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The purpose of this study was to develop and explore the factor structure of university faculty-focused bystander attitude and behavior measures regarding gender-based violence and to expand on the inclusion of oppressive behaviors in these measures. An online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 167 faculty from a university in the US. Two scales, Faculty Bystander Attitude Scale (FBAS) and Faculty Bystander Behavior Scale (FBBS), were developed to assess faculty bystander attitudes and behaviors. After exploratory factor analysis, the 27-item FBBS successfully loaded on three factors and, after eliminating two items, the 25-item FBAS successfully loaded on three factors. A confirmatory factor analysis will be a useful next step in confirming the factor structure of the modified measures. Faculty specific bystander attitude and behavior scales are necessary to assess the efficacy of violence prevention programming for faculty. These scales can also be incorporated into campus climate surveys to determine faculty's willingness to intervene when they witness behaviors along the continuum of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media connects people in a myriad of ways, yet when prevented from staying connected, an experience of missing out on information and events perceived to be integral to one's well-being may ensue. Relatedness, a core construct of self-determination theory, is a primary influencer of motivation, and therefore being cut off from others has a negative impact on one's quality of life. Across diverse groups of people, social media is utilized for a variety of purposes directly related to connectedness, which implies inherent differences in how one's fear of missing out (FoMO) manifests in everyday life. This study employed the previously validated Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOS) with a nonclinical sample of African American and Caucasian college students in the United States, with a particular focus on validity of the measure with an African American cohort due to a lack of empirical evidence pertaining to with this demographic. Factor analyses yielded inconsistent findings from the FoMOS initial validation study, and results indicated differences in self-reported FoMO between the two racial groups. We speculate that observed group-based differences are at least partially the result of how individuals from each group understood and internalized the conceptual meaning of FoMO, supporting a hypothesis of practical differences in how anxieties related to missing out manifest. This may be due to individual or group-based differences in motivations for, or general purpose of, using social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the factor structure of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) clinical scales for military service members with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Retrospective analysis of existing data base. The sample included 210 service members with TBI who completed the PAI as part of a neuropsychological evaluation at a military TBI clinic. Statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis of 214 items of the 11 PAI clinical scales. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a four-factor solution accounting for 30.4% of the variance in scores. A review of the face validity of the items from each factor generated the following factor labels: Somatic/Psychiatric/Cognitive Distress, Social Distress, Substance Misuse, and Depression. The PAI appears to assess general distress (i.e., somatic/psychiatric/cognitive) and substance misuse constructs for both psychiatric and TBI populations, but it also appears to assess a "social distress" construct (i.e., difficulties socializing in both military and civilian populations) that is unique to military populations. Suggestions are offered to re-conceptualize PAI clinical scales specific to psychopathology (i.e., schizophrenia, paranoia, mania, borderline, antisocial) and personality disorders (i.e., borderline, antisocial) in terms of neurologic and military specific issues for service members with TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counseling researchers and practitioners use screening tools and assessments to measure, treat, and improve their clients' overall (mental and physical) wellness, which creates a need for screening tools that appraise overall wellness. The author of this study first tested the convergent validity of scores on the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory (LPHCI), a screening tool for simultaneously appraising global wellness (mental and physical) using a large (N = 796) national stratified random sample of adults living in all 50 of the United States. The author then investigated the capacity of global wellness for predicting symptoms of anxiety and depression and explored demographic differences in global wellness. Findings support the convergent validity of scores on the LPHCI and reveal that global wellness is a significant negative predictor of the symptomology of mental and physical distress. Implications for the potential utility of incorporating global wellness into counseling practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to develop and assess the content validity of a patient-reported outcomes (PROs) instrument to measure symptoms and impacts experienced by patients with active multiple myeloma (MM).Methods: The PRO instrument was developed using an iterative, mixed-methods approach. The list of concepts was generated based on a review of existing evidence (qualitative studies and literature) and post hoc psychometric evaluations of 2 PRO instruments in 3 clinical trials. A total of 30 adult patients with MM from the United States participated in hybrid concept elicitation/cognitive debriefing interviews to validate the content validity of the newly developed PRO instrument. Translatability assessment was completed in 8 languages.Results: The item generation process resulted in 17 symptom and 9 impact concepts for evaluation. The concept elicitation interviews and analysis were based on the first 25 participants; evidence of saturation was observed. The cognitive debriefing interviews and analysis were based on the last 23 participants across 4 waves of interviews. On the basis patient feedback, 10 items were removed, and 1 item was added to the PRO instrument. The translatability assessment resulted in 1 minor revision. The multiple myeloma symptom and impact questionnaire (MySIm-Q) includes 11 symptom and 6 impact concepts, organized within 8 hypothesized subdomains, with each concept measured using a 5-point verbal rating scale and a 7-day recall period.Conclusions: The MySIm-Q instrument was developed using rigorous and mixed methodology and with direct input from patients who received a diagnosis of MM. The MySIm-Q has good content validity and is culturally relevant for use in global clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the Military Eating Behavior Survey (MEBS), developed, and validated for use in military populations. Questionnaire development using a 6-phase approach that included item generation, subject matter expert review, cognitive interviewing, factor analysis, test-retest reliability testing, and parallel forms testing. US Army soldiers were surveyed at 8 military bases from 2016 to 2019 (n = 1,561). Content, face, and construct validity and reliability of the MEBS. Item variability, internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis using principal coordinates analysis, orthogonal varimax rotation, and scree test (correlation coefficient and Cronbach alpha), as well as consistency and agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient) of test-retest reliability and parallel forms reliability. Over 6 phases of testing, a comprehensive tool to examine military eating habits and mediators of eating behavior was developed. Questionnaire length was reduced from 277 items to 133 items (43 eating habits; 90 mediating behaviors). Factor analysis identified 14 eating habit scales (hunger, satiety, food craving, meal pattern, restraint, diet rigidity, emotional eating, fast/slow eating rate, environmental triggers, situational eating, supplement use, and food choice) and 8 mediating factor scales (body composition strategy, perceived stress, food access, sleep habits, military fitness, physical activity, military body image, and nutrition knowledge). The MEBS provides a new approach for assessing eating behavior in military personnel and may be used to inform and evaluate health promotion interventions related to weight management, performance optimization, and military readiness and resiliency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of the study was to develop and psychometrically test a new instrument to measure the scope of school nursing practice. Design: Methodological study. Methods: Data were collected in Spring 2018. Frontline school nurses in the United States (N = 3099) completed the 39‐item Scope of School Nursing Practice Tool (SSNPT) with two domains (current practice and importance to practice). One half of sample data (N1 = 1521) were used for exploratory factor analysis, item analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and Spearman–Brown to estimate validity and reliability of the instrument. Sample data from the other half (N2 = 1578) were retained for future analysis. Results: Factor analysis resulted in a stable four‐dimension solution: (A) Using the Nursing Process; (B) Applying Evidence to Improve Practice; (C) Connecting with Community; and (D) Leveraging the School and Family Team, accounting for 50.48% (current practice) and 53.31% (importance to practice) of total variance. Cronbach's alpha and Spearman–Brown ranged from.73 to.90 and.73 to.92, respectively. Item–total correlations ranged from.36 to.82. Conclusion: Initial psychometric properties indicate the new SSNPT is valid and reliable to assess the scope of practice of frontline school nurses. Impact: School nurses play a key role in population health and frequently serve as the sole provider of healthcare in schools worldwide. However, variability in school nursing practice affects the health, safety and educational outcomes of children and youth. No instrument exists that measures the scope of practice of school nurses. Frontline school nurses can use the SSNPT to assess practice, school nurse administrators can use the tool for resource utilization and school nurse researchers can use the tool to examine school nursing practices' impact on student/community health and academic outcomes. The SSNPT may provide a template for others who wish to examine specialty nursing scope of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VA-FI) is an electronic frailty index developed to measure frailty using administrative claims and electronic health records data in Veterans. An update to ICD-10 coding is needed to enable contemporary measurement of frailty.Method: International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9) codes from the original VA-FI were mapped to ICD-10 first using the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) General Equivalence Mappings. The resulting ICD-10 codes were reviewed by 2 geriatricians. Using a national cohort of Veterans aged 65 years and older, the prevalence of deficits contributing to the VA-FI and associations between the VA-FI and mortality over years 2012-2018 were examined.Results: The updated VA-FI-10 includes 6422 codes representing 31 health deficits. Annual cohorts defined on October 1 of each year included 2 266 191 to 2 428 115 Veterans, for which the mean age was 76 years, 97%-98% were male, 78%-79% were White, and the mean VA-FI was 0.20-0.22. The VA-FI-10 deficits showed stability before and after the transition to ICD-10 in 2015, and maintained strong associations with mortality. Patients classified as frail (VA-FI > 0.2) consistently had a hazard of death more than 2 times higher than nonfrail patients (VA-FI ≤ 0.1). Distributions of frailty and associations with mortality varied with and without linkage to CMS data and with different assessment periods for capturing deficits.Conclusions: The updated VA-FI-10 maintains content validity, stability, and predictive validity for mortality in a contemporary cohort of Veterans aged 65 years and older, and may be applied to ICD-9 and ICD-10 claims data to measure frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Although randomized controlled trials indicate that the Mulligan Concept (MC) of mobilization with movement can improve pain-free grip strength and pressure pain threshold in patients with lateral epicondylalgia of the elbow, improve ankle dorsiflexion in patients with subacute ankle sprains, and decrease the signs and symptoms of patients with cervicogenic headache, little is known about the clinical application, use, and profile of certified Mulligan practitioners (CMPs) in America. Objective: To better understand the use and value of applying the MC philosophy in clinical-care environments from the perspective of American CMPs while establishing a clinical profile of a CMP. Design: Quantitative descriptive design. Setting: Online survey instrument. Participants: American CMPs. Data Collection and Analysis: Online survey instrument. Results: CMPs use the MC to treat a broad spectrum of spinal and peripheral clinical pathologies in primarily outpatient clinics with an active and athletic population. American CMPs also find value in the MC. Conclusions: American CMPs continue to use and find value in the MC intervention strategy to treat a broad spectrum of spinal and peripheral conditions in their clinical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The Self‐Care Self‐Efficacy Scale (SCSES) was newly developed as a self‐report measure for self‐care self‐efficacy for chronic illness. This study investigated its measurement equivalence (ME) in different cultural groups, including United States, China (Hong Kong), Italy, and Brazil. Design: A multi‐national study for cross‐cultural validation of the Scale. Methods: From January 2015 ‐ December 2018, investigators recruited 957 patients (United State: 200; Hong Kong: 300; Italy: 285; and Brazil: 142) with chronic illness from inpatient and outpatient settings. The SCSES was administered and clinical and demographic data were collected from participants. Based on the Meredith framework, multi‐group confirmatory factor analysis evaluated the configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance of the scale across the four populations through a series of nested models, with evaluation of reliability and coherence of the factor solution. Results: The mean ages of the groups ranged from 65–77 years, 56.4% was male. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the single‐factor SCSES were 0.93, 0.89, 0.92, and 0.90 for the United States, China (Hong Kong), Italy, and Brazil, respectively. Three of the four levels of ME were partially or totally supported. The highest level achieved was partial scalar invariance level (χ2 [52] = 313.4, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.067; 95% CI = 0.056–0.077; CFI = 0.966; TLI = 0.960, SRMR = 0.080). Conclusion: Patients from the four countries shared the same philosophical orientation towards scale items, although some of the items contributed differently to represent the concept and participants shared the same schemata for score interpretation. Impact: Self‐efficacy is important in producing effective and sustainable self‐care behavioural changes. Cultural ideation shapes the ways individuals interpret and report their self‐care self‐efficacy. The study findings support cross‐cultural and cross‐national utility of the SCSES for research on self‐care across United States, China (Hong Kong), Italy, and Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of the English version of the FCCHL tool in urban and rural, socioeconomically vulnerable or unstable, chronic comorbid adults in the United States.Methods: A cross-sectional study measuring both validity and reliability.Results: A total of 276 participants were recruited. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha of α = 0.87. External reliability was measured by test-retest methodology. Construct validity was measured using Confirmatory Factor Analysis that showed good fit. Criterion validity was measured by comparing the mean scores of the FCCHL tool sub-scales. Concurrent validity was measured by comparison of means of the FCCHL tool and education level compared to the NVS and s-TOFHLA.Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the FCCHL tools is measuring three different concepts. Overall, the FCCHL tool was seen to have good validity and reliability in the identified population.Practice Implications: The FCCHL tool is a 14-item, self-report health literacy tool measuring more than functional health literacy. The tool can be used in practice to improve not only functional health literacy, but also communicative and critical which is highly applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identifying depressive cognitions in first-generation Middle Eastern immigrants (FGMEI) can be an important step to prevent the development of clinical depression. Purpose: This study focused on the cross-cultural equivalence and psychometric testing of the Arabic version of the Positive Thinking Skills Scale (A-PTSS) among 100 FGMEI. Methods: Content/face validity of the measure was conducted. Internal consistency, homogeneity, dimensionality and construct validity were assessed. Results: Cronbach's alpha for (A-PTSS) was.89. Factor extraction generated only one factor, which is consistent with the English version. The A-PTSS total score had a strong positive correlation with the positive cognition scores (r =.42, p <.001), the total resourcefulness scores (r =.39, p <.001), and with the total generalized anxiety scores (r = −.42, p <.001), thereby suggesting construct validity. Conclusion: This scale has the potential to become a useful screening tool for depressive cognitions among FGMEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Psychache has been proposed to cause suicide when it becomes unbearable. However, existing measures of psychache do not directly target unbearable psychache. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to provide initial validation for a brief measure of unbearable psychache.Method: Three items were selected to create the Unbearable Psychache Scale (UP3). Psychometric properties were assessed in two populations: (1) an online sample composed of 1,006 adults (53% male) from various locations in the United States and (2) a sample of 190 psychiatric inpatient adults (47% male) from a hospital in Western Canada.Results: In both samples, the UP3 demonstrated excellent internal reliability, and strong convergent and predictive validity. Additionally, the UP3 predicted significant variance in suicidal ideation over and above documented correlates of suicidal ideation including general psychache, hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and low belongingness.Conclusions: The UP3 is a brief, psychometrically sound measure of unbearable psychache that may be well-suited for use in research protocols and clinical assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A limitation of adult day service (ADS) research is that there remains little understanding of how these community-based long-term care programs operate to benefit clients or family caregivers (i.e. the process of ADS use). The purpose of this study was to validate the 'ADS Process and Use Measures' (APUM) which were developed to assess such mechanisms. Method: Participant observation and semi-structured interviews in two ADS settings resulted in qualitative data to inform a conceptual model, subscales, and Likert-scale items. Three experts in ADS research reviewed the initial 129-item version of the APUM to establish content validity, and 27 family caregivers of current or prior ADS clients provided feedback on face validity of a subsequent 58-item version. Results: Principal components and confirmatory factor analyses on a sample of 269 family members of ADS clients recruited from 90 programs throughout the U.S. established a measure featuring 5 domains, 12 reliable subscales, and 49 items. Analysis of discriminant and convergent validity found that various subscales from four of the domains (Why ADS is Used, Events Prior to Use, Why ADS Does Not Work, and Pathways to Benefits) were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with family caregiver distress and ADS client quality of life variables. Conclusion: The ADS Process and Use Measures effectively assess mechanisms of program benefit and could help to enhance the overall quality of these critical community-based long-term care options for older persons and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of parent-child interactions and family relationships has a powerful influence on children's development and well-being. The International Parenting Survey (IPS) is a brief, web-based survey developed to provide a cross-national, community-level, population snapshot of the experiences of parents related to raising children. The IPS was developed as a planning tool to assist policy makers and community agencies plan, implement, and evaluate parenting programs and as a tracking tool to evaluate parenting support programs in different countries. We report the preliminary psychometric properties of the IPS on various domains of measurement in an international sample of over 9,000 parents. Moderate to high reliabilities were obtained for all domains of measurement. High internal consistency reliabilities (α = .88-.97) were obtained for the domains of children's behavior and emotional maladjustment, for parental self-efficacy, parental distress and parental beliefs. Moderate levels of reliabilities (α = .52-.83) were obtained for domains of parental consistency, coercive parenting, positive encouragements, and parent-child relationships. Overall, the measure appears to have satisfactory reliability justifying further psychometric validation studies in population level studies of parenting. Examples of uses of the IPS are described and directions for future research and policy explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM This study explored master of science in nursing students' self-assessed use of the evidence-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of scholarly writing. BACKGROUND UnderstandingMSN students' self-assessed use of the KSAs of writing can help faculty better prepare MSN graduates to advance the science of nursing through scholarly writing. METHOD A descriptive correlational design was used to determine how a national sample of 76 MSN students assessed their ability to demonstrate the KSAs of scholarly writing and to determine associations between select demographic variables and the self-assessment results. RESULTS Participants were familiar with the KSAs of scholarly writing and used them with varying frequency. No associations were identified between demographic variables and the KSA self-assessment ratings. CONCLUSION Additional writing opportunities and inclusion of a variety of writing assignments could increase use of the KSAs and therefore facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities needed to advance nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antidepressant drugs represent the mainstay of treatment for depression; however, nonadherence is a major problem. Attitudes are predictors of long-term adherence and drive medication use. The Attitudes Toward Medication–Depression (ATM-D) Inventory was developed and tested with 131 patients in primary care settings who reported a diagnosis of depression. Content validity was assessed by experts with a 94.4% agreement on item relevancy. Exploratory factor analysis showed three factors (course of medication treatment, identity, and control) that accounted for 57% of the total variance in the final 17-item scale. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (α = .76-.84) and test–retest reliability (α = .74-.83). Results support the construct validity and reliability of the instrument and revealed unique insights into patients’ cognitive representations of their antidepressants. This study supported that patients have cognitive representations related to depression and antidepressants that go beyond simple concerns about the effects of the medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Recent studies have revealed that the lack of continuity in preparing patients with spina bifida to transition into adultcentered care may have detrimental health consequences. We sought to describe current practices of transitional care services offered at spina bifida clinics in the US. METHODS: Survey design followed the validated transitional care survey by the National Cystic Fibrosis center. Survey was amended for spina bifida. Face validity was completed. Survey was distributed to registered clinics via the Spina Bifida Association. Results were analyzed via descriptive means. RESULTS: Total of 34 clinics responded. Over 90 characteristics were analyzed per clinic. The concept of transition is discussed with most patients. Most clinics discuss mobility, bowel and bladder management, weight, and education plans consistently. Most do not routinely evaluate their process or discuss insurance coverage changes with patients. Only 30% communicate with the adult providers. Sexuality, pregnancy and reproductive issues are not readily discussed in most clinics. Overall clinics self-rate themselves as a 5/10 in their ability to provide services for their patients during transition. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of current transitional care services and formal transitional care programs at US clinics show wide variances in what is offered to patients and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimTo evaluate the validity of the Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS) and Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) questionnaire against accelerometer-determined time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among African-American (AA) women.BackgroundLimited research has evaluated the validity of brief physical activity (PA) questionnaires among AA women. Since the validity of PA questionnaires may differ among members of varying racial/ethnic groups, research is needed to explore the validity of self-report PA measures among AA women.MethodsA total of 30 AA women [M age=35.5±5.3; M body mass index (BMI)=31.1±7.8] wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers (ActiGraph, LLC, Pensacola FL, USA) for seven days and completed both the SBAS and EVS at two different assessment periods (T1 and T2). Criterion validity was calculated using Spearman’s rank order correlations between each questionnaire score and accelerometer-measured MVPA. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated using accelerometer-measured MVPA as the criterion to determine the ability of each questionnaire to predict whether or not a participant was meeting the 2008 US PA Guidelines.FindingsSpearman correlation coefficients between questionnaire scores and minutes of accelerometer-measured MVPA were low (EVS, r=0.27 at T1 and r=0.26 at T2; SBAS, r=0.10 at T1 and r=0.28 at T2) and not statistically significant (P’s>0.05). The EVS had sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of 27, 89, 59, and 68% at T1 and 33, 74, 38, and 70% at T2, respectively. The SBAS had sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values were 18, 79, 33, and 62% at T1 and 67, 58, 43, and 79% at T2. While both questionnaires may be useful in identifying AA women who do not meet the 2008 PA Guidelines, using the questionnaires to identify AA women meeting the PA Guidelines should be done with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A questionnaire was administered to a national sample of 293 people receiving the American Association of Suicidology’s Surviving Suicide to learn (a) who self-identifies as bereaved by suicide (survivors), (b) their coping strategies, and (c) what they prefer to be called. Findings suggest that (a) there are many different relationships in which people are bereaved, (b) survivors use many coping strategies, and (c) they use numerous terms to describe themselves. Implications include outreach to survivors should go beyond the immediate family, the suicide support group should not be the sole suggestion for services, and many prefer the term suicide survivor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood acquired brain injuries can disrupt communication functions needed for success in school, work and social interaction. Cognitive-communication difficulties may not be apparent until adolescence, when academic, environmental and social-emotional demands increase. Objective: The Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies for Students (S-FAVRES) is a new activity-level measure of cognitive-communication skills in complex, contextual and integrative tasks that simulate real world communication challenges. It is hypothesized that S-FAVRES performance would differentiate adolescents with and without acquired brain injury (ABI) on scores for Accuracy, Rationale, Reasoning Subskills and Time. Methods: S-FAVRES was administered to 182 typically-developing (TD) and 57 adolescents with mild-to-severe ABI aged 12–19. Group differences, internal consistency, sensitivity, specificity, reliability and contributing factors to performance (age, gender, brain injury) were examined statistically. Results: Those with ABI attained statistically lower Accuracy, Rationale and Reasoning sub-skills scores than their TD peers. Time scores were not significantly different. Performance trends were consistent across tasks, administrations, gender and age groups. Inter-rater reliability for scoring was acceptable. Conclusion: The S-FAVRES provides a reliable, functional and quantifiable measure of subtle cognitive-communication difficulties in adolescents that can assist speech-language pathologists in planning treatment and integration to school and real world communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2003, the Harvard Educational Review published a controversial article by Roy Freedle that claimed bias against African American students in the SAT college admissions test. Freedle's work stimulated national media attention and faced an onslaught of criticism from experts at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the agency responsible for the development of the SAT In this article, Maria Veronica Santelices and Mark Wilson take the debate one step further with new research exploring differential item functioning in the SAT By replicating Freedle's methodology with a more recent SAT dataset and by addressing some of the technical criticisms from ETS, Santelices and Wilson confirm that SAT items do function differently for the African American and White subgroups in the verbal test and argue that the testing industry has an obligation to study this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for new directions in MIS research bring with them a call for renewed methodological rigor. This article offers an operating paradigm for renewal along dimensions previously unstressed. The basic contention is that confirmatory empirical findings will be strengthened when instrument validation precedes both internal and statistical conclusion validity and that, in many situations, MIS researchers need to validate their research instruments. This contention is supported by a survey of instrumentation as reported in sample IS journals over the last several years. A demonstration exercise of instrument validation follows as an illustration of some of the basic principles of validation. The validated instrument was designed to gather data on the impact of computer security administration on the incidence of computer abuse in the U.S.A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]