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Alienation is a psychological state in which a teacher feels and develops relatively loss of relationship with others. First and foremost, in the present study, it was found that the standardized Alienation Scale by Hardeo Ojha constructed in the year 2010 was appropriate in measuring alienation in general social context for adults above twenty one years of age and it required a few modifications to cater specifically in terms of secondary school teachers context which led to further developing and validating alienation scale on secondary school teachers. The psychometric properties of alienation of secondary school teachers were explored. The study assessed the level of alienation dimension-wise of two hundred secondary school teachers teaching in Punjab (India). The scale was made reliable and valid using Content validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach's alpha, Average Variance Extracted, Composite Reliability. The reliability statistics using Cronbach's alpha is greater than 0.80 of overall alienation scale ([alpha]=.878), social isolation ([alpha]=0.892), work alienation ([alpha]=0.869) and cultural estrangement ([alpha]=0.875) with average variance extracted greater than 0.40 and composite reliability greater than 0.70 for all the factors. Therefore, validity and reliability analysis showed that the scale possesses adequate homogeneity and internal consistency. Thus, the alienation scale can be considered appropriate to measure level of alienation of secondary school teachers. Secondly, for field testing the applicability of the developed and validated scale of alienation, it was administered on 500 secondary school teachers. The objective was to conduct comparative analysis of alienation and its dimensions with respect to gender. The findings revealed no significant difference with respect to gender in alienation, social isolation and cultural estrangement. Significant differences were found in case of work alienation wherein the female secondary school teachers were on the higher end in comparison to the male secondary school teachers.

Self-efficacy is a potential measure to develop the capacities of higher secondary school students for producing desired results. Hence, the study of self-efficacy at this level is of utmost importance. In this present study, an attempt is made to culturally adapt the standardized self-efficacy scale of Sherer and Maddux (1982) for the higher secondary school students of Odisha. For this purpose, a sample of 135 higher secondary school students was taken randomly, and ten teachers were taken purposively. Both preliminary and final pilot study was conducted by collecting primary data. Both forward and backward translation was done in consultation with experts. The testing for 'comparability of language,' the 'similarity of interpretation,' and the 'degree of understanding' of the translated scale were measured and found higher scores in all these domains. The psychometric properties of the scale were estimated, i.e., Cronbach alpha reliability of the whole scale 0.85 and split-half reliability of 0.79, which revealed high internal consistency of the scale. The factor analysis was made by following principal component analysis of varimax rotation and Kiser normalization, which extracted four principal components, and the implications of the study were discussed.

The aim of this study was to develop and standardize a mental health battery for students with visual impairment (MHB-VI) in India. The research was carried out on sample of 126 children with visual impairment of the age group 10-25 years from Haryana state. The battery contained 61 items and these items were categorized into six sub-scales namely emotional stability, over-all adjustment, autonomy, security-insecurity, self-concept and emotional intelligence. Items showing behavioural characteristics related with six mental health sub-scales were framed on the five points Likert Scale. Item analysis was performed by calculating t and r-value and 12 items were deleted and final 61 items were retained. The value of Cronbach's alpha and split half correlation came out to be 0.89 and 0.80 respectively. This battery may act as a valuable tool in accessing mental health of students with visually impairment in India as the findings demonstrated that its scores were valid and reliable. This tool is specifically useful for practitioners, special teachers, social workers, psychologists and stakeholders. They can use this tool in assessing the mental health of students with visual impairment; as a result, effective planning and strategies can be established.

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II Edition 2005 (Vineland-II) is useful in assessing abilities in autism spectrum disorder, where an accurate assessment of intelligence using standardized tools is difficult both due to the unique social and communication difficulties that these children present with and the behavioral issues that occur as co-morbidity. We describe the scale and our experience in using the scale. Difficulties in administration of the scale to Indian children are illustrated. The main reasons for these difficulties center on cultural differences in gender roles an differences in the way some self-care tasks are performed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background: Substance use among adolescents is increasing rapidly and becoming a global health concern worldwide. Because of the changing trends and rising magnitude in India, there is an urgent need to adapt and validate instruments to assess adolescents' substance use. The study translated the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI) into Hindi and assessed the psychometric properties. Methods: The instrument (T-ASI) was translated from English to Hindi using: (a) forward translation: translation from the source language into the target one, (b) comparison and synthesis of the two translated versions, (c) blind backward translation, (d) comparison of the two back-translated versions and development of prefinal version, (e) conceptual evaluation of items and pilot study, and (f) assessing the psychometric properties. Results: The content validity of Hindi T-ASI was quite high (0.97). A significant positive correlation r = 0.439* (0.014) between the T-ASI family functioning domain and the organization scale of the Family Environment Scale (FES) demonstrated good concurrent validity. Youth self-report substance use domain correlated well with youth self-report behavior problems scale r = 0.385 (0.033) and the psychiatric status domain correlated with all three internalizing 0.606 (<0.001), externalizing 0.363 (0.045), and behavior problem scale 0.546** (0.001). Construct validity showed significant differences between two groups (substance-using and nonsubstance-using groups) in all domains except school and peer status. Cross-cultural validity shows that the two versions are equivalent. The translated version showed satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.727). Conclusion: The translation and validation of Hindi–T-ASI show adequate psychometric properties and can be recommended for use in treatment settings across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to perform a psychometric evaluation of the internal green marketing (IGM) scale in the context of consumer, industrial and service industry from a developing economy. Drawing on IGM theory, this study validates the measurement scales to operationalize IGM as green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD) and green rewards (GRs). Design/methodology/approach: The sample was drawn from the consumer, industrial and service industries in Jammu and Kashmir, India, using a random sampling method. Data were collected from consumer, industrial and service industries in two phases through a self-administrated questionnaire-based survey. In total, 137 managers responded during the first phase, and 368 managers responded during the second phase. During the first phase, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to uncover the underlying dimensions of IGM, and during the second phase, data were analyzed to test the validity of the IGM scale through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings: EFA suggested a three-dimension scale (green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD), and green rewards (GR)) which was confirmed by CFA. The findings of the study demonstrate that IGM is a valid and reliable scale to capture the individual-level perception of the employees with respect to the green internal marketing of an organization. Practical implications: This paper is expected to provide valuable insights into the area of internal green marketing (IGM) about an industry that can be of immense help to domestic and international marketers in formulating human resource (HR)/marketing strategies. Further, it provides a wide-ranging scale that can act as a base for future research studies that aim to explore internal green marketing (IGM) in different organizational settings. Originality/value: IGM is embedded in three underlying elements as GIC, GSD and GRs. It is suitable to the practitioner and researchers to operationalize IGM as a second-order construct in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Head and neck cancers (HNC) are one of the most traumatic forms of cancer because they affect essential aspects of life such as speech, swallowing, eating and disfigurement. HNCs are common in India, with over 100,000 cases being registered each year. HNC and treatment are both associated with considerable anxiety and depression. With increasing multinational research, no suitable measures in Indian languages are available to assess anxiety and depression in Indian HNC patients. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of cross-culturally adapted versions of Zung's self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Patient health questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9) in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi speaking Indian HNC populations. Methods: HNC patients were recruited from three tertiary cancer centres in India. Patients completed the cross-culturally adapted versions of SAS and PHQ-9. We assessed targeting, scaling assumptions, construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability. Results: The study sample included 205 Tamil, 216 Telugu and 200 Hindi speaking HNC patients. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a two-factor solution for PHQ-9 and four-factor solution for SAS in all three languages. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged between 0.717 and 0.890 for PHQ-9 and between 0.803 and 0.868 for SAS, indicating good reliability. Correlations between hypothesized scales were as expected providing evidence towards convergent validity. Conclusions: This first psychometric evaluation of the measurement properties of Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions of the SAS and PHQ-9 in large, Indian HNC populations supported their use as severity and outcome measures across the disease and treatment continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systematic data on physical activity level in Indian kidney transplanted patients are limited. Physical activity is considered an essential part of healthy life style for all population including kidney transplant recipients. The International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) is internationally accepted self-reported screening tool for assessment of physical activity. However, till date Gujarati and Hindi version of IPAQ is not validated for Indian kidney transplant recipients. Aim: To validate the Gujarati and Hindi translated version of IPAQ long form in Indian kidney transplant recipients. Method: Original English version of IPAQ-long form was translated in Gujarati and Hindi language and evaluated for face, construct, concurrent validity and test retest reliability among Gujarati and Hindi transplant recipients. Result: 4 questions out of 27 were modified with 80% consensus of panelist to achieve face validity of both version of questionnaire. Total physical activity score of Gujarati (r=0.83) and Hindi (r=0.72) version were positively correlated with 6MWD in male transplant patients suggesting accepted construct validity. There was high positive correlation noted between all component of English, Gujarati and Hindi version (r>0.8, p<0.05) having good concurrent validity and acceptable test retest reliability. Conclusion: The modified Gujarati and Hindi version of IPAQ long form showed acceptable validity and reliability for the assessment of physical activity among kidney transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis aims to interrupt transmission of lymphatic filariasis and manage morbidity in people currently living with the disease. A component of morbidity management is improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients. Measurement of HRQoL in current management programs is varied because of the lack of a standard HRQoL tool for use in the lymphatic filariasis population. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, the psychometric properties of three health status measures were compared when used in a group of lymphatic filariasis patients and healthy controls. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the Lymphatic Filariasis Quality of Life Questionnaire (LFSQQ) were administered to 36 stage II and stage III lymphatic filariasis subjects and 36 age and sex matched controls in Kerala, India. All three tools yielded missing value rates lower than 10%, suggesting high feasibility. Highest internal consistency was seen in the LFSQQ (α = 0.97). Discriminant validity analysis demonstrated that HRQoL was significantly lower in the LF group than in controls for the WHODAS 2.0, DLQI, and LFSQQ, but total HRQoL scores did not differ between stage II and stage III lymphedema subjects. The LFSQQ total score correlated most strongly with the WHODAS 2.0 (r = 0.91, p<0.001) and DLQI (r = 0.81, p<0.001). Conclusions/Significance: The WHODAS 2.0, DLQI, and LFSQQ demonstrate acceptable feasibility, internal consistency, discriminate validity, and construct validity. Based on our psychometric analyses, the LFSQQ performs the best and is recommended for use in the lymphatic filariasis population. Author Summary: Lymphatic filariasis affects approximately 120 million people and is the second leading cause of life-long disability worldwide. Because lymphatic filariasis is one of the World Health Organization's six eradicable diseases, much effort has been placed into reducing transmission of the disease and managing morbidity. Novel interventions frequently use health-related quality of life as an outcome measure to monitor efficacy of the intervention. In an effort to delineate the strengths and weaknesses of health status measures and recommend use of a single tool in the lymphatic filariasis population, we compared the use of three health status tools (The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, the Dermatology Life Quality Index, and the Lymphatic Filariasis Quality of Life Questionnaire) in lymphatic filariasis subjects and healthy controls in Kerala, India. The Lymphatic Filariasis Quality of Life Questionnaire performed the best by discriminating well between subjects and controls, possessing significant content overlap with the other two tools, yielding a low missing value rate, and being internally consistent. This is the first study to compare health status measures in lymphatic filariasis subjects and provides insight into the use of the tools in quality of life analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]