¿De qué Hablamos Cuando Hablamos de Psicometría? / What We Talk About When We Talk About Psychometrics (in Spanish)

El significado del término psicometría se puede abordar desde distintas perspectivas, tales como la consulta de diccionarios, el punto de vista de expertos internacionales o el análisis de un corpus lingu?ístico. Para este estudio, se ha partido de un corpus actualizado del español. La muestra fue de 90 documentos válidos de los que se seleccionó el primer texto de modo que las frecuencias de los temas procedieran de textos independientes. El método empleado fue el análisis temático tabular estructurado (AT-TE). Los resultados indican que la acepción más frecuente en español es la relativa al análisis de la calidad de las medidas, seguida de la que refiere a la evaluación y finalmente la de un enfoque metodológico en general, lo que es coherente con los diccionarios de autoridades, pero se aleja de la perspectiva mayoritaria de expertos internacionales, que consideran que la psicometría no tendría por qué vincularse a la psicología.(AU)

Understanding the meaning of the term psychometrics can be approached from different perspectives, such as the consultation of dictionaries, the point of view of international experts, or the analysis of a linguistic corpus. For this study, an up-to-date Spanish corpus was used as the starting point. The sample consisted of 90 valid documents from which the first text was selected so that the frequencies of the themes came from independent texts. The method used was structured tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA). The results indicate that the most frequent meaning in Spanish is that related to the analysis of the quality of measurements, followed by that referring to evaluation, and finally that of a methodological approach in general. This is consistent with the dictionaries of authorities, but departs from the majority perspective of international experts, who consider that psychometrics does not necessarily have to be linked to psychology.(AU)

Psychometric properties of the Korean version of the positive aspects of caregiving scale for family caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Many caregivers report finding positive meanings in their caregiving roles and activities. The positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) scale was designed to measure positive appraisals of caregiving. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the PAC for family caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHOD: The instrument's content and semantic equivalence were established using translation and back translation of the PAC. A convenience sample of 127 family caregivers of patients with ALS in Korea was recruited. Content, construct, and convergent validity of the Korean PAC were evaluated. Cronbach's α was used to assess reliability. This study used secondary data; the primary study received approval from the Institutional Review Board of H Hospital, from where data were collected. The consent forms did not mention the future use of data. Therefore, we have applied for approval regarding this study's protocol and exemption from informed consent. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α was 0.92, and internal consistency was acceptable. Exploratory factor analysis supported the construct validity with a two-factor solution explaining 74.73% of the total variance. Regarding convergent validity, the Korean PAC score negatively correlated with caregiver burden and depression and positively with self-rated health status. We were unable to evaluate the suitability of the suggested structural dimensionality through confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, as we used secondary data, we could not assess retest reliability for the evaluation of the scale's stability. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The Korean PAC was found to be an applicable instrument with satisfactory reliability and validity and suitable for further use as a measure for positive appraisals of caregiving for family caregivers of people with ALS. It may be effective for measuring caregivers' psychological resources.

Psychometric properties and associations between subscales of a study approach measure.

The purpose of this study was to (i) confirm the factor structure of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) in the current sample of undergraduate occupational therapy students and (ii) explore the pattern of associations between the 13 ASSIST subscales. Occupational therapy students (n = 171) across Norway completed the ASSIST. A three-factor structure was confirmed. Several positive associations were found between the deep and strategic approach subscales, whereas several surface approach subscales were negatively associated with the deep and strategic approach subscales. In conclusion, the study showed that the Norwegian ASSIST has a well-functioning three-factor structure in line with its theoretical underpinnings, and it can therefore readily be adopted as a study process measure in Norwegian occupational therapy education programs. In view of the associations between subscales, there is support for a higher-order concept of "productive" study approaches that encompasses both deep and strategic behaviors. The analysis of associations also suggests that students demonstrating unproductive study behaviors may need guidance and intervention that extends beyond the first detected problematic behavior.

Escala de Felicidad Subjetiva: Análisis de sus propiedades psicométricas / Subjective Happiness Scale: Analysis of your psychometric properties

Resumen El análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Felicidad Subjetiva ha reportado datos que indican problemas con el ítem 4, lo que ha conducido a algunos autores a plantear una supresión hipotética del mismo. Este ítem, formulado en términos negativos y comparativos de manera simultánea, aparece desde la versión original de la escala; sin embargo, las anomalías psicométricas informadas plantean la necesidad de analizar la pertinencia de una versión de tres ítems de la escala. En ese sentido, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo central comparar las propiedades psicométricas de dos versiones de la Escala de Felicidad Subjetiva (una de cuatro ítems y otra de tres ítems). Para el logro de este objetivo se llevó a cabo un estudio instrumental mediante el análisis de una base de datos configurada por 372 participantes, provenientes de cuatro estudios previos donde se aplicó dicha escala. Los resultados indican una superioridad de la versión de tres ítems de la escala al presentar un mayor nivel de confiabilidad y mejores valores en el Análisis Factorial Exploratorio y el Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio. Se recomienda el uso de la versión de tres ítems en población mexicana y analizar la pertinencia de aumentar la escala de valores de la posible respuesta.

Abstract The analysis of the psychometric properties of the Subjective Happiness Scale has reported data indicating problems with item 4, which has led some authors to propose a hypothetical suppression of it. This item, formulated in negative and comparative terms simultaneously, appears from the original version of the scale; however, the psychometric anomalies reported raise the need to analyze the relevance of a three-item version of the scale. In this sense, the present study has as a central objective to compare the psychometric properties of two versions of the Subjective Happiness Scale (one of four items and another of three items). To achieve this objective, an instrumental study was carried out by analyzing a database configured by 372 participants from four previous studies where this scale was applied. The results indicate a superiority of the three-item version of the scale by presenting a higher level of reliability and better values in the Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. It is recommended to use the three-item version in the Mexican population and analyze the relevance of increasing the scale of values of the possible response.

Psychometric Properties of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale with Iranian Older People.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was the psychometric assessment of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale among Iranian older population. METHODS: Using a standard "forward-backward" translation procedure, the original English version of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale was translated into Persian. Internal consistency of the scale was checked by the Cronbach's α coefficient. Convergent validity of the instrument was appraised by the Social Skills Scale and General Health Questionnaire. Factor structure of the Iranian version of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale and possible interplay between its subscales were checked through recruiting a convenient sample of 300 Iranian older people and performing the confirmatory factor analysis. FINDINGS: The estimated Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation coefficients for the Iranian version of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale were in the vicinity of acceptable range, that is, 0.87 and 0.93, respectively. The output of confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a four-factor model best fitted the study data (χ2 = 323.49; df = 129; p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.913; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.901; root mean square error approximation = 0.074; standardized root mean square residual = 0.078). Rasch estimates of item difficulty ranged from -1.28 (less difficult) to 1.33 (more difficult). No significant cross-gender differences were observed regarding the Iranian version of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale's items indicating its invariant psychometric properties for use in the Iranian men and women subgroups. ETHICAL CONSIDERTAION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the Tabriz university of medical science. Informed consent, information confidentiality, and voluntary participation were guaranteed. CONCLUSION: The study findings were indicative of applicability of the Iranian version of Jacelon's Attributed Dignity Scale as a reliable tool in measurement of the perceived social dignity among Iranian and probably other Persian-speaking older populations.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the instrument for measuring different types of cognitive load (MDT-CL).

AIM: To translate the instrument for measuring different types of cognitive load (MDT-CL) into Chinese and assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the MDT-CL. BACKGROUND: The MDT-CL is needed for hospital administrators to identify which nursing staff are prone to high cognitive load and to provide tailored interventions for specific types of cognitive load. METHODS: The MDT-CL was translated into Chinese using forward and back translation, cultural adaptation and pilot tested. The reliability and validity of the instrument were assessed with intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in three tertiary hospitals in China. RESULTS: A total of 222 ICU nurses were recruited. The scale-content validity index of the Chinese version of the MDT-CL was 0.966. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that all the goodness-of-fit indicators were acceptable. Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.818. Test-retest reliability was 0.785. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the MDT-CL is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the cognitive load of ICU nurses in China. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The validated Chinese version of the MDT-CL is a feasible, quantitative tool for evaluating different types of cognitive load in busy clinical practice, suggesting significant clinical application value.

Avaliação psicométrica em português do indicador de dor crônica de Helsinki em cães com sinais crônicos de osteoartrite / Psychometric testing in Portuguese of Helsinki's chronic pain index for dogs with chronic signs of osteoarthritis

Objetivou-se determinar a validade, a confiabilidade e a sensibilidade do indicador de dor crônica de Helsinki (IDCH) em português, além de estabelecer correlação entre a plataforma de pressão em cães com displasia coxofemoral (DCF). O questionário foi preenchido por tutores de 40 animais com DCF e por 16 tutores de cães saudáveis. Os animais com DCF foram tratados com carprofeno 4,4mg/kg (GT= 21) ou placebo (GP= 19), administrados uma vez ao dia, durante quatro semanas. A avaliação consistiu no preenchimento do questionário (IDCH), na escala analógica visual de dor (EAVdor) e na escala analógica visual de locomoção (EAVloc) com duas semanas (A1) e imediatamente antes do tratamento (A2), duas (S2) e quatro (S4) semanas de tratamento e após duas semanas do término do tratamento (S6). A consistência interna dos dados foi considerada excelente (alfa de Cronbach = 0,89). Houve correlação moderada entre o IDCH e a EAVdor e boa entre o IDCH e a EAVloc, porém não houve diferença entre o grupo tratado com carprofeno e placebo no IDCH. Não houve correlação entre os dados da plataforma de pressão e o IDCH. O questionário apresentou validade de constructo, critério e fidedignidade e pode-se empregá-lo em países de língua portuguesa em cães com osteoartrite.(AU)

We aimed to determine validity, reliability, and sensitivity of Helsinki's chronic pain index (HCPI) and stablish a correlation between HCPI in dogs with hip dysplasia (HD) using pressure sensitive walkway. Forty-owners of dogs with HD and 16 owners of health dogs filled a questionnaire. Dogs with HD were treated with carprofen 4.4mg/kg (GT n= 21) or with placebo (GP n= 19), both were administered once a day for 4 weeks. Evaluation was performed by the owners using the questionnaire (HCPI), the Visual Analogue Scale for pain (VASpain) and the VAS for locomotion (VASloc). The evaluation was performed 2 weeks before the treatment began (A1), immediately after treatment (A2), two (S2), four (S4) and two weeks after the end of treatment (S6) and the lameness was evaluated by pressure sensitive walkway. The internal consistency of the data was considered excellent (Cronbach´α coefficient= 0.89). There was a moderate correlation between the HCPI and VASpain. For VASloc the correlation was good. However, there was no difference between treatments, indicating low sensibility. No correlation was observed between pressure sensitive walkway and HCPI. We concluded that the questionnaire has construct and criterion validity, reliability and can be applied in dogs with osteoarthritis in Portuguese-speaking countries.(AU)

Utilidad clínica y propiedades psicométricas del inventario conductual de Cambridge / Clinical usefulness and psychometric properties of the Cambridge Behavioural Inventory

Introducción. Un área importante de la evaluación neuropsicológica son los síntomas psicológicos y conductuales. El inventario conductual de Cambridge -Cambridge Behavioural Inventory (CBI)- es una medida de autoinforme dirigida a allegados que recoge una amplia variedad de síntomas conductuales que pueden darse en el curso de las enfermedades neurológicas. El principal objetivo del estudio es comprobar la utilidad clínica de su adaptación al castellano. Sujetos y métodos. El CBI fue cumplimentado por 215 allegados de pacientes remitidos desde los servicios de neurología y psiquiatría. Se compararon los perfiles del CBI de cuatro grupos de pacientes formados sobre la base de sus principales características clínicas, datos psicométricos, pruebas de imagen y juicio clínico del profesional solicitante del estudio neuropsicológico. Resultados. La mayoría de las escalas (10 de 13) del CBI tuvo valores de consistencia interna aceptables, y las escalas de memoria y atención/orientación, correlaciones elevadas con medidas objetivas de memoria y orientación temporal. Los perfiles del CBI de los grupos de pacientes con distintas condiciones (trastorno orgánico de la memoria, trastorno funcional de la memoria, variante conductual de demencia frontotemporal y enfermedad de Alzheimer) fueron consistentes con sus principales características. Conclusiones. El CBI es un instrumento psicométricamente fiable y con adecuada validez convergente y discriminante que puede ser útil en el proceso de evaluación neuropsicológica, aportando información relevante no sólo sobre el funcionamiento cognitivo y las capacidades funcionales, sino también sobre los síntomas conductuales y psicológicos de los pacientes con trastornos cognitivos (AU)

Introduction. An important area in neuropsychological assessment is that of psychological and behavioural symptoms. The Cambridge Behavioural Inventory (CBI) is a self-report measure aimed at relatives which takes account of a wide range of behavioural symptoms that may occur during the course of neurological diseases. The main objective of the study is to test the clinical usefulness of its Spanish adaptation. Subjects and methods. The CBI was completed by 215 members of kin of patients referred from neurology and psychiatry services. The CBI profiles of four groups of patients were compared, these being grouped according to their main clinical characteristics, psychometric data, imaging tests and the clinical judgement of the professional requesting the neuropsychological study. Results. Most of the scales (10 out of 13) of the CBI yielded acceptable internal consistency values, and the memory and attention/orientation scales showed high correlations with objective measures of memory and time orientation. The CBI profiles of the groups of patients with different conditions (organic memory disorder, functional memory disorder, behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease) were consistent with their main features. Conclusions. The CBI is a psychometrically reliable instrument with adequate convergent and discriminant validity that can be useful in the process of neuropsychological assessment. It can provide relevant information not only about cognitive functioning and the functional capabilities, but also about the behavioural and psychological symptoms of patients with cognitive disorders (AU)

The wartegg drawing completion test: inter-rater agreement and criterion validity of three new scoring categories

Three new scoring categories for the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test (WDCT) were introduced. Each of them permits to assess specific personality characteristics: the Evocative Character (EC) that is related to social adjustment; Form Quality (FQ) that is connected to reality testing ability and Affective Quality, (AQ) that is linked to general mood state. Inter-rater agreement and criterion validity of the new categories were investigated on a sample composed by healthy, anxious and psychotic individuals. For EC, FQ and AQ, results showed an adequate level of inter-rater agreement and a satisfactory capacity to discriminate among subjects, supporting their reliability and criterion validity. In particular, as expected, significant differences were found for each category among all groups, with higher mean scores for healthy subjects, medium for anxious and lower for psychotics (except for AQ category that showed significant differences only in the comparison between healthy and pathological subjects but not between anxious and psychotic ones). Possible approches to assess WDCT validity in future researches were discussed (AU)

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Factor structure and psychometric properties of the TFEQ in morbid obese patients, candidates to bariatric surgery / Estructura factorial y propiedades psicométricas del TFEQ en pacientes con obesidad mórbida candidatos a cirugía bariátrica

BACKGROUND: To analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the TFEQ in a morbid obese Spanish sample of bariatric surgery candidates. METHOD: Multi-trait/ multi-item analyses and alpha coefficients were conducted to test the convergent /discriminant validity and the internal consistency reliability. Principal components analyses (varimax) were used to explore the factor structure. Sub-group factor analyses by gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were conducted to identify unstable items. RESULTS: The internal structure of the original TFEQ factors was unsatisfactory, especially the Disinhibition Scale. Most Disinhibition and Hunger items were grouped on one factor labeled «Dysregulation Eating». Cognitive Restraint was split into two factors. The first one, related to the behavioral component of Restraint, labeled «Restrained Behaviour» and the second one related to weight and eating concerns called «Predisposition to Restraint». CONCLUSIONS: The original factor structure of the TFEQ was not replicated. A revised 23-item instrument, representing the three new derived factors is offered as a valid screening instrument for severely obese patients

ANTECEDENTES: analizar la estructura factorial y las propiedades psicométricas del TFEQ en una muestra española de obesos mórbidos candidatos a cirugía bariátrica. MÉTODO: se realizó un análisis multi-rasgo/multi-ítem y de coeficientes alpha para probar la validez convergente/discriminante y la consistencia interna. Se utilizó un análisis de componentes principales (varimax) para estudiar la estructura factorial. Se llevó a cabo también un análisis de factores de subgrupos por género, edad e IMC para identificar aquellos ítems inestables. RESULTADOS: la estructura interna original de los 3 factores TFEQ fue insatisfactoria, especialmente en la escala de Desinhibición. La mayoría de los ítems de Desinhibición y Hambre se agruparon en un mismo factor denominado «Desregulación en la ingesta». La Restricción Cognitiva se dividió en dos factores. El primero, relacionado con el componente de Restricción, se denominó «Restricción Activa» y el segundo, relacionado con el peso y las preocupaciones de la ingesta, se llamó «Predisposición a la Restricción». CONCLUSIONES: la estructura factorial original del TFEQ no se replica. En este artículo se presenta un instrumento revisado de 23 ítems, que representa los tres nuevos factores derivados, como instrumento de cribado válido para pacientes obesos graves

Construction and psychometric characteristics of the Self-Concept Scale of Interaction in the Classroom / Construcción y características psicométricas de la Escala de Autoconcepto de la Interacción en el Aula

BACKGROUND: To analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the TFEQ in a morbid obese Spanish sample of bariatric surgery candidates. METHOD: Multi-trait multi-item analyses and alpha coefficients were conducted to test the convergent o discriminant validity and the internal consistency reliability. Principal components analyses varimax were used to explore the factor structure. Sub-group factor analyses by gender, age and body mass index BMI were conducted to identify unstable items. RESULTS: The internal structure of the original TFEQ factors was unsatisfactory, especially the Disinhibition Scale. Most Disinhibition and Hunger items were grouped on one factor labele Dysregulation Eating. Cognitive Restraint was split into two factors. The first one, related to the behavioral component of Restraint, labeled Restrained Behaviou and the second one related to weight and eating concerns called Predisposition to Restraint. CONCLUSIONS: The original factor structure of the TFEQ was not replicated. A revised 23-item instrument, representing the three new derived factors is offered as a valid screening instrument for severely obese patients

ANTECEDENTES: analizar la estructura factorial y las propiedades psicométricas del TFEQ en una muestra española de obesos mórbidos candidatos a cirugía bariátrica. MÉTODO: se realizó un análisis multirasgo/multi-ítem y de coeficientes alpha para probar la validez convergente o discriminante y la consistencia interna. Se utilizó un análisis de componentes principales (varimax) para estudiar la estructura factorial. Se llevó a cabo también un análisis de factores de subgrupos por género, edad e IMC para identificar aquellos ítems inestables. RESULTADOS: la estructura interna original de los 3 factores TFEQ fue insatisfactoria, especialmente en la escala de Desinhibición. La mayoría de los ítems de Desinhibición y Hambre se agruparon en un mismo factor denominado Desregulación en la ingesta. La Restricción Cognitiva se dividió en dos factores. El primero, relacionado con el componente de Restricción, se denominó Restricción Activa y el segundo, relacionado con el peso y las preocupaciones de la ingesta, se llamó Predisposición a la Restricción. CONCLUSIONES: la estructura factorial original del TFEQ no se replica. En este artículo se presenta un instrumento revisado de 23 ítems, que representa los tres nuevos factores derivados, como instrumento de cribado válido para pacientes obesos graves

The dilemma of combining positive and negative items in scales / El dilema de combinar ítems positivos y negativos en escalas

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of combining negative and positive items in scales in a Spanish-speaking context. METHOD: Three telephone surveys of 233 people each were carried out. In one survey, 15 items from the Keyes Social Well-Being Scale were worded in a positive fashion; another survey presented 8 items in a positive fashion and 7 items in terms of direct denial; and in the third survey, 7 items were worded positively, 5 were worded in negative terms using polar opposites, and 3 terms were presented in terms of direct denial. RESULTS: The results show a greater tendency for the items in the Positive questionnaire to show results associated with the directionality of the items. However, this questionnaire shows higher values of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and better fit of the theoretical factor structure. CONCLUSIONS: In the survey that included only positive items, findings indicated the existence of acquiescence bias. However, a remedy to this situation only made matters worse, as the combination of positive and negative items seriously affected the internal consistency of the scales

ANTECEDENTES: se analizó en un contexto hispano hablante las ventajas y desventajas de combinar ítems negativos y positivos en las escalas. MÉTODO: se aplicaron tres encuestas telefónicas de 233 personas cada una. En una encuesta se redactaron 15 ítems de la escala de bienestar social de Keyes de forma positiva; otra contó con 8 ítems redactados de manera positiva y 7 de negación directa; en la última hubo 7 ítems positivos, 5 de negación usando el polo opuesto y 3 de negación directa. RESULTADOS: los resultados revelan una mayor tendencia de los ítems del cuestionario positivo a presentar respuestas asociadas a la direccionalidad del ítem. Sin embargo, este cuestionario muestra valores más altos del coeficiente alfa de Cronbach y un mejor ajuste de la estructura factorial teórica. CONCLUSIONES: se prevé mayor presencia del sesgo de aceptación en el cuestionario que solo posee ítems positivos. Sin embargo, el remedio empeoró las cosas, la combinación de ítems positivos y negativos afectó seriamente la consistencia interna de las escalas

Spanish version of the Children’s Ecological Behavior (CEB) scale / Versión española de la escala de Comportamiento Ecológico para Niños (CEN)

BACKGROUND: Children's pro-ecological behaviors are usually registered using scales based on the idea of a simple connection between attitudes and behaviors. However, this relationship seems to be more complicated. The Children's Ecological Behavior (CEB) Scale has been proposed as an alternative. Based on the Rasch model, it considers the different efforts needed to conduct a series of behaviors. This paper presents an improved adaptation of the CEB to Spanish population. METHOD: We back-translated the CEB into Spanish, increased the number of behaviors and collected data from 6- to 12-year-olds, using a game format procedure. RESULTS: The scale can detect differences in the effort needed to perform various behaviors. Children's pro-ecological attitudes and behaviors are positively related. No relationship was found between parents' and children's pro-ecological attitudes and behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the CEB scale emerges as a reliable tool to measure children's pro-ecological behaviors

ANTECEDENTES: el comportamiento pro-ecológico infantil suele registrarse con escalas basadas en la existencia de una conexión simple entre actitud y comportamiento. Sin embargo, esta relación parece ser más compleja. La escala de Comportamiento Ecológico para Niños (CEN) ha sido propuesta como una alternativa. Basándose en el modelo del Rasch, esta considera que distintas conductas requirieren distinto grado de esfuerzo. Se presenta una adaptación mejorada de la CEN a la población española. MÉTODO: se realizó una traducción inversa de la CEN, se amplió el número de conductas registradas y se recogieron datos con niños (6-12 años), usando un procedimiento de juegos. RESULTADOS: la escala diferencia entre comportamientos que requieren distinto grado de esfuerzo. Existe una relación positiva entre las actitudes y el comportamiento pro-ecológico de los niños. No se encontró relación entre las actitudes y comportamiento pro-ecológico de padres e hijos. CONCLUSIONES: la versión española de la escala CEN es un instrumento fiable para registrar conductas pro-ecológicas infantiles

Análisis de ítems del nuevo Test Gestáltico Visomotor de Bender (2a versión) / No disponible

La segunda versión del test Gestáltico Visomotor de Bender, Bender-II, tiene cambios estructurales y funcionales que lo presentan como un mejoramiento de las versiones anteriores. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha no hay estudios publicados en habla hispana que repliquen sus propiedades psicométricas en el nivel de los ítems. La presente investigación examinó las características psicométricas de los ítems en niños preescolares entre 4 y 5 años de edad. Los resultados indican una elevada sensibilidad de los trece diseños a las diferencias de edad, así como una progresión de la dificultad correspondiente con el orden de presentación. El acuerdo intecalificadores fue aceptable y los ítems presentaron un apropiado ajuste al TRI modelo rating scale; la dimensionalidad fue satisfactoria, sin embargo, hubo errores correlacionados en algunos ítems. Se discuten las características estadísticas de los ítems y algunas diferencias halladas en relación a la muestra de estandarización americana

The second version of the visual-motor Gestalt test Bender (Bender-II), has structural and functional changes, representing an improvement from previous versions. However, to date there are no published studies that replicate their psychometric properties of the items. The present research examined the psychometric characteristics of the items, in a preschool children between 4 and 5 years old. The results indicate a high sensitivity of designs to age differences, as well as a progression of difficulty corresponding to the order of item presentation. The inter-rater agreement was acceptable, and there is an appropriate adjustment to IRT rating scale model; the dimensionality was satisfactory, however, there is some correlated errors between some items. Statistical characteristics of the items and some differences found with respect to the sample of U.S. standardization are discussed

Psychological assessment instruments: a coverage analysis using SNOMED CT, LOINC and QS terminology.

Psychometric instruments, inventories, surveys, and questionnaires are widely accepted tools in the field of behavioral health. They are used extensively in primary and clinical research, patient care, quality measurement, and payor oversight. To accurately capture and communicate instrument-related activities and results in electronic systems, existing healthcare standards must be capable of representing the full range of psychometric instruments used in research and clinical care. Several terminologies and controlled vocabularies contain representations of psychological instruments. While a handful of studies have assessed the representational adequacy of terminologies in this domain, no study to date has assessed content coverage. The current study was designed to fill this gap. Using a sample of 63 commonly used instruments, we found no concept in any of the three terminologies evaluated for more than half of all instruments. Of the three terminologies studied, SNOMED CT (Standard Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms) had the greatest breadth, but least granular coverage of all systems. While SNOMED CT contained concepts for over one third (36%) of the instrument classes in this sample, only 11% of the actual instruments were represented in SNOMED CT. LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes), on the other hand, was able to represent instruments with the greatest level of granularity of the three terminologies. However, LOINC had the poorest coverage, covering fewer than 8% of the instruments in our sample. Given that instruments selected for this study were selected on the basis of their status as gold standard measures for conditions most likely to present in clinical settings, we believe these results overestimate the actual coverage provided by these terminologies. The results of this study demonstrate significant gaps in existing healthcare terminologies vis-à-vis psychological instruments and instrument-related procedures. Based on these findings, we recommend that systematic efforts be made to enhance standard healthcare terminologies to provide better coverage of this domain.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Dutch Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale: Comparison of the full and short version.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) was developed for assessing reactions to ambiguous situations, uncertainty, and future events. The IUS has been validated in different languages, but equivocal factor structures, in combination with highly interrelated items and factors, resulted in a redundancy of the items of the English version. In the current study, the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the IUS were examined, and compared with the shortened 12-item version (IUS-12). METHODS: Confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate different factor structures of both the full and short version of the IUS. RESULTS: Results indicated that the IUS-12 model with two factors (Prospective Anxiety and Inhibitory Anxiety) provides the best fit. The reduced measure has equally good internal consistency, and is highly correlated with the full version. LIMITATIONS: Future research could investigate whether the current findings generalize to clinical populations. CONCLUSION: To summarize, the usage of the short 12-item version of the IUS should be encouraged in future research concerning intolerance of uncertainty.

Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism.

In this study, the reliability, validity, and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism were assessed. The psychometric properties of the scale were studied through a descriptive and correlational design. The study sample consisted of 231 healthy people living in the Marmara region of Turkey. In order to obtain three sets of data, a questionnaire was designed containing demographic questions and the Scale. The content validity index for the full scale was 0.98. The α coefficient for 25 items was 0.84, and the split-half reliability of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism was 0.81. The three factors represented 38.31% of the variance. In this study, we concluded that the Turkish version of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism is a suitable instrument for measuring ageism in the Turkish population.

Comparing the accuracy of brief versus long depression screening instruments which have been validated in low and middle income countries: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Given the high prevalence of depression in primary health care (PHC), the use of screening instruments has been recommended. Both brief and long depression screening instruments have been validated in low and middle income countries (LMIC), including within HIV care settings. However, it remains unknown whether the brief instruments validated in LMIC are as accurate as the long ones. METHODS: We conducted a search of PUBMED, the COCHRANE library, AIDSLINE, and PSYCH-Info from their inception up to July 2011, for studies that validated depression screening instruments in LMIC. Data were extracted into tables and analyzed using RevMan 5.0 and STATA 11.2 for the presence of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Nineteen studies met our inclusion criteria. The reported prevalence of depression in LMIC ranged from 11.1 to 53%. The area under curve (AUC) scores of the validated instruments ranged from 0.69-0.99. Brief as well as long screening instruments showed acceptable accuracy (AUC≥0.7). Five of the 19 instruments were validated within HIV settings. There was statistically significant heterogeneity between the studies, and hence a meta-analysis could not be conducted to completion. Heterogeneity chi-squared = 189.23 (d.f. = 18) p<.001. CONCLUSION: Brief depression screening instruments in both general and HIV-PHC are as accurate as the long ones. Brief scales may have an edge over the longer instruments since they can be administered in a much shorter time. However, because the ultra brief scales do not include the whole spectrum of depression symptoms including suicide, their use should be followed by a detailed diagnostic interview.

Conversion of the Mini-Mental State Examination to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health terminology and scoring system.

BACKGROUND: In older patients, evaluation of the cognitive status is crucial. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is widely used for screening of cognition, providing fairly high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Recently, a consensus emerged on the necessity of an international and transparent language, as provided by the WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Most assessment tools however are not in accordance with the ICF. OBJECTIVE: To reformulate the MMSE according to the ICF, both for the individual items and for the scoring system. METHOD: MMSE data (scores varying from 3 to 30/30) of (1) 217 cognitively healthy elderly, (2) 60 persons with mild cognitive impairment, (3) 60 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and (4) 60 patients with moderate/severe AD were obtained from studies at a university hospital setting. Subjects were aged 65 years or more and recruited either through advertisement (group 1), from the geriatric day hospital (groups 2 and 3), or the geriatric ward (group 4). The allocation to the groups was done after multidisciplinary evaluation. The conversion of the MMSE to ICF-MMSE was done by content comparison and by subsequent translation of the scoring system using automatic algorithms. RESULTS: All MMSE items were converted to the corresponding ICF categories. Three ICF domains were addressed: global and specific mental functions, general tasks and demands, divided over 6 ICF categories (orientation time/place, sustaining attention, memory functions, mental functions of language, undertaking a simple task). Scores on individual items were transformed according to their relative weight on the original MMSE scale, and a total ICF-MMSE score from 0 (no problem) to 100 (complete problem) was generated. Translation was satisfying, as illustrated by a good correlation between MMSE and ICF-MMSE. The diagnostic groups were distributed over the ICF-MMSE scores as expected. For each ICF domain, ICF-MMSE subscores were higher with increasing severity in cognitive decline. There was a higher dispersion, in accordance with the more detailed scoring possibilities of the ICF-MMSE. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to adapt the MMSE to the ICF concept. This adaptation enhances interdisciplinary communication since it provides more clarity in assessment, with better visibility of the areas covered by the instrument.