucity of functional outcome measures that specifically target the thoracic region and none that are specific for use in people following cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to develop a functional questionnaire for this purpose and investigate its psychometric properties. Method(s): Participants who underwent cardiac surgery were included in this single-site, observational study (part A, n = 38 and part B, n = 25). The investigators developed a 13-item Functional Difficulties Questionnaire (FDQ) informed by the literature, theory, and clinical practice. The questionnaire and measures of physical function, pain, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were completed at 4 time points by 38 participants to investigate internal consistency, convergent validity, and responsiveness to change of the FDQ (part A). A different group of 25 participants completed the questionnaire twice within a single day to investigate test-retest reliability, and minimal detectable change (MDC) was calculated (part B). Result(s): The questionnaire showed good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha coefficient = 0.971); moderate to good correlation with assessments for HRQOL 3 months postoperatively (rho = 0.54-0.65 for 5 36-Item Short Form Health Survey subscales) and total pain at all postoperative time points (rho = 0.55-0.69); a responsiveness to change with significant differences in scores across time (X 2 [3, n = 38] = 41.37, P <= 0.0001); and excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation 0.918). The MDC was 16.35 cm out 130 cm. Conclusion(s): The FDQ is an appropriate functional outcome measure specific to the thoracic region for people after cardiac surgery. It may also be suitable for use by clinicians and researchers assessing the thoracic region within other surgical or medical populations, and this warrants further investigation.Copyright © 2018 Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section, APTA.

The organisational context of healthcare settings has an essential role in how research evidence is used in clinical practice. The Alberta Context Tool (ACT) measures 10 concepts of organisational context with higher scores indicating a more positive work environment and potentially better use of research evidence in patient care. We assessed the psychometric properties of the ACT in Emergency Departments (EDs). This validation study was conducted as part of a multi-centre trial of triage, treatment and transfer (T3 Trial) of patients with stroke admitted to EDs. Stratified sampling with proportional allocation was used to recruit ED nurses from 26 participating hospitals at baseline. Nurses completed a survey containing the ACT. Structural validity was investigated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients. Item-rest correlations and the average inter-item correlations were also assessed. 558 ED nurses completed the survey, comprised of 433 surveys without missing data. Our exploratory factor analysis produced a 14-factor structure, explaining 62% of variance of organisational context. For eight of ten concepts, item loadings matched the factor structure of the original ACT. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 10 ACT concepts showed moderate model fit (p = 0.001, root mean square error of approximation: 0.049, standardised root mean squared residual: 0.048). Cronbach's alphas showed very good internal consistency for nine of ten ACT concepts (alpha>0.7; 0.45-0.90). Item-rest correlations indicated that most ACT items (50 of 56 items) within any concept related well to the total score of the concept. Average inter-item correlations indicated potential redundant items for three concepts (feedback processes, leadership, staffing) that were above the threshold of 0.5. While identifying a few shortcomings for some ACT concepts in an ED context, the majority of findings confirm

Background: Patient satisfaction is a principal indicator in the evaluation of the stay of pediatric patients in hospitals, since its consequences can emotionally interfere with health treatment. The aim of this study was to obtain a valid scale to assess children’s satisfaction with their time spent as a patient in an Andalusian hospital. Method: The Children’s Satisfaction with Hospitalization Questionnaire (CSHQ) was applied to 623 pediatric patients hospitalized in Andalusia. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed one dimension underlying the children’s satisfaction with their hospitalization. After that, we developed a depuration analysis process to achieve a valid and unidimensional scale to assess children’s satisfaction. Results: The eleven-item one-dimension solution showed suitable consistency and goodness-of-fit indices. The final scale addresses hosting aspects as the main dimension of a minor’s satisfaction in Andalusian hospitals. Conclusion: A unidimensional scale has been determined for the assessment of children’s satisfaction with their stay in Andalusian hospitals based on hosting aspects. Nonetheless, other dimensions underlying the satisfaction of patients should also be considered.

Background: The Scaling Integrated Care in Context (SCIROCCO) tool has been developed to facilitate knowledge transfer and learning about the implementation and scaling-up of integrated care in European regions. To adequately test the functionality of the tool in assessing the maturity for integrated care within regions, this study evaluated its structural validity, internal consistency and convergent validity. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the structural validity of the 12-items of the SCIROCCO tool. Hereafter, the internal consistency was assessed by calculating Cronbach's and ordinal alpha. The convergent validity was explored by testing 23 pre-hypothesized relationships between items of the SCIROCCO tool and items of an instrument measuring a similar construct. Results: Factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure. Cronbach's alpha of the overall instrument was 0.92, ordinal alpha was 0.94. Only 30.34% of the hypotheses for testing the convergent validity were met. Conclusion: The one-factor structure is considered relevant in representing the structural validity of the SCIROCCO tool. The scale of the SCIROCCO tool shows good internal consistency. The tool (DMIC Quickscan) used to assess the convergent validity might measure a different aspect of integrated care than the SCIROCCO tool. Further research is needed to continue investigating the validity and reliability of the tool.

Objective: To assess the internal consistency and factorial validity of the adapted French 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale in assessing adherence to noninsulin antidiabetic drug treatment. Study Design and Setting: In a cross-sectional web survey of individuals with type 2 diabetes of the Canadian province of Quebec, self-reported adherence to the antidiabetes drug treatment was measured using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8. We assessed the internal consistency of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 with Cronbach’s alpha, and factorial validity was assessed by identifying the underlying factors using exploratory factor analyses. Results: A total of 901 individuals completed the survey. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.60. Two factors were identified. One factor comprised five items: stopping medication when diabetes is under control, stopping when feeling worse, feeling hassled about sticking to the prescription, reasons other than forgetting and a cross-loading item (i.e. taking drugs the day before). The second factor comprised three other items that were all related to forgetfulness in addition to the cross-loading item. Conclusion: Cronbach’s alpha of the adapted French Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 was below the acceptable value of 0.70. This observed low internal consistency of the scale is probably related to the causal nature of the items of the scale but not necessarily a lack of reliability. The results suggest that the adapted French Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 is a two-factor scale assessing intentional (first factor) and unintentional (second factor) non-adherence to the noninsulin antidiabetes drug treatment. The scale could be used to separately identify these outcomes using scores obtained on each of the sub-scales.

This research is based on the construction and reliability analysis of the psychopedagogical instrument Assessment of Contextualized Critical Thinking for Chilean students of higher education. Although there are several instruments that are used for the measurement of critical thinking at international level, there are no versions of them that have been translated, adapted, and validated for Chile, so the construction of a local instrument allows us to investigate more effectively about the critical thinking of Chilean students of higher education. The reagents of the instrument were constructed from the variables Analysis, Interpretation, Explanation, Inference and Evaluation. 250 higher education students from the cities of Los Angeles, Chillan and Concepción participated in the study. In addition to the instrument construction process, studies of apparent validation and content, reliability and internal consistency were performed. The results obtained determine internal reliability of the instrument., La presente investigación se basa en la construcción y análisis de confiabilidad del instrumento psicopedagógico Evaluación del Pensamiento Crítico Contextualizado para estudiantes chilenas/os de educación superior. Si bien existen variados instrumentos que se utilizan para la medición del pensamiento crítico a nivel internacional, no se cuenta con versiones de ellos que hayan sido traducidas, adaptadas, y validadas para Chile, por lo que la construcción de un instrumento local permite indagar más eficazmente acerca del pensamiento crítico de las/os estudiantes chilenas/os de educación superior. Los reactivos del instrumento se construyeron a partir de las variables Análisis, Interpretación, Explicación, Inferencia y Evaluación. Participaron en el estudio 250 estudiantes de educación superior pertenecientes a las ciudades de Los Ángeles, Chillán y Concepción. Además del proceso de construcción del instrumento, se realizaron estudios de validación aparente y de contenido, confiabilidad y consistencia interna. Los resultados obtenidos determinan confiabilidad interna del instrumento.

Having reliable instruments to measure the competence of therapists in the context of cognitive-behavioral therapy is a tool of great clinical and empirical value. The Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS) is one of the scales most widely used to measure therapeutic competence. In the international arena, there are few antecedents that have been proposed to investigate their validity and reliability, and this is still a controversial issue, particularly inter-judge reliability. In addition to the above, there is no research of this type in Argentina, which is why the main objective of this work was to investigate the reliability of the CTS scale. For this, a simple of 10 expert judges was formed, who, through the CTS, evaluated the performance presented by different therapists (n = 4) during the development of one session. The results allowed to conclude that it is a reliable instrument. In effect, an optimal internal consistency was observed, both in the item- otal correlation and in the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Likewise, in general, a good consistency was observed in the scores given by the different professionals. The data presented in this research support the use of the scale in the context of Argentina and allow us to point out that the CTS is a reliable scale., Ter instrumentos confiáveis para medir a competência dos terapeutas no contexto da terapia cognitivo-comportamental é uma ferramenta de grande valor em um nível clínico e empírico. A Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS) é uma das escalas mais utilizadas para medir a competência terapêutica. No nível internacional, existem poucos antecedentes que foram propostos para investigar sua validade e confiabilidade, e essa ainda é uma questão controversa, particularmente a confiabilidade entre os julgamentos. Além do exposto acima, não existe pesquisa desse tipo na Argentina, motivo pelo qual o presente trabalho teve como principal objetivo investigar a confiabilidade da escala CTS. Para isso, formou-se uma amostra de 10 juízes especialistas que, por meio do CTS, avaliaram o desempenho apresentado por diferentes terapeutas (n = 4) durante o desenvolvimento de uma sessão. Os resultados permitiram concluir que é um instrumento confiável. Com efeito, foi observada uma consistência interna ótima, tanto na correlação item-total quanto no coeficiente alfa de Cronbach. Da mesma forma, em geral, observou-se boa consistência nas pontuações dadas pelos diferentes profissionais. Os dados apresentados nesta pesquisa apoiam o uso da escala no contexto argentino e nos permitem apontar que a CTS é uma escala confiável., Contar con instrumentos fiables para medir la competencia de los terapeutas en el contexto de la terapia cognitivo- onductual es una herramienta de gran valor a nivel clínico y empírico. La Escala de Terapia Cognitiva (CTS) es una de las escalas más ampliamente utilizadas para medir la competencia terapéutica. A nivel internacional son escasos los antecedentes que se han propuesto indagar su validez y confiabilidad, y sigue siendo éste un tema controvertido, particularmente la confiabilidad interjueces. Sumado a lo anterior, no se encuentran investigaciones de este tipo en Argentina, motivo por el cual el presente trabajo tuvo como principal objetivo indagar la confiabilidad de la escala CTS. Para esto se conformó una muestra de 10 jueces expertos, los cuales, mediante la CTS, evaluaron el desempeño que presentaban diferentes terapeutas (n = 4) durante el desarrollo de una sesión. Los resultados permitieron concluir que se trata de un instrumento confiable. En efecto, se apreció una consistencia interna óptima, tanto en la correlación ítem-total como en el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach. Asimismo, en general se observó una buena consistencia en las puntuaciones dadas por los diferentes profesionales. Los datos presentados en esta investigación avalan la utilización de la escala en el contexto argentino y permiten señalar que la CTS es una escala confiable.

Aims and objectives: To develop and validate the Chinese version of Verbal and Social Interaction Questionnaire for Nursing Students. Background: The development of caring interaction skills is particularly important for achieving better nursing student–patient interactions. Nursing students in China, as in most countries, have often failed to establish a caring interaction with their patients. There is a lack of instruments to explore the difficulties and problems in nursing student–patient interactions in China. Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was carried out. Methods: Data for cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing purposes were collected between May 10, 2017 and November 11, 2017. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed; pilot testing, content validity and reliability were assessed for the translated questionnaire. EQUATOR guidelines for observational studies (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) were applied. Results: 716 nursing students from four universities in China completed the questionnaire. A pilot testing (n = 32) was conducted at a university hospital. The internal consistency reliability and the intra-class correlation coefficients were satisfactory. The overall content validity index was 0.95. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a four-factor solution, explaining 61.26% of the variance, and the items had factor loadings ranging from 0.46–0.82. The final model's fit indexes were relatively acceptable. Overall, this instrument demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Conclusion: The Chinese version of Verbal and Social Interaction Questionnaire for Nursing Students has a high level of reliability and acceptable content validity. However, some values in the construct validity assessment were lower than was hypothesised, suggesting a need for further model modification. Relevance to clinical practice: This easy-to-use instrument may help nursing educators, clinicians a

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy is associated with laryngeal muscle activation and induces voice modifications, well-known side effects of the therapy resulting from co-activation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. In this study, we describe the non-invasive transcutaneous recording of laryngeal motor evoked potentials (LMEPs), which could serve as a biomarker of effective nerve activation and individual titration in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. We recruited drug-resistant epileptic patients treated for at least 6 months with a VNS. Trains of 600–1200 VNS pulses were delivered with increasing current outputs. We placed six skin electrodes on the ventral surface of the neck, in order to record LMEPs whenever the laryngeal muscular threshold was reached. We studied the internal consistency and the variability of LMEP recordings, and compared different methods for amplitude calculation. Recruitment curves were built based on the stimulus–response relationship. We also determined the electrical axis of the LMEPs dipole in order to define the optimal electrode placement for LMEPs recording in a clinical setting. LMEPs were successfully recorded in 11/11 patients. The LMEPs threshold ranged from 0.25 to 1 mA (median 0.50 mA), and onset latency was between 5.37 and 8.77 ms. The signal-to-noise ratio was outstanding in 10/11 patients. In these cases, excellent reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC > 0.90 across three different amplitude measurements) was achieved with 10 sample averages. Moreover, our recordings showed very good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.95 for 10 epochs). Area-under-the-curve and peak-to-peak measurement proved to be complementary methods for amplitude calculation. Finally, we determined that an optimal derivation requires only two recording electrodes, aligned on a horizontal axis around the laryngeal prominence. In conclusion, we describe here an optimal methodology for the recording of VNS-induced motor evo, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Background: The Perceive, Recall, Plan & Perform (PRPP) system of task analysis might be feasible to evaluate occupational performance and information processing strategies for persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Aim: To evaluate: (1) the random error between raters (inter-rater study), (2) the random error within raters (intra-rater study), and (3) the internal consistency of the PRPP. Materials and methods: (1) video-recorded performance of meaningful activities of 13 Dutch persons with PD, scored independently by 38 Dutch PRPP trained occupational therapists were included in the analysis. The random error between raters was analyzed with two-way random Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). (2) Four videos were scored twice by 30 raters (6 week time interval). The random error within raters was analyzed using one-way random ICC’s. (3) Internal consistency study: data of 190 persons with PD were analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha (α). Results: Inter-rater reliability ranged from slight to moderate (ICC= 0.06–0.43). The mean intra-rater reliability ranged from moderate to almost perfect (ICC= 0.60–0.83). Internal consistency is good (α = 0.60–0.86). Conclusion: The limited inter-rater reliability but adequate intra-rater reliability and internal consistency show the feasibility of the PRPP when used for persons with PD. Implications for reliable clinical use are discussed.

Objectives Rehabilitation clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) contain recommendation statements aimed at optimising care for adults with stroke and other brain injury. The aim of this study was to determine the quality, scope and consistency of CPG recommendations for rehabilitation covering the acquired brain injury populations. Design Systematic review. Interventions Included CPGs contained recommendations for inpatient rehabilitation or community rehabilitation for adults with an acquired brain injury diagnosis (stroke, traumatic or other non-progressive acquired brain impairments). Electronic databases (n=2), guideline organisations (n=4) and websites of professional societies (n=17) were searched up to November 2017. Two independent reviewers used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument, and textual syntheses were used to appraise and compare recommendations. Results From 427 papers screened, 20 guidelines met the inclusion criteria. Only three guidelines were rated high (>75%) across all domains of AGREE-II; highest rated domains were 'scope and purpose' (85.1, SD 18.3) and 'clarity' (76.2%, SD 20.5). Recommendations for assessment and for motor therapies were most commonly reported, however, varied in the level of detail across guidelines. Conclusion Rehabilitation CPGs were consistent in scope, suggesting little difference in rehabilitation approaches between vascular and traumatic brain injury. There was, however, variability in included studies and methodological quality. PROSPERO registration number CRD42016026936.Copyright © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.