Levels of the consciousness of activities among health promotion volunteers. Comparison by years of volunteer's experience

OBJECTIVE: Health promotion volunteers (HPVs) are members of community health organizations. They are delegated health promotion activities in local communities in Japan, under support of municipal administrative officers, including public health nurses. The purpose of the present study was to compare the levels of consciousness of activities among HPVs by years of experience. METHODS: The subjects were 600 HPVs in two cities in a prefecture. A mail-in self-check questionnaire survey was conducted on November 2004, covering items on "demographic-data," "the condition of activities of HPVs," "self-evaluation of activities of HPVs," "self-esteem," and "consciousness in the community." RESULTS: A total of 514 questionnaires were analyzed (valid response rate: 85.7%). HPVs in the groups of 4-8 years and 9 and more years of experience, felt more challenge and had a greater feeling of self-growth than those in the group of 1-3 years, although HPVs in the group with many years of experience felt more difficulty with the activities. HPVs in the 4-8 year group experienced the highest sense of burden, and HPVs in the 9 and more years group the lowest. Moreover, consciousness in taking leadership in organization of HPVs was stronger, and sense of responsibility for roles as HPVs were greater in the group of HPVs who had many years of experience. CONCLUSION: In building structures of activity of HPVs it is important to consider their levels of consciousness of the activities by years of experience, as clarified in this study.     

The development of measures of community capacity for community-based funding programs in Canada

Improving community capacity for influencing actions on the determinants of health is an immediate outcome of many Public Health Agency of Canada-funding community-based programs. Despite the importance of this outcome, it has been difficult to measure and describe the contribution of funding programs to improving community capacity. This paper reports on a study conducted to develop and establish the psychometric properties of scales that measure community capacity to address health issues in the context of federally funded community-based programs. A literature review and national think tank with 21 experts informed the development of the first draft of the scales that outlined nine key domains of community capacity. Two focus groups with community practitioners provided information on the face and content validity and general usability of this draft instrument. The revised instrument was sent for pilot testing to 114 community organizations. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed to assess the validity, reliability and usability of the instrument. Twenty-nine organizations returned a completed instrument (25% response rate). Principal Component Analysis confirmed scale unidimensionality for eight multi-item scales: all of the component loadings were considered good with all scales loading between 0.60 and 0.92. Scale internal consistency was also considered high with alphas between 0.72 and 0.86 for six of these eight scales. Spearman's correlations were significant for the remaining two multi-item scales (composed of two items each), indicating that the two items for each scale were significantly correlated to each other. One scale could not be analyzed quantitatively, as it contained only a single item. Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative results found consistency in interpretations of scale response sets. Feedback on the instrument indicated interest in using it for project planning and evaluation. Psychometric analyses and triangulation provided evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the instrument. The final instrument covers 9 domains and has a total of 26 items, each with a four-point rating scale and a section for qualitative contextual comments. The instrument provides quantitative and qualitative information on community capacity within the context and scope of community-based funding programs.     

Adaptation of the visual analog sleep scales to Portuguese

This article reports the adaptation of the Visual Analog Sleep (VAS) Scales developed to assess patients' perception about their sleep on the previous 24 hours. Original scales, translated to Portuguese and submitted to content validation, were tested for reliability and validity. Convenience sample was composed of 180 patients on the first postoperative day (mean age 39.3+/-12.3 years; 68.3% female). The Disturbance Scale was kept with 7 items (alpha=.80) and the Effectiveness Scale with 5 items (alpha=.78); both maintained the original structure. Item 13 (Wake after final arousal) had to be excluded from Supplementation Scale, that kept 3 out of its 4 items (alpha=.72). There was negative correlation between Disturbance and Effectiveness (r=-.68 p<.001), as it was expected. The adapted version is suitable to sleep assessment of postoperative patients. The behavior of the excluded item has to be analyzed with other samples.     

Validity of an abbreviated Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-18) for schizophrenia,schizoaffective,and mood disorder patients

We sought to identify a core subset of Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) items that maintains the validity and psychometric properties of the basic version. A parsimonious subset of items from the Q-LES-Q that can accurately predict the basic Q-LES-Q domain mean scores was sought and evaluated in 339 inpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and mood disorders. Three additional data sets were used for validation. Assessments included Q-LES-Q, Quality of Life Scale, Lancashire Quality of Life Profile, rating scales for psychopathology, medication side effects, and self-reported emotional distress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social support. We found that 18-items predicted basic Q-LES-Q domains (physical health, subjective feelings, leisure time activities, social relationships) and general index scores with high accuracy. Q-LES-Q-18 showed high reliability, validity, and stability of test-retest ratings. Thus, Q-LES-Q-18, a brief, self-administered questionnaire may aid in monitoring quality of life outcomes of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and mood disorder patients.     

The Burden of Stroke Scale (BOSS) provides valid and reliable score estimates of functioning and well-being in stroke survivors with and without communication disorders

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study describes the conceptual foundation and psychometric properties of the Burden of Stroke Scale (BOSS), a patient-reported health status assessment designed to quantify the physical, cognitive, and psychological burden of stroke. METHODS: Qualitative research methods were used to develop a 112-item pilot version of the instrument. The pilot version was administered to healthy controls (n=251) and stroke survivors with (n=135) and without (n=146) communication disorders on a single occasion for the purposes of reducing the global item pool, describing the resulting scale properties, examining the dimensionality of the burden of stroke construct, and examining the known-groups validity of the instrument. RESULTS: Sixty-four items were retained, comprising 12 internally consistent and unidimensional scales. Principal components analysis revealed three second-order factors (Physical Activity Limitations, Cognitive Activity Limitations, and Psychological Distress) comprising the Burden of Stroke construct. Comparisons between groups revealed that stroke survivors reported greater activity limitations and psychological distress on all scales relative to controls, and that stroke survivors with communication disorders reported greater activity limitations on swallowing, communication, cognition, and social relations scales relative to non-communicatively disordered stroke survivors. CONCLUSION: These findings support the internal consistency of the BOSS scales, the hypothesized dimensionality of the burden of stroke construct, and the known-groups validity of the instrument.     

Assessing undergraduate palliative care education: validity and reliability of two scales examining perceived efficacy and outcome expectancies in palliative care

BACKGROUND: Medical students have traditionally received little education in palliative care. However, in 1999, as part of a revised medical curriculum, Year 4 undergraduates at Liverpool University participated in a 2-week programme of education in palliative care. To assess the effect of the education programme, 2 assessment scales were identified: the Self-efficacy in Palliative Care Scale (SEPC) (assessing efficacy in communication, patient management and multiprofessional teamworking) and the Thanatophobia Scale (assessing attitudes towards palliative care). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of these scales. METHODS: The scales were examined by 5 palliative care doctors for content validity and appropriate wording. Following this, the SEPC and Thanatophobia Scales were completed by the undergraduates (n = 139) prior to and after completion of the education programme. RESULTS: Both scales were analysed independently on pre- and post-test scores. Cronbach's alphas of 0.84-0.85 and 0.92-0.95 were recorded, respectively, indicating high reliability. Varimax rotated principal components analysis of the SEPC Scale suggested 3 distinct factors, as theoretically expected, with high factor loadings of 0.45-0.89 at pre- and post-test. Principal components analysis of the Thanatophobia Scale suggested only 1 factor underlies the scale, as theoretically expected. All 7 items had high factor loadings of 0.60-0.81 at pre- and post-test. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the SEPC and Thanatophobia Scales are valid and reliable assessment scales that may be of use when evaluating the impact of an education programme.     

The GPs' Experiences Questionnaire (GPEQ): reliability and validity following a national survey to assess GPs' views of district psychiatric services

BACKGROUND: The measurement of patient and professional views of quality are important components in the evaluation of health care delivery. OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and evaluation of the GPs' Experiences Questionnaire (GPEQ) for assessing the quality of community mental health clinics in Norway. METHODS: Design: Literature review, GP interviews, pre-testing of questionnaire items and a cross-sectional national survey. Setting: Postal survey of GPs in Norway evaluating 73 community mental health clinics in the five health regions in Norway during spring of 2006. Subjects: Three thousand four hundred and sixty-three GPs were sent a postal questionnaire with the GPEQ and were asked to assess their community mental health clinic responsible for general adult psychiatric services. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred and thirty (61.5%) GPs returned a completed questionnaire. Low levels of missing data suggest that the questionnaire is acceptable. Factor analysis identified five scales: workforce situation (four items), discharge letter (three items), competence (four items), guidance (three items) and emergency situations (two items). All scales met the criterion of 0.7 for Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlations were 0.72-0.87. The results of validity testing were as hypothesized with scale scores significantly related to knowledge of the community mental health clinic, overall satisfaction, negative experiences with the clinic, waiting time and acceptance of referrals. CONCLUSIONS: The GPEQ is a self-administered questionnaire that includes the most important aspects of the GPs' experience of quality at community mental health clinics. All scales have good evidence for internal consistency, test-retest reliability and validity.     

Validation of Collett-Lester's Fear of Death Scale in a sample of nursing students

This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of Collett-Lester's Fear of Death Scale. A sample of 349 nursing students answered Fear of Death and Attitude toward death scales. Content validity was checked by expert review; reliability was proven using Cronbach's alpha; statistical analysis of the items, correlation between items and construct validity were checked by the correlation of the Scale with the Attitude toward death Scale. The multidimensionality of the scale was reviewed through factor analysis with varimax rotation. The Fear of Death Scale possesses good internal consistency and construct validity, confirmed by the significant correlation with the Attitude toward death Scale. Factor analysis partially supports content validity of the subscale items, but presented a modified multidimensional structure that points towards the reconceptualization of the subscales in this sample.     

中国婴儿睡眠状况评估量表的编制与评价研究

目的 编制适用于我国1岁以下婴儿的睡眠状况评估量表,评价其信度、效度和可行性。方法 根据婴儿睡眠发育年龄特点,将量表划分为0～3个月和4～11个月两个年龄段。首先按照量表编制框架的睡眠节律、入睡行为、夜醒、睡眠呼吸4个维度建立条目池,然后依次通过条目初筛、修改、项目分析、效度分析、信度分析和验证性因子分析完成量表的编制和评价。结果 婴儿睡眠状况评估量表(0～3个月)和婴儿睡眠状况评估量表(4～11个月)均包含睡眠节律、入睡行为、夜醒和睡眠呼吸4个因子14个条目,条目内容略有不同,累积解释总变异量分别为56.61%、55.02%。两个量表所有条目的内容效度指数介于0.83～1.00。两个量表在入睡潜伏期、夜醒次数、睡眠时间3个条目与简明婴儿睡眠问卷(BISQ)呈正相关,相关系数分别为0.31、0.41、0.39和0.32、0.66、0.38。社区婴儿与门诊婴儿在两个量表总分以及绝大部分因子(除0～3个月量表睡眠呼吸因子)上的差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05)。两个量表的Cronbach's α系数为0.681、0.673,重测信度分别为0.75和0.74。结论 两个量表具有比较稳定的因子结构及较好的信效度,可以用于婴儿睡眠问题的早期筛查。     

Development of the Healthy Pathways Parent-Report Scales

Purpose

To describe the development of the Healthy Pathways Parent-Report Scales, measures of health, illness, well-being, and achievement among youth in middle childhood and adolescence.

Methods

The Healthy Pathways Scales were derived from the Child Health and Illness Profile (CHIP) instruments. The CHIP domains of Comfort, Risk Avoidance, Satisfaction, and Resilience were modified to reflect advances in child health conceptualization. Classical test and modern psychometric analyses were conducted using data collected from 1,527 parents of children aged 9?C14?years. Intra-class correlation and differential item functioning analyses were used to evaluate the extent of child?Cparent agreement on the Healthy Pathways Scales.

Results

After minor revisions, 11 of the 12 scales were found to measure unidimensional parent-assessed outcomes comprehensively (full range of the latent trait) and efficiently (a minimal number of items). Scales were unbiased by age, gender, and geographic location. The construct validity of the scales was supported by their capacity to differentiate children with and without chronic illnesses and to detect expected age and gender differences. Child?Cparent agreement was poor to moderate at both the scale and item levels.

Conclusions

The Healthy Pathways Parent-Report Scales may be used to reliably, accurately, and efficiently assess unidimensional aspects of health, illness, well-being, and achievement in clinical and population-based research studies involving youth in middle childhood and adolescence.     

Reliability and validity of a measure of role functioning among people with psychiatric disabilities

Aim: The aim was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Socially Valued Role Classification Scale (SRCS), a domain‐specific measure of role functioning designed for use with community residents with psychiatric disabilities. Test–retest reliability, concurrent validity, face validity, consumer and clinician acceptability and utility were examined. Methods: Sixty community residents with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in this study where the SRCS was administered by telephone. Results: Test–retest reliability showed good or very good agreement for subscale scores (intraclass correlations (ICCs): 0.78–0.89) and for items capturing amount of participation in domain‐specific activities (ICC: 0.67–1.00). Greater variation was observed for items capturing assistance required with activities (κ: 0.40–0.75), and standard of activities performed (κ: 0.43–1.00). Concurrent validity was supported by moderate to very good associations in the directions expected. Face validity, user acceptability and utility in telephone interviews were adequate. Conclusions: These findings add to previous psychometric evidence and support the continued development of the SRCS for use in community mental health settings. The SRCS has promising utility for occupational therapists involved in psychiatric rehabilitation outcome measurement.     

Assessment of language development of preschoolers: validating Morrow’s Checklist for Assessing Early Literacy Development

This study aimed to establish the validity of the Language Development Rating Scale and the Attitudes toward Reading and Voluntary Reading Behaviour Rating Scale in Morrow’s Checklist for Assessing Early Literacy Development for use with preschool children in Hong Kong. The sample comprised 2619 preschool children aged three–five years who were currently enrolled in preschool levels K1–K3 in Hong Kong. Analysis showed that the two scales had strong construct validity and internal consistency, and that both fit well to the Rasch model. Nevertheless, findings of the Rasch analysis suggested that the level of the Language Development Scale did not align well with the language proficiency of kindergarten children in the sample who were more proficient than the proficiency levels demanded by the items in the scale. The results suggested such further refinement such as the inclusion of more advanced items may be necessary for valid local applications.     

A comparison of methods for measuring patient satisfaction with consultations in primary care

BACKGROUND: Attention needs to be paid to comparing and standardizing methodsfor measuring patient satisfaction with consultations in primarycare. OBJECTIVES: To compare the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS) andthe Consultation Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) in terms ofacceptability, distribution of responses, reliability and gatherevidence of validity. In addition, to compare the scores ofpatients completing the questionnaires immediately after theconsultation in the general practitioners' surgeries with thosecompleting the questionnaires later at home. METHODS: The two questionnaires were bound as a single instrument withorder determined at random. This was given to patients immediatelyafter their consultations in eight practices in South Glamorgan. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-eight of 316 (63%) patients completedand returned questionnaires. The distributions of patient satisfactionscores for the two questionnaires were very similar. For theMISS: mean 76.7% (SD 11.4); for the CSQ mean 77.2% (SD 12.6).Correlations between sub-scales ranged from 0.58–0.84for the MISS and from 0.40–0.79 for the CSQ. The correlationbetween the overall scales was 0.82. Levels of reliability forthe scales and sub-scales were fair to good ranging from 0.78-0.96for the MISS and from 0.73–0.94 for the CSQ. CONCLUSIONS: The study does not identify one scale as being superior in pyschometricterms, however by demonstrating consistency of responses itprovides support for the scales as measures of patient satisfactionfor use in primary care. The level of inter-correlation suggeststhat the sub-scales may not be clearly independent of each otherand suggests that total scores may be preferred. Lower levelsof satisfaction are expressed if patients complete questionnairesat home rather than in general practitioners' surgeries. Keywords. Satisfaction, primary care, psychometric testing.     

Development and psychometric validation of a new patient satisfaction instrument: The osteoARthritis Treatment Satisfaction (ARTS) questionnaire

Given the increasing interest in treatment satisfaction research and the lack of a specific questionnaire in osteoarthritis (OA), we developed and explored the psychometric properties of the osteoARthritis Treatment Satisfaction (ARTS) questionnaire. The ARTS questionnaire which consists of 18 items was developed in French following the analysis of semi-structured interviews performed among 20 OA participants, five rheumatologists and five general practitioners. Psychometric properties were assessed in France on a cross-sectional sample of 797 OA participants and test–retest reliability was evaluated in an independent sample of 111 clinically stable OA participants who filled-in the questionnaire within a 7.7 (±3.1) day interval. Using principal component analysis, four scales were identified: Treatment advantages (seven items), Treatment convenience (three items), Treatment confidence (two items) and Satisfaction with physician (six items). Item convergent and item discriminant validity were satisfactory. Internal consistency provided evidence of reliability and lack of redundancy (Cronbachs s ranged from 0.66 to 0.86). Test–retest reliability was acceptable for two out of four scales (intraclass correlations coefficients (ICC) ranged from 0.61 to 0.75). Significant between groups differences were found on the ARTS scales, demonstrating the known groups validity of the ARTS questionnaire. The responsiveness of the ARTS is still to be documented.     

Brief scales for measurement of functional social support and psychological resources in French-speaking adults

OBJECTIVES: Psychological resources and social support are important determinants of health, but brief and validated scales measuring these dimensions in French are lacking. METHODS: Instruments measuring self-esteem and mastery, and affective and confident social support were administered by mail to 1257 university students. Factor analysis, internal consistency statistics, and correlations with related variables were used to derive abbreviated scales and confirm their validity. RESULTS: Factor analysis and item reduction yielded four brief scales: mastery (4 items), self-esteem (4 items), affective social support (2 items), and problem-solving social support (4 items). All four scales had few missing items and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.70). All scores were associated with self-reported general health, and with visits to mental health specialists. Scores of self-esteem and mastery were also associated with physician visits (inversely), and confidence in finishing studies and finding a job. Scores of affective and confident social support correlated with the intensity of social activities and the number of people the respondent could count on. CONCLUSIONS: The abbreviated scales retained adequate psychometric properties and may be usefully applied in health research among similar French-speaking populations.     

Measuring post-decision satisfaction.

Measuring satisfaction with a decision after a choice has been made is particularly important for difficult choice situations where there is no "right" decision and/or where long-term consequences are uncertain. While others have developed instruments that primarily focus on clinical decisions, the authors developed a scale-the decision-attitude scale-in the context of consumers' choice of health plan. They examined the reliability and validity of this scale using data from a sample of state employees. While the decision-attitude scale has been applied to a health-plan-choice problem only, it can be applied to a variety of other health-related decision problems, because it shares a core set of items with the existing Satisfaction with Decision Scale. The authors identify and discuss the similarities and differences between the two scales. They also observe that each scale uncovers an additional construct not addressed by the other, suggesting that the concept of post-decision satisfaction is multidimensional. A new instrument combining items from both scales may prove the best measure of decision satisfaction for a variety of health-related decision problems.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Danish and Swedish Satisfaction with Life Scale in first episode psychosis patients

Purpose

To psychometrically evaluate the Satisfaction with Life Scale in two cohorts of first-episode psychosis patients in the Danish National Schizophrenia Project and in the Swedish Parachute Project.

Method

Four properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale were examined in the Danish cohort (explorative investigation) and then confirmed in the Swedish cohort: (1) the factor structure; (2) correlations between subscales; (3) internal consistencies of subscales; and (4) main tendencies (arithmetic means) and variations (standard deviations) of subscales. The relations between the Satisfaction with Life Scale and various life conditions were investigated in the Swedish cohort.

Results

For both samples, the analysis indicated that the obtained four-dimensional 11-item scale had satisfactory properties. Moderately high scores were obtained in the four subscales: “living,” “social relationships,” “self and present life” and “work.” They correlated positively with each other, the internal consistencies of the subscales were acceptable and the means for the subscales indicated no apparent floor or ceiling effects. The four dimensions obtained seem relevant and presented good face validity. The dimensions were confirmed in the Swedish sample.

Conclusion

The Satisfaction with Life Scale shows satisfactory psychometric properties and seems valid and useful among first-episode psychosis patients.     

军校大学生生活满意度影响因素

目的调查军校大学生学校领域生活满意度（CSLSS）和整体生活满意度（LSR）现状,分析影响因素,为提高军校大学生生活满意度提供依据。方法使用人格分量表（MMPI）、CSLSS、LSR、个人评价问卷（PEI）、简易应对方式问卷（Pc和Nc）、社会适应不良量表（SOC）、一般自我效能感觉量表（GSES）量表和一般情况调查表调查473名军校各年级大学生和168名地方各年级大学生。结果 （1）军校大学生的CSLSS（25.26±3.08）和LSR（18.36±2.19）与地方大学生的CSLSS（24.77±2.78）和LSR（18.55±1.84）差异无显著性（P〉0.05）;军校大一学生CSLSS均分分别显著高于大二、大三、大四年级学生（P〈0.01）。（2）社会内向（Si）、外显性焦虑（Mas）、社会责任感（Re）、人格特征、积极（Pc）和消极（Nc）应对方式S、OC、PEI（自信）、GSES都与军校大学生生活满意度显著相关（r=0.130~0.465,P〈0.01）。（3）以上述诸因素和年级为自变量,按标准回归系数大小,进入CSLSS为因变量回归模型的因素依次是年级、PEI、GSES;进入LSR为因变量回归模型的因素依次是Mas、GSES、Pc、Re、PEI。结论军地大学生生活满意度相当;军校大一学生生活满意度显著高于其他3个年级。年级、自信、一般自我效能感是军校大学生学校生活满意度的预测因素;情绪稳定性、应激能力等人格特征,一般自我效能感、积极应对方式、自信是军校大学生整体生活满意度的预测因素。     

Parental Satisfaction with a Home-based Intervention for Developmentally Delayed Children in Switzerland: A Survey over a 10-year Period

This article presents a study of parental satisfaction with services provided to their child by an Early Intervention Service in Geneva, Switzerland. The Service offers psycho-educational home-based interventions for developmentally delayed children. Parents whose child used the service between 1991 and 2001 filled out a questionnaire with Likert scales (adapted from the European Parent Satisfaction Scale about Early Intervention) that evaluated items related to satisfaction in a number of domains. The questionnaires returned (n=100) revealed the existence of a general satisfaction dimension, for which results were highly positive. Socio-economic variables were not related to parental satisfaction. The analysis of variables related to the child's diagnosis showed that satisfaction is lower when children present behavioural problems than when sensorial or motor problems are diagnosed. Practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Measuring coalition functioning: refining constructs through factor analysis

Internal and external coalition functioning is an important predictor of coalition success that has been linked to perceived coalition effectiveness, coalition goal achievement, coalition ability to support evidence-based programs, and coalition sustainability. Understanding which aspects of coalition functioning best predict coalition success requires the development of valid measures of empirically unique coalition functioning constructs. The goal of the present study is to examine and refine the psychometric properties of coalition functioning constructs in the following six domains: leadership, interpersonal relationships, task focus, participation benefits/costs, sustainability planning, and community support. The authors used factor analysis to identify problematic items in our original measure and then piloted new items and scales to create a more robust, psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of coalition functioning. Scales displayed good construct validity through correlations with other measures. Discussion considers the strengths and weaknesses of the refined instrument.