Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Nocturia Quality-of-Life Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to cross-culturally adapt and check for the reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the Nocturia Quality of Life Questionnaire (N-QoL) in Brazilian Portuguese (N-QoL-Br). METHODS: The questionnaire was translated according to international guidelines, included forward-translation, back-translation, and consensus among an expert committee. Participants with nocturia completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder, and the General Quality of Life Assessment Questionnaire SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey), in addition to the N-QoL-Br. The Brazilian version was applied in men and women with nocturia twice within a range of 4 weeks. Psychometric properties such as content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were tested. RESULTS: Content validity was considered adequate. Eighty-four men and women participated in the study. Good internal consistency in the domains and final score of the N-QoL-Br was observed, with Cronbach α greater than 0.9. The test-retest reliability was also high, with an intraclass correlation coefficient greater than 0.9 for the domain sleep/energy, bother/concern, and total score (0.98, 0.98, and 0.97 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The Portuguese version of the N-QoL-Br presents good internal consistency and reproducibility and it can be considered adequate and valid for evaluating the impact of nocturia on the quality of life of men and women in the Brazilian population.

Assessing the reliability of a novel cancer-specific multi-attribute utility instrument (FACT-8D) and comparing its validity to EQ-5D-5L in colorectal cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the test-retest reliability of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - 8 Dimension (FACT-8D) for the first time, and to conduct a head-to-head comparison of the distribution properties and validity between the FACT-8D and EQ-5D-5L in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Patients. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal study on Chinese CRC patients, employing Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and EQ-5D-5L at baseline, and FACT-G during follow-up (2-7 days from baseline). Utility scores for FACT-8D were derived from all available value sets (Australia, Canada and USA), while EQ-5D-5L scores were obtained from corresponding value sets for various countries. We assessed convergent validity using pairwise polychoric correlations between the FACT-8D and EQ-5D-5L; known-groups validity by discriminating participants' clinical characteristics, and effect size (ES) was tested; test-retest reliability for FACT-8D using kappa and weighted Kappa for choice consistency, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman method for utility consistency. RESULTS: Among the 287 patients with CRC at baseline, 131 were included in the retest analysis. The utility scores of FACT-8D were highly positively correlated with EQ-5D-5L across various country value sets (r = 0.65-0.77), and most of the dimensions of FACT-8D and EQ-5D-5L were positively correlated. EQ-5D-5L failed to discriminate known-groups in cancer stage across all value sets, whereas both were significant in FACT-8D (ES = 0.35-0.48, ES = 0.38-0.52). FACT-8D showed good test-retest reliability (Cohen's weighted Kappa = 0.494-0.722, ICC = 0.748-0.786). CONCLUSION: The FACT-8D can be used as a valid and reliable instrument for clinical evaluation of patients with CRC, outperforming EQ-5D-5L in differentiating clinical subgroups and showing promise for cancer practice and research.

Recently, the Multi-Attribute Utility in Cancer Consortium developed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy − 8 Dimension (FACT-8D), a new cancer-specific multi-attribute utility instrument based on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G). This addresses the FACT-G's limitation in directly generating utility values, which has broad application prospects in cost-utility analysis within the field of oncology. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the test-retest reliability of FACT-8D and to conduct a head-to-head comparison of its distribution properties and validity against the EQ-5D-5L in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The results indicate that FACT-8D is a valid and reliable instrument for clinical evaluation of CRC patients, demonstrating superior performance in differentiating between known clinical groups compared to the generic MAUI EQ-5D-5L, and is a promising instrument for use in cancer practice and research.

A new patient-reported outcome measure for the evaluation of ankle instability: description of the development process and validation protocol.

BACKGROUND: Acute ankle sprains represent one of the most common traumatic injuries to the musculoskeletal system. Many individuals with these injuries experience unresolved symptoms such as instability and recurrent sprains, leading to chronic ankle instability (CAI), which affects their ability to maintain an active lifestyle. While rehabilitation programs focusing on sensorimotor, neuromuscular, strength and balance training are primary treatments, some patients require surgery when rehabilitation fails. A critical analysis of the patient-reported outcome tools (PROs) used to assess CAI surgical outcomes raises some concerns about their measurement properties in CAI patients, which may ultimately affect the quality of evidence supporting current surgical practice. The aim of this research is to develop and validate a new PRO for the assessment of ankle instability and CAI treatment outcomes, following recent methodological guidelines, with the implicit aim of contributing to the generation of scientifically meaningful evidence for clinical practice in patients with ankle instability. METHODS: Following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN), an Ankle Instability Treatment Index (AITI) will be developed and validated. The process begins with qualitative research based on face‒to‒face interviews with CAI individuals to explore the subjective experience of living with ankle instability. The data from the interviews will be coded following an inductive approach and used to develop the AITI content. The preliminary version of the scale will be refined through an additional round of face‒to‒face interviews with a new set of CAI subjects to define the AITI content coverage, relevance and clarity. Once content validity has been examined, the AITI will be subjected to quantitative analysis of different measurement properties: construct validity, reliability and responsiveness. DISCUSSION: The development of AITI aims to address the limitations of existing instruments for evaluating surgical outcomes in patients with CAI. By incorporating patient input and adhering to contemporary standards for validity and reliability, this tool seeks to provide a reliable and meaningful assessment of treatment effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

Item Analysis of Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ)-Based Exam Efficiency Among Postgraduate Pediatric Medical Students: An Observational, Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Several modalities of written examination have been employed in medical education, with multiple-choice questions (MCQs) being the most frequently used and preferred format. This underlines the need to regularly assess and monitor the quality of MCQs in medical exams. Such assessment of MCQs helps to ensure that these exams are well­designed and adequately powered to evaluate students' performance. Hence, the current study assessed the efficiency of an MCQ-based examination, in a cohort of pediatric post-graduate students in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This observational, cross-sectional study examined the efficiency of MCQs in terms of their validity, reliability, difficulty index (DFI), discrimination index (DI), and distractor efficiency (DE). The exam consisted of a total of 48 MCQs, 144 distractors, a total score of 48, and no negative marking. RESULTS: The reliability index of 0.76 showed the consistency and reproducibility of the exam results. The exam had a DFI of 69.77%, indicating an overall moderate level of difficulty. The exam had a balanced mix of 23 easy (47.9%), 20 (41.7%) moderately difficult, and five (10.4%) tough questions. Twenty (41.6%) items had a DI of ≥0.3, indicating good discrimination of high and low performers, while the remaining 28 MCQs (58.3%) had a lower DI of ≤0.19, implying poor discriminative ability. The DE was 81.25%, indicating that the majority of distractors in the exam were functional. CONCLUSION: To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study among post-graduate pediatric students from Saudi Arabia, to present the results of item analysis of an MCQ-based exam. The study highlights the importance of optimizing the quality of MCQs by following established guidelines, to make MCQ-based clinical assessments more effective. It reiterates the importance of a reasonable DFI well aligned with students' knowledge levels, maximum distractor functionality, and an impactful DI, in developing high-quality MCQs.

Structural validity of the impact of vision impairment questionnaire among patients with visual impairment in Thailand.

Background: The Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) questionnaire is used to assess vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) among patients with visual impairment. This study aims to evaluate the factor structure of the IVI in the context of Thai culture to assess psychometric properties. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and July 2022. Purposive sampling was used to include 502 patients with visual impairment who received treatment at a tertiary eye center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. The data were collected using the interviewer-administered questionnaire. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: one employed for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 251) and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 251). Results: EFA yielded 28 items that supported a four-factor structure: behaviors related to mobility and independence (8 items), reading (3 items), self-dependence (7 items), and emotional impact of vision loss (10 items), with a total variance of 64.9 %. The model fit was good: χ2/df = 1.66, CFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.940, RMSEA = 0.052, and SRMR = 0.041. The AIC and BIC for the bifactor four-factor model (17,484.86 and 17,879.41, respectively) were lower than those for the bifactor three-factor model (17,566.44 and 17,961.29, respectively), indicating that the former showed the best fit. Conclusions: Given its good reliability and validity, the IVI scale has been extensively used to explore the impact of visual impairment on the VRQOL of patients in the clinical setting, thus greatly benefitting researchers, healthcare providers, and ophthalmologists.

Reliability of Uroflowmetry Pattern Interpretation in Adult Women.

INTRODUCTION: Uroflowmetry is often used to assess lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Criteria for characterization of flow patterns are not well established, and subjective interpretation is the most common approach for flow curve classification. We assessed the reliability of uroflowmetry curve interpretation in adult women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Uroflowmetry studies were obtained in 296 women who participated in an observational cohort study. Four investigators with expertise in female LUTS and urodynamics reviewed and categorized each tracing for interrater reliability. A random subset of 50 tracings was re-reviewed by each investigator for intrarater reliability. The uroflowmetry tracings were rated using categories of continuous, continuous fluctuating, interrupted, and prolonged. Other parameters included flow rate, voided volume, time to maximum flow, and voiding time. Agreement between raters is summarized with kappa (k) statistics and percentage where at least three raters agreed. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 44.8 ± 18.3 years. Participant age categories were 18-24 years: 20%; 25-34 years: 17%; 35-64 years: 42%; 65+ years: 18%. Nine percent described their race as Asian, 31% Black, 62% White, and 89% were of non-Hispanic ethnicity. The interrater reliability was highest for the continuous flow category (k = 0.65), 0.47 for prolonged, 0.41 for continuous fluctuating, and 0.39 for interrupted flow curves. Agreement among at least three raters occurred in 74.3% of uroflow curves (69% for continuous, 33% for continuous fluctuating, 23% for interrupted, and 25% for prolonged). For intrarater reliability, the mean k was 0.72 with a range of 0.57-0.85. CONCLUSIONS: Currently accepted uroflowmetry pattern categories have fair to moderate interrater reliability, which is lower for flow curves that do not meet "continuous" criteria. Given the subjective nature of interpreting uroflowmetry data, more consistent and clear parameters may enhance reliability for use in research and as a screening tool for LUTS and voiding dysfunction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Parent trial: Validation of Bladder Health Instrument for Evaluation in Women (VIEW); ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04016298.

Validity and Reproducibility of a Culture-Specific Electronic Food Frequency Questionnaire: A Trinidad and Tobago Diet Assessment Study.

Nutritional epidemiologists use culture-specific food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) to assess the dietary intake of groups based on country, region or ethnic groups. This study aimed to validate a culture-specific semi-quantitative electronic Food Frequency Questionnaire (e-FFQ) to estimate food group intake in the adult population of Trinidad and Tobago. A 139-item semi-quantitative e-FFQ containing local dishes and street food was administered twice to adults 18 years and older and compared against four 1-day food records (FRs) using digital photographs, which served as the reference method. The validity and reproducibility of the e-FFQ food group intake estimates were determined using paired t-tests, bivariate correlations, and cross-classifications. Reproducibility correlations between the reported food group intakes in the first and repeat administration of the e-FFQ ranged from moderate (r = .44, P ≤ .0001) for sweetened beverages to high (r = .91 P ≤ .0001) for alcohol. The cross-classification agreements ranged from 70% (street food) to 92% (alcohol). Energy-adjusted deattenuated validity correlations between the e-FFQ and FR ranged from (r = .08) for water to (r = .81) for food from animal sources, with a mean validity correlation of .36. An average of 68% of the e-FFQ estimates was correctly classified within the ±1 quintile of the exact agreement with the FRs. Agreements between the e-FFQ and FRs ranged from 55% for street foods to 95% for water, all significant at P ≤ .0001. This study shows that the culture-specific e-FFQ is a valid tool for assessing and ranking food category intake estimates of the adult population living in Trinidad and Tobago.

Psychometric validation of the Italian Self-Report Symptoms inventory (SRSI): Factor structure, construct validity, and diagnostic accuracy.

The Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SRSI) is a novel tool designed to detect symptom overreporting and other forms of noncredible responding. Unlike existing scales, the SRSI includes genuine and pseudosymptoms scales covering cognitive, affective, motor, pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder domains. The present study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian Version of the SRSI (SRSI-It), in particular, its factor structure, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and diagnostic accuracy. Data from 1180 healthy participants showed a hierarchical structure with higher-order constructs for genuine symptoms and pseudosymptoms, each comprising five subscales. The SRSI-It showed a strong convergent validity with the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology and discriminant validity through low correlations with the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined cut scores of 6 (95% specificity) and 9 (98% specificity) for pseudosymptoms, with a Ratio Index score of 0.289 (82% specificity). In summary, the SRSI-It appears to be a promising tool for identifying symptom exaggeration in clinical and forensic contexts, ultimately enhancing the quality and reliability of evaluations in these contexts.

Validation of the Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P) for Children Aged 3-8 Years.

BACKGROUND: Nighttime fears are highly prevalent in children, ranging from normative fears to triggering fear-related anxiety disorders. The lack of available assessment instruments recently prompted the development of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS) for children aged 8-12 years. The present study aimed to adapt and psychometrically evaluate the parent-reported version for children aged 3-8 years (NFS-P) as a complement for younger children. METHODS: Two hundred eighty-four Spanish-speaking parents (47% girls) completed the NFS-P and anxiety measures. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure of the NFS-P. Strong internal consistency and validity evidence were obtained. No significant differences were found in NFS-P scores between sexes and age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings offer support for the use of the NFS-P as a valuable instrument in clinical and research settings, supplementing the NFS for older children. Both scales provide an efficient means to comprehensively assess the presence and intensity of typical nighttime fears across preschool and school years.

Development and Validation of the Epidemiological Diagnostic Instrument for Temporomandibular Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a highly misreported health problem. Its diagnosis is complex and requires the use of valid and reliable instruments. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the Epidemiological Diagnostic Instrument for TMD (EDI/TMD). METHODS: Content validity (CV), response process (RP), construct validity (EFA), reliability (inter and intraobserver consistency), and convergence validity of the EDI/TMD were assessed and compared to the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). RESULTS: An instrument composed of a 9-question questionnaire and a 12-step clinical protocol was developed. CV analysis reduced the instrument to a 5-question and 7-step clinical protocol (CVI = 0.93). Some instructions were included after the RP. The EFA found three factors: myogenous TMD, arthrogenous TMD, and differential diagnosis. The reliability scores ranged from substantial to excellent. When compared to the DC/TMD, the EDI/TMD total score indicated that this instrument is valid and provides satisfactory diagnostic criteria (Kappa = 0.906; p < 0.001), and can distinguish non-TMD and TMD individuals, with a cut-off point of 4.9 (Sensitivity = 1.0; Specificity = 1.0; AUC = 1.0). For individuals who had both myogenous and arthrogenous TMD, the cut-off point was 14 or higher (Sensitivity = 0.8; Specificity = 1.0; AUC = 0.987). For individuals who had either myogenous TMD (Sensitivity = 1.0; Specificity = 0.88; PPV = 0.89; NPV = 1.0) or arthrogenous TMD (Sensitivity = 0.95; Specificity = 0.87; PPV = 0.83; NPV = 0.96), the cut-off point was between 5 and 13.9, with the highest EFA score being the determinant factor for final diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Based on its psychometric properties, the EDI/TMD is a valid and reliable assessment tool that is capable of diagnosing TMD and classifying its subtypes.

Validation and Transadaptation of Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire Into Central Kurdish Version (TPFQ-CK).

Background and Objectives: : Tinnitus affects individuals' quality of life, and multiple surveys have been conducted to assess this effect. One questionnaire used is the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Central Kurdish version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (TPFQ-CK). Subjects and Methods: : We obtained permission from the originator of the TPFQ to proceed with this study. The English version was translated into Central Kurdish, following guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality-of-life measures. A total of 205 participants who self-reported having subjective tinnitus for more than 3 months were included in this study. The TPFQ-CK and Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire (THQ) were administered to all participants. Additionally, pure-tone audiometry was conducted. Results: : Internal consistency of the TPFQ-CK was reflected in the total score (Cronbach's alpha=0.933), and excellent consistency was present in test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=1.000). The concordance correlation coefficient (concordance correlation coefficient=0.999) of the total TPFQ-CK score revealed high concordance and correlation between the two evaluations. The good construct validity of the TPFQ-CK was evidenced by the strong correlation (r=0.895) between the TPFQ-CK and THQ scores. Conclusions: : The TPFQ-CK is a valid and reliable assessment tool for evaluating the influence of tinnitus on the quality of life of Central Kurdish speakers with tinnitus.

Assessing Callous-Unemotional Traits Across Early Adolescence: Further Evaluation of Short Versions.

Literature on the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional (ICU) traits has suggested different versions of the instrument for assessing these traits during development. However, consensus on the instrument version and the best factorial solution remains a matter of debate, with only a few studies having validated ICU versions from a longitudinal perspective. The current study aims to contribute to the literature by comparing ICU models in a longitudinal sample of early adolescents (N = 739; 70.6% of eligible subjects, 371 females and 368 males, in the 6th grade at baseline assessment and in the 8th grade at the second assessment). We tested the validity of various versions of the ICU scales and their respective dimensions by conducting a series of confirmatory factor analyses to verify the factor structure, alongside assessments of internal consistency. For the best-fitting structure, we then analyzed gender and longitudinal invariance in addition to construct and predictive validity, using internalizing and externalizing criteria as well as prosocial behavior. From the comparative analysis, it emerged that the abbreviated 11-item ICU scale version displayed overall better data fit than the full 24-item version. Moreover, its confirmed gender invariance underscores its applicability across genders within the studied age group. With regard to longitudinal invariance, our findings advise caution when comparing ICU scores across early adolescence. Practical implications are discussed.

A preliminary examination of the TOMM2 in a sample of Spanish speakers in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is a widely used performance validity measure that is available in both English and Spanish. The Spanish version, however, has historically lacked normative data from samples that are representative of the U.S. Hispanic/Spanish speaking population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to collect normative data on the update TOMM 2 for Hispanic individuals residing in the U.S. METHODS: Normative data on the TOMM 2 was collected across 9 sites from different regions of the U.S. The total sample consisted of n = 188 cognitively healthy adults aged 18 and over with no current or prior history of neurological or psychiatric disorder. Descriptive analyses were performed on total raw scores. RESULTS: Participants obtained a mean score of 48.15 (SD = 2.81) on trial 1 of the TOMM 2, 49.86 (SD = 0.487) on trial 2, and 49.84 (SD = 0.509) on the recognition trial. Scores are provided for traditional cutoff scores as well as some popular cutoffs reported in the literature. Item level analyses were conducted as well as evaluation of performance based on a variety of demographics. CONCLUSION: When compared to the English-speaking normative sample used for the original TOMM, this sample demonstrated better performance on the TOMM 2 indicating better cultural appropriateness of the items. This is the first study conducted that provides culturally appropriate descriptive norms for use with Spanish speakers living in the U.S.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Urdu version of the avoidance endurance behavior questionnaire in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

BACKGROUND: The Avoidance Endurance Questionnaire (AEQ) successfully measures the fear-avoidance and endurance-related responses to chronic pain. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt AEQ into Urdu and assess the reliability and validity of the Urdu version. METHOD: For the translation and cross-cultural adaptation process, the Beaton Guidelines were followed. A total of 103 participants responded to the Urdu version of the AEQ SF-12, Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) at baseline and after 48 hours. The test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Cronbach's alpha was used to measure internal consistency. To measure validity, Pearson's correlation between the subscales of AEQ-Urdu and other outcome measures (SF-12, PCS and NPRS scores) were used (p< 0.05). RESULTS: The mean age of the total 103 participants was 32.7 ± 10.90 among which 45 (43.6%) were male and 58 (56.3%) were female. The pre-final version of the translated AEQ was tested on 40 Urdu speaking participants and no major changes were made. The Cronbach's alpha for all subscales of the AEQ-Urdu ranged from 0.848-0.990. AEQ-U showed an excellent test-retest reliability with the ICC ranging from 0.775-0.996. The majority of the subscales of AEQ showed significant (p< 0.05) positive correlation with pain scales (PCS and NPRS) and negative correlation with the domains of SF-12. CONCLUSION: The AEQ-U has reliable and valid construct validity, good internal consistency, and test-retest reliability, indicating that it has adequate psychometric features and can be a useful tool for evaluating pain responses in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

The Evaluation of Content Relevance and Representativeness of the New Stroke Risk Screening Scales.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Early and comprehensive risk identification is essential for identifying individuals at high risk for stroke. This study aimed to evaluate each question in the new Stroke Risk Screening Scales (SRSS) and assess the domains for content relevance and representativeness. Initially, six stroke experts were invited to evaluate the SRSS questions. The content validity index (CVI), including the item-CVI (I-CVI) and the average-CVI (Ave-CVI), was then calculated. In our study, the acceptable standards for I-CVI and Ave-CVI were ≥0.78 and ≥0.9, respectively. The results showed that all invited experts accepted the invitation and evaluated the SRSS questions. The previous version of the SRSS consisted of 33 questions. Of these, 30 questions reached an I-CVI of ≥0.78, indicating good content validity. Three questions had an I-CVI of 0.67 and were considered invalid; thus, they were deleted. The overall instrument achieved an Ave-CVI of 0.95. Comprehensive SRSS are essential for effective stroke prevention planning. By facilitating the early identification of individuals at high risk for stroke, these scales help reduce the incidence and impact of stroke. The high content validity found in this study supports the reliability of the SRSS as a screening tool. In the future, implementing such validated scales in clinical practice can improve early intervention strategies, ultimately enhancing health outcomes and optimizing the use of healthcare resources.

An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire in Ethiopia.

AIM: Few psychosis screening instruments have been tested for use in Africa, yet appropriate tools can increase the detection of self-reported psychotic symptoms, improve the detection of psychosis and impact its prognosis. METHOD: The construct validity and factor structure of Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) were tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) in a sample of 1928 Ethiopian adults without any history of psychosis. We tested a unidimensional model with and without an item on mania. For IRT, unidimensional latent structure one-parameter logistic (1PL) and two-parameter (2PL) logistic models were tested and compared for relative fit using a likelihood-ratio test. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: The prevalence of lifetime positive screens was 2.8% in an Ethiopian sample of adults from a general medical setting. A unidimensional model demonstrated good fit for the PSQ, (CFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.986 and RMSEA = 0.025). For IRT, a 2PL model was the best fitting one. IRT tests of item difficulty and discrimination parameters showed that paranoia had the highest discrimination α = 4.59 $$ \left(\alpha =4.59\right) $$ and lowest difficulty ( ß = 2.53 $$ \beta =2.53 $$ ), likely to be endorsed at low levels of psychotic features. Thought insertion had the highest item difficulty ( ß = 2.98 $$ \beta =2.98 $$ ). Overall, the measure captures the psychosis construct at higher levels of the latent trait and may be suited for detecting moderate to severe levels of psychosis. CONCLUSION: The PSQ is found to have good construct validity in screening for psychosis among Ethiopian adults. Future studies may focus on the diagnostic validity of the PSQ comparing it with a structured clinical interview.

Further validation of the visceral sensitivity index: Psychometric properties and utility for predicting disordered eating in a diverse university sample.

Gastrointestinal (GI) visceral sensitivity (i.e., anxiety/worry over GI sensations) may be a key maintaining factor for disordered eating; however, it is unknown whether GI visceral sensitivity predicts the range of disordered eating behaviors in nonclinical samples. The current preregistered study aimed to replicate previous construct validity findings of the Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI; i.e., factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity) and examine its criterion-related validity for predicting a range of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in a diverse undergraduate sample. A total of 591 university students were retained in the final analytic sample (53 % women; 23 % Hispanic [Any Race], 10 % Asian, 9 % Black) and completed the VSI, disordered eating, and additional validity measures. A confirmatory factor analysis tested the factor structure of the VSI, and correlations were used to examine convergent and discriminant validity. Hierarchical regressions and t-tests were used to examine criterion-related validity. Results replicated previous construct validity findings in a diverse undergraduate sample. Exploratory analyses supported invariance of the VSI across gender and the VSI discriminated between individuals at high- versus low-risk for an eating disorder and predicted a range of disordered eating attitudes (e.g., body dissatisfaction) and behaviors (e.g., restricting, binge eating, purging, compulsive exercise). GI-specific anxiety appears to be transdiagnostic across disordered eating behaviors and relevant across the spectrum of disordered eating severity. Future work may include developing transdiagnostic models of GI visceral sensitivity in disordered eating and investigating inclusion of the VSI in university screening efforts.

Turkish Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the Family Care Ability Assessment Scale for Pediatric Oncology Caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the "Caring Ability of Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer Scale" in parents of children with cancer". METHODS: The current study has a methodological design. The study group consisted of 493 parents of children with oncological problems who were followed in the pediatric hematology-oncology departments of three university hospitals. Data were collected between January and December 2021 through convenience sampling. The face, content construct validity, internal consistency, and scale stability were evaluated. SPSS 26.0 and LISREL 8.80 package programs were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In the confirmatory factor analysis; root mean- mean square error of approximation, comparative fit index, normed fit index, and non-normed fit index were determined to be 0.08, 0.93, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient obtained from the entire scale was calculated to be 0.88, the stability correlation coefficient was 0.84 (p < .005) and the item-total correlation coefficient was calculated between 0.249 and 0.716. CONCLUSIONS: The scale adapted to Turkish culture can be considered a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of the caring ability of family caregivers of patients with cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The scale can be used to assess parents' caregiving abilities, to determine their strengths and weaknesses. In this respect, it can contribute to the creation of an education plan, the development of parents' caregiving abilities and the increase in the quality of care.

Development of a Scale to Assess Cancer Attitude in the Community.

AIM: The aim of this study was to develop the Cancer Attitude Scale (CAS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: The study was conducted in a mixed-methods study. The preliminary version of the CAS was created by developing an item pool, and qualitative interviews. The items' content validity ratio was calculated to assess content validity. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test-retest methods were used to determine the reliability of the scale. The Cancer Information Burden Scale was used to evaluate the convergent validity of the scale. Three hundred twenty-five healthy individuals selected by convenience sampling method were included in this study. RESULTS: The CAS sub-dimensions were determined as cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention, stigmatization of individuals with cancer, and personal empowerment after cancer. The content validity of the 22-item scale was 0.94 and four factors explaining 56% of the variance. The model fit indices were χ2/df = 1.968, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.085, and GFI = 0.904. . Cronbach's α and test-retest reliability coefficients of the total scale are 0.76 and 0.936, respectively. The CAS and Cancer Information Overload Scale showed acceptable convergent validity (r = 0.435, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The Cancer Attitude Scale is a valid and reliable tool that can be applied to assess the attitudes of individuals in the community toward cancer in a multidimensional way. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses play crucial roles in society, including enhancing cancer awareness, delivering counseling services, and providing health education. Cancer nursing should plan cancer awareness training in line with individuals' attitudes toward cancer and encourage positive attitudes that increase participation in screening programs.

Adaptation and Validation of the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire into Kannada (KSSQ).

Self-rating questionnaires are necessary to quantify the impairment and the impact of impairment on the quality of life, provided that these questionnaires are delivered in the patient's native language. There are no questionnaires to assess the symptom severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia in Kannada-speaking individuals. The Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ) is one such explicit tool to assess the symptoms of dysphagia, especially among patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. The SSQ is a simple and easy-to-understand questionnaire. Therefore, the present study aimed to adapt and validate the SSQ in Kannada. English version of the SSQ was translated to Kannada and was administered to two groups of native Kannada-speaking participants - Group 1 included 53 participants (66.49 + 12.65 years) diagnosed with oropharyngeal dysphagia, and Group 2 included 53 age and gender-matched native Kannada speakers with normal swallowing ability with no history and symptoms of swallowing disorders. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the test-retest reliability. Internal consistency was assessed using the split-half correlation. The concurrent validity of the Kannada version of SSQ (KSSQ) was measured by determining the correlation between the total scores of KSSQ and the Kannada version of Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI). The discriminant validity was assessed by comparing the KSSQ scores between the participants of both groups. The results indicated that the KSSQ had excellent test-retest reliability, strong internal consistency, and good concurrent and discriminant validity. Therefore, it was inferred that the KSSQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the symptoms of dysphagia, especially among Kannada-speaking patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia.