Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Self-Administered Questionnaire to Assess Parental Attitudes Toward Firearms and Related Parenting Decisions.

The study sought to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Parental Attitudes Toward Firearms Survey (PATFS), a self-report measure of parental attitudes about firearms and parenting behavior. The initial item pool was generated based on a literature review and discussion with experts in violence reduction, psychometrics, and public health. Data were collected online from 362 volunteers and subjected to exploratory factor analysis which revealed a 13-item, 3-factor solution accounting for 59.7% of the variance. The 3 conceptual factors (subscales) were interpreted as Firearms Exposure, Parental Control, and Violent Play. The PATFS demonstrated good internal consistency and content and construct validity. The PATFS can be used to investigate parenting attitudes and behaviors specific to firearms and violent play.

A Case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Rural Emergency Department.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), also known as COVID-19, has rapidly spread across the globe resulting in a worldwide pandemic. This disease has such varying presentation within the population. Although rare, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a potentially fatal complication of SARS-CoV2 infection and can be easily missed in the early stages. Because emergency department (ED) providers are often the initial treating providers, knowledge of the clinical manifestations and treatment of MIS-C is essential. The purpose of this article is to present a case of MIS-C in a rural ED, describe the subtle signs of disease, and educate clinicians on this rare and potentially deadly disease.

Oral health related quality of life: a novel metric targeted to young adults.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of the study was to develop an oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) questionnaire for use among adults paralleling previously validated instruments, but addressing important age-specific self-perception issues in addition to physical and social impediments caused as a result of deficient oral health. METHODS: An initial item pool was generated based on adherence to the three established constructs of OHRQoL: social, psychological, and physical. Experts in the field of oral health provided feedback on this initial item pool. The revised items were administered to 553 adult participants via an online questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the final scale and subscales, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients and correlations coefficients were generated to determine the reliability and validity of the scale. RESULTS: The reduced-item questionnaire exhibited excellent psychometric properties (α = 0.902). Final subscales were assessed through factor loading scores and showed high reliability: a) social functioning (α = 0.852), b) physical functioning (α = 0.793), and c) self-perception and anxiety (α = 0.875). Scores on the self-perception and anxiety were the highest of the three subscales, followed by physical and social functioning. Of the exploratory items, tooth color appeared to be the most important concern. CONCLUSION: Our OHRqOL measurement instrument tailored to young adults demonstrates initial psychometric properties of reliability and validity among a social-network derived volunteer population.

An Exploration of Social Desirability Bias in Measurement of Attitudes toward Breastfeeding in Public.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of attitudes toward breastfeeding has been based on self-report, which may be subject to social desirability. Increasing the perceived anonymity of questionnaires may reduce social desirability bias, producing more accurate results. OBJECTIVE: We compare a standard questionnaire (SQ) with the unmatched count technique (UCT) to understand the effect of increased perceived anonymity on self-reported attitudes toward breastfeeding in public. METHODS: Measures of attitudes toward breastfeeding in public were adapted from existing questionnaires, subjected to expert review, and pilot tested. A web-based survey was then constructed to compare the UCT and the SQ technique. Participants were recruited online and randomly assigned to either the SQ or the UCT condition. RESULTS: In the overall sample (N = 1477), the UCT condition had significantly higher endorsement for the statement, "Breastfeeding in some public settings should be against the law" [χ2(1, n = 1455) = 9.58, P = .002]. Women more frequently endorsed that item in the UCT condition (15.6%) than in the SQ condition (7.1%) [χ2(1, n = 1025) = 18.27, P < .001]. In contrast, among men, rates of endorsement did not vary between experimental and control groups for that question. CONCLUSION: Perceived anonymity may have influenced responses to some questions about attitudes toward breastfeeding in public. The effects of perceived anonymity may operate differently within demographic sectors. The direction of the effects was not always consistent with hypotheses, and future research is needed to fully explore the various dimensions of attitudes toward breastfeeding. The UCT method shows promise for improving the accuracy of reporting attitudes toward breastfeeding.