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This study aims to translate a screening instrument for cyberbullying, Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey (COAS), to Thai, then test for its internal consistency and report the prevalence of cyberbullying. The COAS is an original instrument self-report Likert-scale questionnaire consisting of 18 questions with two subscales (9 items each), including Cyberbullying Victimization (CV) and Cyberbullying Offending (CO) scales. The COAS was transculturally translated into a Thai version by forward-backward processes then the content validity was evaluated by six child and adolescent psychiatrists. The internal consistency was explored with secondary school students aged 12 to 18 years in Khon Kaen, a province in Northeastern Thailand. The results showed that the content validity index of the COAS-Thai was 1, and the index of item-objective congruence was 0.67-1.00. From 234 participants, Cronbach's Alpha was 0.82, with 0.77 for CV and 0.69 for CO subscales. As high as 44.87% reported being involved in a cyberbullying incidence. In conclusion, the COAS-Thai had acceptable reliability, and almost half of the participants reported being involved in cyberbullying. However, future studies are required to improve the quality of the cyberbullying survey in the context of Thai society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cerebral Palsy is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Due to the increase in the number of students with Cerebral Palsy (CP) entering ordinary schools and facing problems with independent functioning, there is a need for a valid and comprehensive assessment tool for their successful entry as well as providing a proper treatment plan. The School Function Assessment (SFA), by measuring many school-related functional skills, can identify the strengths and weaknesses affecting the students’ independence and participation in school assignments. It has 320 items and three main parts of participation, task support, and activity performance. The test score can be reported in general or based on each part, separately. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the SFA in children with CP. Materials & Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with methodological design. The study population consists of all children with CP aged 7-12 years in Tehran. Of these, 120 were selected from exceptional public school using a convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria were: CP diagnosed by a neurologist, age between 7 and 12 years, no other disabilities (e.g. deafness or blindness), and the willingness of children’s parents to participate in the study. A demographic form and the Persian SFA were used for data collection through interview. In order to measure the content validity, Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were calculated according to the standard protocol of International Quality of Life Assessment. In this regard, 8 experts in the field of pediatrics completed the Persian SFA. To determine the test-retest reliability, the questionnaire was completed by the parents of children with a 4-week interval. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), respectively. Data was analyzed in SPSS V. 22 software. Results: Participants were 64 boys and 56 girls with CP (mean age= 9.4 years). The distribution of CP was as follows: 10% hemiplegic CP, 27.5% diplegic CP, 5.8% monoplegic CP, and 56.7% quadriplegic CP. Eighty hundred-eight percent of respondents were the mothers of students. The CVR and CVI values were in a range of 0.7-1 and 0.87-1, respectively indicating an acceptable validity. All the items had acceptable content validity. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was obtained 0.95 for participation, 0.95-0.99 for task support, 0.83-0.99 for activity performance, and 0.92 in total. Moreover, the ICC value was reported 0.90 for participation; 0.84-0.91 for task support; 0.84-0.97 for activity performance; and 0.89 for the overall test. Conclusion: The Persian version of SFA has acceptable content validity and reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) for children with CP. Therefore, it can be applied as a research and clinical tool to assess the school-related performance of these children.

Abstract Objectives We evaluated the internal consistencies and the correlation between measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACE), bully victimization, self-esteem, resilience, and social support in children/adolescents in Nigeria. Results The Cronbach’s alphas were 0.67 for the ACE Questionnaire; 0.79 for the victimization subscale of the Illinois Bully Scale; 0.60 for Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale; 0.81 for Connor–Davidson resilience scale; and 0.93 for multidimensional perceived social support scale. Social support was negatively correlated with ACE (r = − 0.21) and bully victimization (r = − 0.16) and was associated with higher self-esteem (r = − 0.29) and higher resilience (r = 0.15). Likewise, higher resilience was associated with fewer ACE (r = − 0.07), higher self-esteem (r = − 0.21), and higher bully victimization (r = 0.13). Higher self-esteem was associated with fewer ACE (r = 0.25) and lower bully victimization (r = 0.16), whereas bully victimization was positively correlated with ACE (r = 0.20). The correlations were all statistically significant.

Abstract Background Life satisfaction is part of subjective well-being. Measurement of life satisfaction is undertaken using self-report measures. This study aimed to evaluate the structural validity, concurrent validity, and internal structure of the PROMIS® General Life Satisfaction Scale (GLSS) in a musculoskeletal pain cohort. Method Consecutive new patients attending the Victoria University Osteopathy Clinic (Melbourne, Australia) were invited to complete the GLSS prior to their initial consultation. Structural validity and internal structure were explored using confirmatory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis. Concurrent validity was evaluated against a single-item measure of life satisfaction. Results The PROMIS® GLSS comprised a single factor and formed an acceptable Mokken scale in this population. No differential item functioning was observed. A large positive correlation (r = 0.70) was observed between the General Life Satisfaction scale and a single-item measure of life satisfaction. Conclusions The PROMIS® General Life Satisfaction scale demonstrated acceptable internal structure and structural validity in a musculoskeletal pain population. Additional research is required to explore concurrent validity and other measurement properties, however initial data suggests the measure could be a feasible screen of life satisfaction for Australian osteopathic patients.

Abstract Background The majority of children and adolescents are insufficiently physically active. Self-efficacy is considered one of the most important determinants of physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to validate the German version of the physical activity self-efficacy scale by means of a multi-level approach. Factorial validity, internal consistency and criterion validity were examined for the individual and the class level. Methods The final sample comprised 454 female sixth-graders of 33 classes. To examine the factorial validity of the translated 8-item scale, a multi-level confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the lavaan package in R. Internal consistency was estimated with the alpha function of the psych package. Criterion validity was examined by correlating self-efficacy with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) assessed with accelerometers. Results In contrast to previous validation studies, a unidimensional structure of the scale was not supported. Instead, two highly correlated (rindividual = .87; rclass = .69) but distinct latent factors, representing PA self-efficacy and social support from family and friends, were differentiated on both the individual and class level. The best overall fit exhibited a multi-level 1 × 1-model, including only the six items measuring PA self-efficacy (χ2 = 32.10, CFI = .986, TLI = .976, RMSEA = .059, SRMR = .035). Internal consistencies for the complete 8-item scale and the 6-item scale were good on the individual level and excellent on the class level. For the two items measuring social support, Cronbach’s alpha was low on the individual and excellent on the class level. Weak relations between self-efficacy and MVPA were found for the individual level, strong associations were found for the class level. Conclusions The validation speaks for the use of the abridged 6-item scale, which allows for a unidimensional assessment of PA self-efficacy. Generally, the results support the relevance of a multi-level approach, which not only differentiates between self-efficacy on the individual level and on the class level but also between the respective implications regarding reliability and criterion validity on both levels. Thereby, this study offers a rigorously validated scale and further illustrates possible consequences of the usual neglect of group-level variance in scale validation.

Introduction: Medication compliance, an important aspect in the treatment of chronic disease research, is often assessed using pill count method. The patient perception is usually not addressed objectively. The present study was conducted to assess patient cognizance, prevalence and predictors of compliance towards antihypertensive therapy in Indian patients. Methods: Adult patients taking antihypertensive medicines were included from the cardiology and geriatric OPDs of a tertiary care hospital in India. Socio-demographic data and disease awareness information was collected. Hill-Bone high blood pressure compliance scale was administered for compliance score. Results: For the 452 participants, mean age was 54.6 ± 13.7 years with approximate 2:1 ratio of males to females. Cronbach's alpha value of 0.7 for Hill Bone compliance scale showed good internal consistency. More than 80% participants had a score of ≥80%, showing good compliance among Indian patients. Factors that were significantly associated with uncontrolled blood pressure with correlation analysis were age, gender and awareness regarding disease. Conclusion: The study suggests that Hill-Bone high blood pressure compliance scale may be useful for assessing compliance in Indian population. An age appropriate intervention for continued compliance should be considered to improve compliance and hence, reduce long term sequelae of hypertension.

Jan Gunnar Dale, 1 Alexander Lüthi, 2 Beate Fundingsland Skaraas, 3 Trude Rundereim, 4 Bjørg Dale 5 1University of Agder, Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Grimstad NO-4898, Norway; 2Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Postoperative Unit, Oslo NO-0440, Norway; 3Municipality of Hå, Health and Social Services, Nærbø NO-4365, Norway; 4Municipality of Kinn, Måløy NO-6701, Norway; 5Centre for Care Research, Southern Norway, University of Agder, Grimstad NO-4898, NorwayCorrespondence: Jan Gunnar DaleUniversity of Agder, Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Post Box 509, Grimstad NO-4898, NorwayTel +47 37 23 37 31Email jan.g.dale@uia.noBackground and Aim: In order to assess patients’ ability to search, understand, and benefit from Internet-based information, several screening tools have been developed. One of these tools, which has been widely used, is the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). The aim of this study was to examine the measurement properties of the Norwegian version of the eHEALS, as it was used in a group of patients undergoing day surgery.Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 119 patients scheduled for day surgical treatment in a Norwegian hospital. The questionnaire included the screening tool eHEALS, which contains 8 items for assessing a person’s information awareness skills, information seeking skills, and skills to evaluate and act based on the information. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and item-total correlations were assessed for estimating reliability of the eHEALS. Exploratory factor analysis with Oblimin rotation was used for assessing the validity of the scale. Eigenvalue was set to 1.0.Results: A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.89 for the total scale, values > 0.82 for Alpha if Item Deleted, and moderate to high item-total correlations supported the homogeneity and internal consistency of the scale. A two-component solution explained a total of 74.8% of the variance, with the first component explaining 59.53% of the variance in the scale and included the items reflecting information awareness and seeking. The second component explained 15.23% of the variance, including items reflecting the ability to evaluate and act.Conclusion: The reliability of the Norwegian version of eHEALS, used in a group of patients undergoing day surgery, was good. The internal structure, with two distinct factors, is in line with several previous studies. The eHEALS appears to be an appropriate tool for assessing eHealth literacy among this patient group.Keywords: factor structure, health literacy, internet, internal consistency, screening tool

Abstract Inorganic carbon exists in various dissolved, gaseous and solid phase forms in natural waters and soils. It is important to accurately measure and model these forms to understand system responses to global climate change. The carbonate system can, in theory, be fully constrained and modelled by measuring at least two of out of the following four parameters: partial pressure (pCO2), total alkalinity (TA), pH and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) but this has not been demonstrated in soils. In this study, this “internal consistency” of the soil carbonate system was examined by predicting pH of soil extracts from laboratory measurement of TA through alkalinity titration for solutions in which pCO2 was fixed through equilibrating the soil solution with air with a known pCO2. This predicted pH (pHCO2) was compared with pH measured on the same soil extracts using spectrophotometric and glass electrode methods (pHspec and pHelec). Discrepancy between measured and calculated pH was within 0.00–0.1 pH unit for most samples. However, more deviation was observed for those sample with low alkalinity (≤ 0.5 meq L−1). This is likely attributable to an effect of dissolved organic matter, which can contribute alkalinity not considered in the thermodynamic carbonate model calculations; further research is required to resolve this problem. The effects of increasing soil pCO2 was modelled to illustrate how internally consistent models can be used to predict risks of pH declines and carbonate mineral dissolution in some soils.

The interpretation of deep learning network is an important part in understanding the convolutional neural networks (CNNs). As an exploratory research, this article explored the interpretation method in 3-D point cloud deep learning networks, for the purpose of evaluating the performance of convolution functions in 3-D point cloud CNNs. Specifically, a 3-D point cloud classification network with two branches is used as the interpretation network in two aspects; 1) information entropy is introduced to diagnose the internal representation in the middle layer of CNN; and 2) the external consistency of convolution function is measured by per-point classification accuracy with class activation mapping technique. Four typical convolution functions are tested by the interpretation network on ModelNet40 dataset and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed evaluation method is reliable. Feature transformation ability and feature recognition ability of convolution functions are extracted by visualization evaluation and proposed measurable metrics evaluation.

The study of the relationship between reasoning and emotional processes is not new in Psychology. There are currently two main approaches to understanding the aspects related to these processes called emotional intelligence: the ability model and the trait model. This study focuses on the latter, analyzing the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) in a Brazilian sample. 4314 adults with ages ranging from 18 to 60 years (M = 30.37; SD = 9.73) answered the TEIQue and other online instruments measuring emotional regulation, impulsiveness, alexithymia, loneliness, quality of life, positive and negative affect, personality traits, emotional perception, emotional understanding, and reasoning tests. The original four-factor structure of the TEIQue was replicated, Cronbach’s alphas ranged from 0.60 to 0.89 for the facets, and from 0.76 to 0.90 for the factors and global score. The correlations followed theoretically expected directions, showing a stronger pattern for self-report measures than for performance tasks. Our results corroborated previous studies with the TEIQue, confirming the psychometric adequacy of the instrument in the Brazilian context. Future studies may focus on participants with lower levels of education and additional external criteria, such as career preferences, job performance, and health.

The need for cognitive closure is a construct postulated by Kruglanski that explains the motivational aspects which influence decision-making and its impact on the social environment. Initially, it was assessed through a unidimensional scale, later criticized for its poor satisfactory reliability and validity. Regarding these criticisms, Pierro and Kruglanski developed a new 14-item scale to measure two dimensions, which were not previously evaluated: urgency tendency and permanence tendency. Although the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure is more economical in terms of assessment time, it would be optimal to develop a reduced test that can assess faster while maintaining validity and reliability. The present research aims to reduce the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure scale to the Argentinian context. To this end, we worked on a non-experimental design, assessing this scale within a sample of 690 Argentinian university students (Women = 81.16%, Men = 18.84%), and proceeded to perform reliability, as well as confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, and factorial invariance analysis. The results indicate a bi-factorial structure of a Need for Cognitive Closure instrument with eight items and two dimensions: urgency tendency (α = 0.76) and permanence tendency (α = 0.64), suggesting good reliability in both of them. In addition, well convergent validity was checked with other validated instruments, and finally, the factor loadings were shown to be invariant. In conclusion, it was demonstrated the reliability and validity of reducing the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure in our social environment.

Introduction: This study piloted the World Health Organization Quality of Life short version form (WHOQOL-BREF) to compare the quality of life (QoL) in post-stroke patients who followed the medical stroke rehabilitation program and those whom did not. This study determined which quality of life domains were mostly affected by stroke, and whether there are influencing factors other than rehabilitation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Public Hospital in Surabaya. Patients with stroke less than two years since the first attack were included in this study (n = 52). Cronbach's alpha test was performed to assess the internal consistency of WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The independent t-test and ANOVA were used to compare the differences between patient's characteristics and the six domains of QoL (i.e., perception of QoL, perception of health, physical of health, psychological health, social relationship, and environmental health). Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the influential factors of QoL. Results: post-stroke patients aged more than 50 years old (76.9%), male (55.8%). But, only 48.1% of those patients participating in medical rehabilitation programs. Age group was significantly associated with QoL in the psychological health domain (p = 0.021); participating in medical stroke rehabilitation programs was significantly associated with social relationship domain (p = 0.026) and the education level was significantly associated to physical health (p = 0.005), psychological heath (p = 0.035) and perception of health (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Lower education level was significantly associated with a low perception of health, one of QoL domains; and it was the most influential factor of QoL among post-stroke patients.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that significantly influences the patient's quality of life. This serious disease is approaching an epidemic, and the Arab countries are in the diabetes super region. Improving the patient's quality of life is vital for good glycemic control. However, the Diabetes Therapy-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (DTR-QOL) is not available in Arabic. Thus, we aimed to validate the questionnaire among patients with diabetes in Saudi Arabia., Subjects and Methods: This pilot study was conducted among randomly selected 30 patients with diabetes who came for regular follow-up in the Diabetes Center in King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia, during March and April 2023. A structured questionnaire based on sociodemographic data and the DTR-QOL was used. The information collected were age, gender, diabetes medications, glycemic indices, lipid profile, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, and body mass index. Forward/backward translation, expert assessment, and Cronbach's alpha were used to assess the validity and reliability., Results: Out of the 30 patients with diabetes piloted for the questionnaire validation, 60% were females, the mean age was 51.1 ± 14.056 years, and 94% had type 2 diabetes. The internal consistency varied from 0.80 for hypoglycemia to 0.94 for anxiety and dissatisfaction with treatment. The Arabic version of the DTR-QOL is valid and reliable for use among patients with diabetes, with a content validity of 0.938 and Cronbach's alpha of 0.93., Conclusion: The Arabic version of the DTR-QOL is valid and reliable for use among patients with diabetes in Arab countries and has good sensitivity and consistency., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Tabuk Institutional Review Board, General Directorate of Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia issued approval TU-077/022/137. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Alshadfan et al.)

Binge eating disorder (BED), the most prevalent eating disorder, carries significant physical and psychological consequences. Therefore, there is a continuous need to assess binge eating symptomatology and evaluate the effectiveness of various therapeutic interventions. The Binge Eating Scale (BES), which is a self-administered questionnaire, is widely used to assess binge eating in obese people. It examines the person' s experience of binge eating and the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural symptoms associated with it. The purpose of the present study was to translate and adapt BES in Greek, as well as to assess the factorial structure of BES and evaluate its psychometric properties. A sample of 160 participants (90% females) with a mean age of 40.7 years (SD=11.5 years) and a mean body mass index (BMI) 37.5kg/m2 (SD=9.2kg/m2) completed the BES and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out to assess the construct validity of the BES in a sample of patients with BED according to DSM-5 who came for therapy at the Eating Disorders Unit at Eginition Hospital and the day center "Anasa". The two-factor structure fits the data best. Regarding internal consistency, the results were acceptable, with Cronbach' s alpha equal to 0.78. The BES has high significant correlations with the Eating Concern, Weight Concern, and Shape Concern subscales and the Global Score of EDE-Q, but not with the Restrain subscale. Also, BES has correlations with the specific EDE-Q questions about the frequency of objective and subjective binge eating episodes. A high correlation was obtained with the measure of ΒΜΙ too. The Greek version of BES is a valid and reliable scale to evaluate binge eating in a clinical population diagnosed with BED.

Background and Purpose: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) was created to determine the patient's readiness for discharge to home from the hospital. The purpose of this study is to determine the scale's internal consistency and predictive validity in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting. Methods: Participants ( N = 30) over the age of 65 were conveniently selected from 10 different SNFs in the Midwest to complete the RHDS prior to discharge. Results: Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.917. Participants with higher RHDS scores, those who were male, respondents with less education, and participants with Medicare Advantage insurance were more likely to be rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge to home. Conclusions: The results indicate that the RHDS has a good internal consistency in the SNF setting., (© 2024 Springer Publishing Company.)

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 (I 2 = 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., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

LifeSkills Training (LST) is a popular drug prevention program shown to be effective at preventing youth substance use. The Middle School Health Survey (MSHS) is a questionnaire that was created by the developers of the LST curriculum to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes about drugs and life skills among youth. Despite the widespread use of the MSHS, the measurement quality of the instrument is largely unknown because no prior research has evaluated its psychometric properties. This study evaluated the reliability of scores and factor structure of the MSHS, which was administered to 986 students (Grades 6–8) before the implementation of the LST curriculum. Results indicate that one of the subscales had poor internal consistency reliability as measured by Cronbach's alpha, which is likely due to restricted variability in item responses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures indicated that a three‐ or four‐factor solution fit the data; however, fewer than half of the items had loadings above the acceptable threshold, indicating that the MSHS requires modification to meet acceptable standards of measurement quality. This paper fills a void in the literature and informs if and which modifications to the MSHS might be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chen, Renzheng, Yong Wang, Chen Zhang, Xiaolin Luo, Jie Yang, Chuan Liu, and Lan Huang. Assessment of acute mountain sickness using 1993 and 2018 versions of the Lake Louise Score in a large Chinese cohort. High Alt Med Biol. 22:362–368, 2021. Background: This study uses Lake Louise Score (LLS) in its original (LLS1993) and new (LLS2018) versions to assess acute mountain sickness (AMS) and aims to provide more clinical information about the AMS scoring system. Methods: We enrolled 1,026 male Chinese soldiers who traveled from an altitude of 500 to 3,700 m by airplane in 2.5 hours. We observed each subject's symptoms after arrival at 3,700 m in 24 and 48 hours. Each item was dropped from LLS1993 to evaluate its sensitivity and effect on AMS diagnosis. The relationship between each symptom and AMS was assessed by correlation analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the factor structure of LLS, while the ordinal alpha coefficient was calculated to determine its internal consistency. Results: Four hundred fifty-nine subjects were not followed up on day 2. We defined two observed cohorts (cohort 1, n = 1,026 and cohort 2, n = 567). Headache was the most common symptom in 24 hours, while sleep disturbance was the fourth-most common symptom at 24 hours and the most common symptom at 48 hours. When we dropped gastrointestinal symptoms, the drop rate was lowest in each situation (1.0% in cohort 1, 1.3% in cohort 2 at 24 hours, and 5.7% in cohort 2 at 48 hours, respectively). The incidence of AMS decreased from 18.4% at 24 hours to 36.4% at 48 hours when lost sleep disturbance in cohort 2. Moreover, the statistical method of Mantel/Haenszel square test was used for correlation analysis and the results showed a correlation between sleep disturbance and AMS. Besides, both LLS1993 and LLS2018 had acceptable internal consistencies, and all items had good loading coefficients in LLS1993. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that there could be an association between sleep disturbance and AMS diagnosis. Both LLS1993 and LLS2018 applied to young Chinese men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for addressing multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problems with various types of ordinal assessments. In addition to two existing types of ordinal assessments including ordinal scale and ordinal interval, a new type of ordinal assessment named as ordinal distribution is developed, which is profiled by a belief distribution on a ranking framework of alternatives. Ordinal scales and ordinal intervals are transformed into ordinal distributions to implement unification of three types of ordinal assessments. Internal consistency about transformation from ordinal scales and ordinal intervals into ordinal distributions is theoretically analyzed and proven. To find solutions, dominating degrees between two alternatives are constructed based on the unified ordinal distributions to determine possibility degree to which one alternative is superior to another. A control mode selection problem for an enterprise located in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, who mainly manufactures core parts of high-speed train, is analyzed using the proposed method to demonstrate its applicability. Based on the data in the control mode selection problem, internal consistency about transformation from ordinal scales and ordinal intervals into ordinal distributions is verified. It is also verified by simulation in a general case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School climate is a vital aspect of school life that influences students' emotional wellbeing, social relations and academic achievement. Therefore, educators need to monitor school climate to nurture good interpersonal relations and students' positive experiences in school. To achieve this objective, educators and psychosocial support services in schools need valid and reliable instruments to measure and monitor school climate. A review of the instruments for measuring school climate shows that they are available in several countries, but their application in these diverse settings requires evaluation and adaptation to the different conditions where they are being implemented. This study is part of a larger international project that examines the use of the Georgia Elementary School Climate Survey across many countries. The project includes students', parents', and educators' perceptions of school climate and aims to address the existing shortage of valid instruments of this important indicator of school life in Maltese educational settings. This study was based on responses from 592 children from five primary schools and focused on evaluating an adapted version of the Georgia Elementary School Climate Survey for primary school children. The study indicates that the slightly adapted scale has a good structure and acceptable internal consistency, indicating that the scale can be used in school practice. Based on the analysis of the items in the questionnaire, the study provides some suggestions for further development of this scale to respond better to the local educational setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a remarkable instrument, there is not a Spanish version of the ERSQ that allows for the analysis of the strategies of emotion regulation using this scale among Spanish speakers. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire [ERSQ] (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, as well as construct validity through a confirmatory factor analysis). The sample was collected from the general population including a total of 739 Mexican adults (453 females and 286 males). Results showed a highly suitable internal consistency (α=.96) and a test-retest reliability (ICC=0.88) for the total scale. In turn, a nine factor model was designed that was analyzed by a confirmatory factor analysis. Significant indicators of model fit were found (χ2=752.72, df=310, CFI=0.97, TLI=0.95, SRMR=0.05, RMSEA=0.04). Based on all these results, this research confirms the suitable psychometric properties of the ERSQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychometric properties of the Argentinian version of the ASSIST and its factorial invariance for two administration formats (paper-pencil and online), were analyzed. Two samples were employed. In one of them, the participants (n=700) completed the ASSIST in paper and pencil format, and in the other (n=835), they responded online. The model fit for both samples was tested obtaining adequate indices. A factorial invariance analysis then compared the model for the two administration formats, verifying adequate metric invariance. Furthermore, the internal consistency of the instrument dimensions for each sample was analyzed and compared. Results showed good coefficients. Finally, the comparison of dimension scores between the samples did not produce variations. The results and their practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a strong research interest in emotion perception ability, this construct is usually assessed without sufficient consideration of measurement reliability, thus limiting its predictive utility. We present an overview of available emotion perception ability tests, followed by a brief review of test reliability concepts, including classical and modern approaches. Then, through a reliability generalization (k = 106, ntotal = 16,859), we evaluate which tests have high internal consistency and which design characteristics are associated with better internal consistency. We conclude with general recommendations for the psychometric evaluation of emotion perception measures and provide recommendations for best measurement practices. Public Significance Statement: Despite intense interest in measuring our abilities to accurately label what another person is expressing, there is comparatively little research understanding the methods by which we make these assessments. We conducted a quantitative summary of the properties of popular tests and found relatively few researchers take the necessary steps to ensure proper measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously described the design and development of a questionnaire. It is important to establish the validity of a questionnaire before it is administered to a population. A series of inter-related tests are required to determine the validity of a questionnaire. Questionnaires pass through an iterative process that includes the development of items, testing of the validity, revision of items, revision of the conceptual basis of the test, retesting, and repetition of the process till the questionnaire is finalized. The process of validation of a questionnaire continues if the questionnaire is in use. In this manuscript, we briefly describe the conceptual basis of the different methods that are used to establish the validity of questionnaires and item retention and exclusion.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions worldwide to adopt e-learning. UAE higher education institutions have implemented e-learning systems and programs to cope with this unprecedented situation. This paper measured the strength of association between key aspects of e-learning systems and programs and students’ motivation to learn in Ajman University (AU). Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to test the internal consistency reliability of key aspects of e-learning (EL-8) and students’ motivation to learn (SML-16). Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the validity of, and coherence of patterns in, the data. Parametric and non-parametric methods were used to investigate the strength of association between key aspects of e-learning and students’ motivation to learn in AU. The results indicated that motivation variables were more strongly correlated with both e-teaching materials and e-assessments key aspects relative to others such as e-discussion, and e-grade checking and feedback.

Background: The Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) is a validated brief instrument measuring the five-factor model (FFM) personality dimensions, developed for instances where more comprehensive FFM instruments are impractical to use. The TIPI has been translated into several languages, but psychometric properties of the Norwegian version (N-TIPI) have not been systematically explored.Objectives: This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the N-TIPI, in terms of internal consistency and structural validity.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, responses on the N-TIPI were collected from 5,009 Norwegian master graduates. Descriptive statistics for the subscales and correlations between subscales were calculated. Internal consistency was assessed with inter-item correlations, Cronbach’s α and Spearman-Brown coefficients. Structural validity was explored with principal component analysis, parallel analysis, and visual scree plot inspection. Results for the N-TIPI were compared with those previously reported for the original TIPI as well as the German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese versions.Results: Compared with the original and non-English versions of TIPI, results for N-TIPI showed comparable subscale rank order of means, standard deviations, and pattern of correlations between subscales, as well as inter-item correlations and Cronbach’s α. The 10 N-TIPI items were adequately reduced to five components, theoretically corresponding with the FFM personality domains.Conclusion: The N-TIPI demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and satisfactory structural validity. Although further research is warranted, the instrument stands out as feasible when it is essential to minimize participants’ response burden in studies that aim to explore personality as one among several concepts or utilize personality traits as covariates.

Purpose: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was established by Fairbank in 1989 to assess functional disabilities in low back pain (LBP). It was last updated in 2019 as ODI version 2.1b (ODI AU_2.1b). ODI was first translated into Simplified Chinese Oswestry Disability Index (CODI) in 2008 by Lue. The construct validity, internal consistency, level of agreement and the floor and ceiling effects of CODI were found unclear by Yao in 2016. This study will verify how well the adapted Cantonese-Hong Kong Oswestry Disability Index version 2.1b (HKCODI) aligns with ODI AU_2.1b in the Southern Chinese population.Methods: The translation of ODI AU_2.1b was performed according to guidelines from MAPI Research Trust and American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Psychometric properties of HKCODI were tested statistically by Pearson's correlation, Cronbach's Alpha and Intraclass  Correlation  Coefficient (ICC).Results: A total of 200 subjects (109 males, 91 females) aged from 15 to 85 (mean age = 58.91) with LBP scored from 3/10 to 10/10 in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were recruited in the Occupational Therapy Department of a tertiary referral center. HKCODI demonstrated strong construct validity in comparing with Hong Kong Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (HKRMDQ) (r = 0.666, p = 0.000), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)  Physical Composite Summary (- 0.700, p = 0.000) and VAS (0.487, p = 0.000). Excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability were confirmed with Cronbach's Alpha of 0.997 and ICC of 0.993 at 95% confidence level.Conclusion: Cross-cultural adaptation of ODI AU_2.1b has been translated and validated as   HKCODI and Item-8 (Sex Life) was suggested to skip for patient older than 60. HKCODI is a fully self-administered and highly reliable tool in assessing the functional disability of patients with LBP in the Southern Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Event‐related potential (ERP) measures of reward‐ and error‐related brain activity have emerged as potential biomarkers of risk for the development of psychopathology. However, the psychometric properties of reward‐ and error‐related brain activity have been primarily investigated in adolescents and adults. It is critical to also establish the reliability of ERPs in younger children, particularly if they are used as individual difference measures of risk during key developmental periods. The present study examined the reliability of the reward positivity (RewP) and error‐related negativity (ERN) among 80 children (Mage = 6.9 years old; 50% female). Participants completed the doors, flanker, and go/no‐go tasks twice, separated by approximately 8 months, while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Results indicated that the RewP demonstrated strong internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The ERN also demonstrated strong internal consistency, but test–retest reliability was only significant for the ERN measured during the flanker task and not the go/no‐go task. These results are largely consistent with reported psychometric properties of reward‐ and error related ERPs in adolescents and adults, suggesting that the ERN and RewP may be appropriate biomarkers of individual differences in populations ranging from early childhood to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) is a validated brief instrument measuring the five-factor model (FFM) personality dimensions, developed for instances where more comprehensive FFM instruments are impractical to use. The TIPI has been translated into several languages, but psychometric properties of the Norwegian version (N-TIPI) have not been systematically explored. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the N-TIPI, in terms of internal consistency and structural validity. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, responses on the N-TIPI were collected from 5,009 Norwegian master graduates. Descriptive statistics for the subscales and correlations between subscales were calculated. Internal consistency was assessed with inter-item correlations, Cronbach's α and Spearman-Brown coefficients. Structural validity was explored with principal component analysis, parallel analysis, and visual scree plot inspection. Results for the N-TIPI were compared with those previously reported for the original TIPI as well as the German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese versions. Results: Compared with the original and non-English versions of TIPI, results for N-TIPI showed comparable subscale rank order of means, standard deviations, and pattern of correlations between subscales, as well as inter-item correlations and Cronbach's α. The 10 N-TIPI items were adequately reduced to five components, theoretically corresponding with the FFM personality domains. Conclusion: The N-TIPI demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and satisfactory structural validity. Although further research is warranted, the instrument stands out as feasible when it is essential to minimize participants' response burden in studies that aim to explore personality as one among several concepts or utilize personality traits as covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To compare the Positive Experiences Scale (PES), Gain in Alzheimer Care INstrument (GAIN) and Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) in assessing positive caregiving experiences among caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia, and to explore which caregiver and care recipient characteristics relate to positive caregiving experiences. Methods: A total of 63 caregivers (mean age 59.2 years; SD 11.8) of nursing home residents with dementia from four Dutch nursing homes participated in this cross‐sectional observational study. Internal consistency, convergent validity and user‐friendliness (i.e. perception of item relevance and comprehensibility, ease of use, missing items, and user preference) were examined using Cronbach's alpha's, correlation coefficients and descriptive statistics, respectively. Results: The Cronbach's alpha for the GAIN, PAC and PES was 0.90, 0.94 and 0.68, respectively. The sum score of the PES showed a ceiling effect. Convergent validity was confirmed for all three instruments. The PES had the least missing data (mean number of missing items 0.2, SD 0.5) and was preferred by 40% of the caregivers, followed by the GAIN (mean number of missing items 0.6, SD 1.7, preferred by 11%). Positive caregiving experiences were negatively associated with educational level (range −0.28 to −0.35). Only the PES correlated positively with caregiver age (r = 0.25). Conclusions: All three questionnaires can be used to assess positive caregiving experiences, but the GAIN might be the most suitable questionnaire for caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia. Further research is necessary to examine generalizability of the findings. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 636–643. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If an ERP score is to reflect a trait-like characteristic or indicate if an intervention had an effect over time, adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability of that ERP score across multiple testing sessions must be established. The current paper is a companion paper to Clayson et al. (current issue) that applied generalizability theory formulas and the ERP Reliability Analysis (ERA) Toolbox to assess test-retest and internal consistency in a dataset of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) assessing food-related cognition. Although ERPs in response to food cues have been related to eating behaviors or assessed during a health intervention, the reliability of food-related ERPs generally has not been tested. Within the generalizability theory framework, we assessed the stability (cf., test-retest reliability) and equivalence (cf., internal consistency) of four commonly used food-related ERPs: the late positive potential (LPP), centro-parietal P3, N2, and fronto-central P3. 132 participants (92 female) completed two testing sessions held two weeks apart. During the sessions, participants completed a passive food viewing task, a high-calorie go/no-go task, and a low-calorie go/no-go task in a counterbalanced fashion. Coefficients of equivalence for all ERPs were excellent (>0.96). Coefficients of stability were moderate-to-low, with N2 scores on the low-calorie go/no-go task showing the highest test-retest reliability (>0.65) and fronto-central P3 scores on the high-calorie go/no-go task showing the lowest (0.48). Results suggest the ERPs in the current dataset have high internal consistency and would be reliable in detecting individual differences, but their test-retest reliability is limited. Reliability of these ERPs may be improved with changes in task stimuli, task instructions, and study procedures. • Generalizability theory (GT) is useful for assessing test-retest reliability. • GT simultaneously evaluates internal consistency and test-retest reliability. • This study demonstrates the application of GT to ERPs food-based stimuli. • ERP scores showed high internal consistency and fairly low test-retest reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.Objective: Th aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt Copenhagen Neck Function Disability Scale into a Simplified Chinese version (CNFDS-C), and evaluate the reliability and validity of CNFDS-C in patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain.Summary Of Background Data: The CNFDS is a reliable and valid evaluation instrument for chronic neck pain. However, Simplified Chinese version of CNFDS hasn't been validated.Methods: A total of 150 participants were included in this study. Internal consistency was estimated according to Cronbach alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Construct validity was analyzed by correlations between CNFDS-C and the Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) as well as the short form (36) health survey (SF-36).Results: The original version of the CNFDS was cross-culturally adapted and translated into Simplified Chinese. CNFDS-C was indicated to have excellent reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.810, ICC = 0.927). Moderate to substantial correlations between CNFDS-C and NDI (r = 0.642, P < 0.001), VAS (r = 0.581, P < 0.001), as well as Physical Function (r = -0.583, P < .001), Role Physical (r = -0.478, P < 0.001), Bodily Pain (r = -0.610, P < 0.001), and General Health (r = -0.439, P < 0.001) subscales of SF-36 were observed.Conclusion: CNFDS-C was demonstrated to have acceptable reliability and validity in patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain, which could be recommended for patients in Chinese mainland.Level of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Procrastination is a deleterious and increasingly pervasive phenomenon within the higher-academic domain, and the progressive refinement of its measurement tools proves vital to shed light and undertake this behavior. Thus, the present study examines renewed psychometric quality features of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale within an Argentinian sample. The sample was composed of 923 undergraduates from Buenos Aires City and its environs (80.7% female; 18.7% male; 0.5% non-binary; Mage = 26.60; SDage = 8.25). The Cordoban-Argentinian adaptation of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale was employed. Content validity analysis of the scale's items was carried out upon consideration of expert judgments. Face validity of the instrument was analyzed via a pilot study with a subsample of undergraduates. Subsequently, a confirmatory factor analysis of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale structure was conducted, and the internal consistency of the resulting factor was examined. Finally, correlations with the Academic Motivation Scale were analyzed to provide evidence of convergent validity. Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported an adequate fit of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale's structure in its Cordoban-version 15 items, while internal consistency was acceptable-to-excellent. Finally, convergent validity evidence mostly exhibited positive associations between Procrastination and both Amotivation and less self-determined motivational subscales of the Academic Motivation Scale, while negative associations were observed with regards to Intrinsic Motivation subscales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several publications support personality assessment from big five dimensions analyzed through psychometric instruments such as the BFI; however, there are not many validated studies in drugdependent patients despite the need for such studies. Objective: The structure and internal consistency of the BFI and a short form without inverse items (BFI 28) were analysed and compared using the SEM and ESEM approach. Method; The properties of the BFI were reviewed and then the inverse items were removed to assess the quality of the BFI 28 between the two approaches. Results: The ESEM of the BFI pointed out problems in its latent structure (ICF < 0.80) and low internal consistency in Extraversion. However, the BFI 28 improved qualitatively and showed favorable goodness-of-fit and ICF > 0.80 in both the SEM and ESEM approaches, except that the ESEM showed omega coefficients < .70 in Conscientiousness and Extraversion. Conclusion: the presence of the inverse items affects the structure and consistency of the BFI. Likewise, the BFI and BFI 28 are influenced by the clinical, educational or socioeconomic characteristics of the sample when they are not similar to those usually studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the validity (construct validity) and reliability (internal consistency) of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Screening Module (S-NAB) in detecting mild cognitive deficit/alteration in multicultural, multilingual, and multiethnic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) population of Malaysia. S-NAB and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) data from 114 patients with mTBI (93 males; 21 females) aged 18 to 60 years old were obtained at University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia. The mean age was 28.17 ± 8.57 years and mean education years was 12.40 ± 2.01. Convergent validity was assessed between S-NAB domain scores and MoCA total scores by using Pearson's correlation and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Acceptable internal consistency (α ≥ .70) was found for Attention, Language, and Memory domains but weak internal consistencies (α < .50) were found for Spatial and Executive Function domains. There were positive but weak correlations between S-NAB and MoCA. These findings provide some support for the application of S-NAB in assessing mild cognitive deficits of mTBI population in a Malaysian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire 2.0 (WRFQ), measuring the percentage of time a worker has difficulties in meeting the work demands for a given health state, has shown strong reliability and validity in various populations with different chronic conditions. The present study aims to validate the WRFQ in working cancer patients. Methods: A validation study of the WRFQ 2.0 was conducted, using baseline data from the longitudinal Work Life after Cancer study. Structural validity (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and discriminant validity (hypothesis testing) were evaluated. Results: 352 working cancer patients, most of them diagnosed with breast cancer (48%) and 58% in a job with mainly non‐manual tasks, showed a mean WRFQ score of 78.6 (SD = 17.1), which means that they had on average difficulties for 78.6% of the time they spent working. Good internal consistency (α = 0.96) and acceptable to good fit for both the four and five‐factor model (CFA) was found. The WRFQ distinguished between cancer patients reporting good vs. poor health (80.3 vs. 73.0, p = 0.001), low vs. high fatigue (82.0 vs. 72.2, p < 0.001), no vs. clinical depression (80.4 vs. 58.8, p < 0.001) and low vs. high cognitive symptoms (86.1 vs. 64.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The WRFQ 2.0 is a reliable and valid instrument to measure work functioning in working cancer patients. Further psychometric research on responsiveness is needed to support its use in health practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of current study was to exploreemotion regulation strategies among Pakistani married sample using Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003).Research design ofstudy was aimed to establish internal consistency, validity and factor structure of ERQ on Pakistani husbands and wives.Data was collected from 1002 married individuals using ERQ, Psychological Flourishing Scale and Emotion Expressivity Questionnaire.Correlations, Cronbach Alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were computed. Results of statistical analysis manifested internal consistencies of the two subscales (reappraisal .72; suppression .78) on married sample. Two factor model of ERQ across genders presented excellent fit suggesting effectiveness of scale for both genders. Reappraisal was positively related with positive expressivity and impulse strength while, suppression was negatively associated with positive expressivity. Study rendered unexpected findings in terms of reappraisal strategy as reappraisal was negatively associated with flourishing of married individuals. Findings drew distinctive conclusions regarding indigenous use of ERQ by married individuals of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigma is a strong negative perception of other person or other group, about their physical as well as social characteristics. The stigmatized groups are discriminated against, oppressed, and treated inhumanly for their condition. Although such groups exist in most societies, stigmatization differs across cultures. The paper conceptualizes stigma, identifies its various dimensions, and describes the development of the social stigma scale to measure experiences and perception of stigmatized persons. Unstructured interviews with ten people were conducted, at least one from the six stigmatized groups: eunuchs, beggars, disabled, widows, poor, and leprosy patients to identify salient features of stigma. Content analysis of the unstructured interviews led to identify stigma’s dimensions: marginalization, exclusion, ritualistic inclusion, dehumanization, (i.e. humiliation, atrocity, and exploitation), and identity. Each dimension was operationalized facilitating items (statements) writing and final selection of 30-items for the social stigma scale (SSS). The social stigma scale was administered to 328 participants in the six stigmatized groups to standardize the scale and determine reliability and validity. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) of each dimension was computed. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was determined to establish the scale’s construct validity. The Cronbach alpha (α) values, CFA, and intercorrelations suggest conceptual convergence of stigma dimensions and confirmation of essential criteria of the social stigma scale in the Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the large Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Survey dataset, the aim of this study was to evaluate the construct and convergent validity and internal consistency of the PHQ-4 across both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal condition cohorts. Another aim was to provide descriptive information about the PHQ-4 including means, confidence intervals and percentage of caseness using a large representative sample. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 26 countries. Confirmatory factor and internal consistency analyses were conducted across subsamples of patients with gastrointestinal conditions (i.e., disorders of gut-brain interaction [DGBI; any DGBI, individual DGBI, and DGBI region], gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), coeliac disease, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cancer anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, peptic ulcer) and those without a gastrointestinal condition. Convergent validity was also assessed via a series of Pearson's correlation coefficients with PROMIS (physical and mental quality of life), and PHQ-12 (somatisation). Based on 54,127 participants (50.9% male; mean age 44.34 years) confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable to excellent model fits for the PHQ-4 across all subsamples and individual DGBI and DGBI region (Comparative Fit Index >0.950, Tucker-Lewis Index >0.950, Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation <0.05, and Standardised Root Mean Square Residual <0.05). The PHQ-4 was found to demonstrate convergent validity (Pearson's correlation coefficients >±0.4), and good internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.75). This study provides evidence that the PHQ-4 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing mental health symptomology in both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cohorts. • The largest and most demographically representative validation of the PHQ-4. • PHQ-4 demonstrates strong construct and convergent validity. • PHQ-4 demonstrates good internal consistency. • Normative data, including Means, CIs, and rates of anxiety/depression reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This cross-sectional study aims to validate the Chinese version of Zelaya’s HIV-related Stigma Scale (CVZHSS) among a large undergraduate sample in mainland China, and apply it to measure the level of different dimensions of stigma and their respective determinants. Methods From September 10, 2018, to January 9, 2019, a total of 10,665 eligible undergraduates conveniently drawn from 30 provinces in mainland China (except for Tibet) completed the self-designed online questionnaire distributed via sojump.com voluntarily, anonymously and confidentially. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) were first performed to test its construct validity, Cronbach’s alpha was then used to assess its internal consistency, and Logistic regression analyses were finally carried out to identify predictors of various dimensions of stigma. Results As expected from the original model, four factors (i.e., “fear of casual transmission”, “moral judgment”, “personal stigma” and “perceived community stigma”) were extracted using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, accounting for 63.26% of the total variance. The CFA further confirmed the four-factor construct (CFI = 0.92, GFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.07). In addition, all the four factors demonstrated acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.83 to 0.92. Stigma as measured by “fear of casual transmission” (74.4%), “moral judgement” (61.6%), “personal stigma” (79.0%) and “perceived community stigma”(36.5%) is highly prevalent among undergraduates. Except for non-freshmen, less knowledge about HIV and unsafe sex which were consistently associated with higher levels of stigma in all four dimensions, other eight variables including gender, residential area, major, sexual orientation, having ever being tested perception of HIV risk, willingness to utilize HTC service and awareness of the national AIDS policy played differential roles in affecting different dimensions of stigma. Conclusions The CVZHSS is a reliable and valid measurement tool and can be used to identify undergraduates with high levels of stigma. However, the four dimensions (Fear, moral judgement, personal stigma and perceived community stigma) were respectively influenced by different determinants, and thus should be treated independently when designing, implementing and evaluating stigma reduction programs.

Luis Felipe Higuita-Gutiérrez,1 Juan José Velasco-Castaño,2 Judy Natalia Jiménez Quiceno3 1Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia; 2Estudiante Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; 3MICROBA Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, ColombiaCorrespondence: Luis Felipe Higuita-Gutiérrez Tel +57 4446065 Ext. 4228Email luis.higuita@campusucc.edu.coPurpose: Hemodialysis is a treatment that is essential for the survival of patients with terminal chronic kidney disease. However, it is highly invasive, non-curative, and physically, psychologically, socially, and financially demanding, which has an impact on the patient’s health-related quality of life (HRQL). In Colombia, research from the point of view of patients undergoing hemodialysis is scarce.Patients and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 142 patients undergoing hemodialysis. We used an instrument that included the demographic and clinical information as well as the Charlson Comorbidity Index and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale. HRQL was assessed using EQ-5D-5L and KDQOL-36. The analysis was done using measures of central tendency for quantitative variables and relative frequencies for qualitative variables, in addition bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted.Results: Based on the scores of the EQ-5D-5L scale, it was found that 14.5% subjects showed severe mobility problems, 5.8% were unable to bathe or dress by themselves, 12.9% were unable to perform usual activities, 13.5% were experiencing pain or discomfort (between strong and extreme), and 58.6% showed a certain degree of anxiety or depression. The KDQOL-36 scores were 67.4 ± 19.4 for the symptoms domain and 35.0 ± 27.5 for the disease burden domain. Results of the linear regression analysis showed that the main factors associated with HRQL were the Karnofsky Index and serum albumin levels (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The result of this study revealed the impact on the quality of life of Colombian patients undergoing hemodialysis with chronic kidney disease who were highly affected by the disease burden. KDQOL-36 has excellent properties of reliability, internal consistency, and discriminant power; thus, its use is recommended in subsequent studies to monitor HRQL in this population.Keywords: EQ-5D-5L, KDQOL-36, internal consistency, disease burden

Abstract Background Seasonality poses a considerable food security challenge in Ethiopia. Yet, measuring seasonal variations in food insecurity, particularly the dimension of food access, lacks an adequately validated tool. We therefore evaluated the performance of an adapted Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) to estimate seasonal variations in food insecurity (FI) among subsistence villagers in Ethiopia. Methods We employed a cohort study design using a panel of four repeated measurements taken in June, September, and December in the year 2017, and in March 2018. The study recruited 473 villagers from the drought-affected Wolaita area in southwest Ethiopia. The performance of the HFIAS was evaluated via internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha values) and criterion validation techniques. The set of criteria include: parallelism between affirmative responses to FI questions and wealth strata; dose-response relationship between FI and dietary intake; and also FI severity and household wealth status. Results This study revealed that the HFIAS had satisfactory performance in four repeated measurements. The likelihood of affirmative responses to questions about FI decreased with ascending wealth quintiles. We observed an inverse dose-response relationship between FI and wealth status, and between FI and household dietary diversity. Conclusions The HFIAS showed an acceptable potential for measuring seasonal variations in FI in the study area. Our findings complement efforts to evaluate the scale’s applicability in various settings, in order to promote cross-culture monitoring and comparisons. However, it required a careful adaption for contextual and cultural sensitivities.

Background The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) was established to assess the impact of dizziness and balance problems on the quality of life. The aim of the study was to validate the Polish version of DHI for patients with vestibular disorders. Material and Methods Two hundred and thirty patients diagnosed with vestibular impairment and/or positional vertigo were included in the study. The mean age of the study group was 56.2 years (SD = 13.6). The factor structure (the principal component analysis − PCA), internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), and discrimination ability (the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve) were examined. Results satisfactory internal consistency was found (Cronbach’s α coefficient = 0.92), while no floor or ceiling effect was revealed. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory demonstrated a good ability to discriminate between patients with and without the handicap (sensitivity and specificity about 80%, the cutoff point = 56). In PCA a 3-factor solution was obtained, with the factors related to restrictions in daily life, positional symptoms and visual-vestibular symptoms, which was not in agreement with the subscales provided in the original version. Conclusions The Polish version of DHI demonstrates satisfactory measurement properties and can be used to assess the impact of dizziness on handicap and the quality of life. The functional, emotional, and physical subscales were not confirmed. In particular, the functional subscale revealed no satisfactory internal consistency which provides an indication for further studies. Med Pr. 2019;70(5):529–34

RASCH MODELING ANALYSIS: SCALE OF STUDENT PEACE OF MINDSET. This study aims to develop a scale of early detection of peace thinking in the context of standardized Indonesian culture. The study using a descriptive method for 1118 students from several public high schools in Bandung through Rasch modeling analysis. It is reported that all items are correctly perceived by students, with excellent internal consistency and good unidimensionality. The implication shows that there is still a need for further scale research based on a more diverse level of education units, including among santri (student) in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) so that the results are conclusive and comprehensive, with urban or rural backgrounds. This research explains a dynamic, progress, and a second stage that is good in developing TNT's scale into an ethnically diverse Indonesian context.

The article presents the results of the survey of 1287 students from 40 schools in the Central Administrative District (648 boys and 639 girls) and 88 students of gymnasium № 1567 in the West Administrative District of Moscow (46 boys, 42 girls) by the method of "Permutations" (author A.Z. Zak). This technique, based on a material spatially-combinatorial problems of non-academic content, comprises tasks aimed at determining the level of the formation of metasubject competences associated with the implementation of cognitive reflection (task 1), searching for ways of solving problems of exploratory nature (task 2), planning the achievement of the desired result (task 3). The data obtained show a statistically significant difference in the formation of the considered competences between the distributed general populations of schools in the CAD and the gymnasium (p < 0,001) and gender differences among students of CAD schools in the ways of solving problems of exploratory nature (p < 0,05), as well as the absence of gender differences among students of the gymnasium in all competences. The reliability of the method scales and their differential validity, which is understood here as the ability to identify differences in the socio-demographic factors "student category" and "gender", is statistically proven. For the first time the results reflect quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the formation of cognitive and regulatory metasubject competences of fifth-graders in solving spatially-combinatorial problems of non-academic content, and experimentally confirm the possibility of using the method of "Permutations" in general practice of national education for the assessment of the abovementioned metasubject competences.

Objective This study investigated the reliability and factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire‐12 (GHQ‐12) in children and adolescents and examined whether the GHQ‐12 is sensitive to expected mental well‐being differences across age and sex. Method Here, N = 180,700 Australian students (7–19 years of age) completed the GHQ‐12 as part of a larger survey, the Resilience Survey (Resilient Youth Australia Limited). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted, and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. Linear mixed model ANOVAs were conducted to investigate differences in GHQ‐12 scores between females and males. Results EFA revealed a two‐factor model which was consistent across all age bands—Factor A: General Dysphoria (depression and anxiety), and Factor B: General Functioning (ability to cope with day‐to‐day activities). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α > 0.7) in all age bands for total GHQ‐12 and factor scores. Confirmatory factor analysis with a two‐factor correlated structure supported EFA results. Bifactor modelling suggested a unidimensional structure. Males aged 7–9 years had significantly higher (more problematic) total GHQ‐12 scores, General Dysphoria scores and General Functioning scores than females (p < 0.001), and females aged 12–19 years had significantly higher scores than males (p < 0.001). Conclusions Our results support the use of the GHQ‐12 for the measurement of mental well‐being symptoms in children from 7 to 19 years of age. Overall, psychometric properties including sensitivity, suggest that the GHQ‐12 provides a robust indicator of short‐term mental state in children and adolescents.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: In spite of the paramount importance of religion in human life, the definition of its domain, concepts, and components is subject to theoretical and methodological uncertainty. The root of many of these ambiguities lies in the absence of appropriate measurement tools. Given that, the main purpose of this research is validating and determining reliability of a local instrument for measuring religiosity. Method: This study aimed at developing an instrument. The participants were provided with researchers' questionnaire developed after studying documents and providing the theoretical framework, preparing question banks and validity. The sample, 500 adult citizens over 18 years old in 22 districts of Tehran selected by using random sampling and classification according to gender, age, and area of residence. The obtained data were utilized for exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha reliability, validity criteria, indicators fitted, and eventually the introduction of religiosity questionnaire. In this research, all the Ethical issues were observed and authors declared no conflicts of interest. Results: Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), seven factors accounted for 65.67% of the religiosity variance. The results of exploratory factor analysis (RMSEA=0.08, CFI=0.907, GFI=0.869) show the 21-item questionnaire has an acceptable fit. The internal consistency (α=0.83) and consistency over time also indicated that the final questionnaire has acceptable reliability. Conclusion: Results show that the developed questionnaire is acceptable in terms of validity and reliability to be used in Islamic societies for measuring religiosity. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Please cite this article as: Shahmirzalou H, Rafiey H­, Mousavi MT, Ghaedamini Harouni Gh, Hosseini Safa Z. Designing and verifying an instrument to measure religiosity. J Res Relig Health. 2019; 5(2):6- 22. doi: https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i2.19300.