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PURPOSE Person-centered care is foundational to good quality primary care and has positive effects on health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The Person-Centered Primary Care Measure (PCPCM) is a recently developed, patient-reported survey able to assess person-centeredness and has demonstrated strong validity and reliability. Little is known, however, about the feasibility of the PCPCM in non-English-speaking settings. We aimed to translate the questionnaire into Dutch, psychometrically evaluate the translated version, and ensure its feasibility for patients in Dutch primary care. METHODS We translated the PCPCM into Dutch using forward-backward translations. We conducted psychometric evaluations to ensure its feasibility among Dutch- speaking primary care patients, with special attention to low literacy populations. Next, we assessed structural validity, convergent validity using the Quality of Care Through the Patient's Eyes (QUOTE) questionnaire, and internal consistency in a cross-sectional study in primary care. RESULTS Translation and adaptation for low literacy populations required 4 iterations. In 4 general practices, 205 patients completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analyses could not confirm the 1-factor solution. The 3-factor solution was found to be a more optimal fit: comprehensiveness of care, personal relation, and contextual care. Internal reliability was high (Cronbach's [alpha] were 0.82, 0.73, and 0.86, respectively). We found a strong correlation between the total PCPCM and QUOTE scores (Spearman's [rho] = 0.65, P CONCLUSION The Dutch version of the PCPCM has acceptable validity and reliability for measuring person-centeredness in primary care among Dutch-speaking populations including those with low literacy. Key words: primary health care; quality of health care; surveys and questionnaires https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3135, INTRODUCTION Health is better in regions with more primary care physicians and features of primary care are associated with better health and greater equity. (12) The qualities of primary care [...]

The current study outlines the evaluation of the Slovak adaptation of the fifteen-item Revised Social Anhedonia Scale-Brief (RSAS-B). The final sample consisted of 1287 university students, of whom 75.71% were women (a mean age of 22.62 ± 4.01). The factor structure, construct validity and reliability were examined. The results demonstrate the sound psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the RSAS-B. McDonald's omega was 0.79 and Cronbach's was 0.79, both indicating the good reliability of the scale. The confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor solution as the adequate model in the non-clinical sample. The RSAS-B scores were positively related to other measures of psychopathology, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item, the Social Anxiety Disorder Dimensional Scale, and the Social Functioning Scale. The normative data were developed separately for men and women. The RSAS-B can be used as an adequate screening method to determine the social anhedonia., Author(s): Alexandra Straková [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jakub Januska [sup.1] [sup.2] , Anton Heretik [sup.1] [sup.2] , Barbora Vasecková [sup.3] , Ľubica Forgácová [sup.3] , Michal Patarák [sup.4] , Ján Pecenák [...]

Purpose: Norm-referenced, standardized measures are tools designed to characterize a child's abilities relative to their same-age peers, but they also have been used to measure changes in skills during intervention. This study compared the psychometric properties of four types of available scores from one commonly used standardized measure, the Preschool Language Scales-Fifth Edition (PLS-5), to detect changes in children's language skills during and after a language intervention. Method: This study included data from 110 autistic children aged 18-48 months whose mother participated in an 8-week parent-mediated language intervention. Children's language skills were measured at 3 time points using the PLS-5. Changes in children's expressive and receptive language skills were calculated using raw scores, standard scores, age equivalents, and growth scale values (GSVs). Results: Analysis of raw scores, age equivalents, and GSVs indicated significant improvement in the scores of autistic children in both receptive and expressive language throughout the study (i.e., during the intervention period and in the 3month period after the intervention). Standard scores suggested improvement only in the receptive language scale during the intervention period. Standard scores showed a floor effect for children who scored at -3 SD below the mean. Conclusions: Findings suggested that GSVs were not only psychometrically sound but also the most sensitive measure of direct changes in skills compared to raw, standard, and age-equivalent scores. Floor effects may limit the sensitivity of standard scores to detect changes in children's skills. Strengths, limitations, and interpretations of each of the scoring approaches in measuring changes in skills during intervention were discussed. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21498522, Norm-referenced, standardized measures are tools commonly used to characterize a child's language abilities and determine a child's eligibility for clinical services. The use of these measures often extends beyond this [...]

In recent years, work-family balance, as a construct, has been increasingly attracting the scholarly attention alongside with more traditional ones as work-family conflict and enrichment. We aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Work-Family Balance scale (Carlson et al. Human Relations, 20, 1-28, 2009 (See CR9)) through two different studies. Study 1 (N = 152) was carried out to verify the construct validity of the scale, while Study 2 (N = 319) was carried out to verify its discriminant validity contrasting it with work-family conflict and enrichment. The results, in line with the hypothesized direction, confirmed the original one-factor structure of the scale via confirmatory factor analysis (Study 1), moreover the correlations with the other two examined constructs were in the hypothesized direction (Study 2): positive with work-family enrichment, and negative with work-family conflict. Practical implications, study limits, and avenues for future research are discussed., Author(s): Alfonso Landolfi [sup.1] , Alessandro Lo Presti [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.9841.4, 0000 0001 2200 8888, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', , Viale Ellittico, [...]

Although 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic individuals. We describe the development and validation of the Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB), an instrument co-developed with the autistic community to assess mental health and problematic/risky behaviors. Items include descriptions to facilitate symptom recognition by autistic people, and carers/professionals. The ACB was completed by 255 parents, 149 autistic children and young people and 30 teachers. Internal consistency, stability and validity was assessed. The ACB parent-version fit a two-factor model (internalizing and externalizing problems) and showed adequate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. The ACB is a promising new measure for research and clinical use in autism., Author(s): Joanne Tarver [sup.1] [sup.2] , Silia Vitoratou [sup.3] , Mathilde Mastroianni [sup.1] [sup.4] , Natalie Heaney [sup.1] , Eleanor Bennett [sup.1] , Felicity Gibbons [sup.1] , Federico Fiori [sup.1] [...]

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) scale measures well-being as a series of orientations. We investigated the HEMA scale's psychometric properties among two Japanese samples in longitudinal studies over periods of one month (N = 385) and two months (N = 224). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified three subscales of the HEMA scale: hedonic pleasure orientation, hedonic relaxation orientation, and eudaimonic orientation. On average, at a given point in time, the correlations between subscales were r = .58 for the hedonic pleasure and hedonic relaxation orientations; r = .56 for the hedonic pleasure and eudaimonic orientations; and r = .26 for the hedonic relaxation and eudaimonic orientations-while the internal consistencies were [alpha]s > .80 for all subscales. In both studies, the three HEMA subscales had test-retest correlations averaging rs = .51, which suggests that these orientations are temporally quite stable, yet they are also amenable to change. Longitudinal analyses showed correlations between the HEMA scale and external criteria: hedonic pleasure orientation was associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, personal growth, purpose in life, and sense of meaning; hedonic relaxation orientation was associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, calm affect, and personal growth; and eudaimonic orientation was associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, personal growth, purpose in life, and sense of meaning. Implications for future research on the HEMA scale are discussed., Author(s): Ryosuke Asano [sup.1] , Saori Tsukamoto [sup.2] , Tasuku Igarashi [sup.3] , Veronika Huta [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.410781.b, 0000 0001 0706 0776, Department of Psychology, Kurume University, , [...]

Although researchers have studied empathy among many populations, there are few studies in which researchers have focused on empathy among Farsi speakers. We explore the psychometric properties of a Farsi translation of the Empathy Quotient (EQ), and compare the degree to which the items function in a comparable way to the English version of the items. We used Rasch measurement theory to examine the psychometric properties of the EQ in terms of item ordering, item fit, and differences between Farsi-speakers and English speakers related to the overall locations of participants within the two language subgroups and the consistency of item ordering between the two subgroups. Overall, the results suggested that the Farsi translation of the EQ demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties for measuring empathy among Farsi speakers. However, several items appeared to function differently across the two translations. We discuss our findings in terms of their implications for research and practice., Author(s): Stefanie A. Wind [sup.1] [sup.2] , Parvaneh Yaghoubi Jami [sup.1] , Behzad Mansouri [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411015.0, 0000 0001 0727 7545, The University of Alabama, , Tuscaloosa, AL, [...]

Over the last few decades, distance education and distance learning have assumed a relevant role in education paradigms. To evaluate the perception and preferences of the psychosocial online learning environment by Portuguese post-secondary higher education, the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) was applied in a Portuguese context. This article describes the adaptation and validation of DELES to be used in distance and hybrid education psychosocial learning environments in Portugal. The results suggested five scales rather than the six of the original DELES. The Internal consistency values were all good or excellent. However, a second-order principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that the scales might also be scored and used as a unidimensional measure. Beyond investigating the DELES-Pt 'actual' form concerning students' perceptions of the learning environment, we also studied psychometric features of the DELES-Pt 'preferred' form regarding students' preferred learning environment. The results were like those achieved with the actual form in other investigations. When both forms were compared, a significant discrepancy was observed between students' perceptions and preferences. The implications of these findings for applied settings are discussed. DELES-Pt forms demonstrated adequate reliability and validity; however, further studies with the DELES-Pt are needed to compare with our data., Author(s): Anabela Sousa Pereira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Rosa Maria Gomes [sup.1] , Daniel Ruivo Marques [sup.1] [sup.3] , Scott L. Walker [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7311.4, 0000000123236065, Department of Education [...]

Psychometric measures form an essential component of cognitive and neuropsychological assessments, yet there is a lack of published research about the practices of psychologists administering these tests in New Zealand. An online survey was developed to determine the views and practices of psychologists who administer cognitive and neuropsychological assessments with New Zealand children. Results of the 66 respondents revealed that the WISC-IV and the ABAS-II-Parent were the most frequently used measures and that lack of access and familiarity were most frequently cited reasons for not using a measure. Most respondents had concerns regarding the cultural sensitivity of tests and thought that New Zealand normative data was needed. Keywords: neuropsychological assessment; cognitive assessment; test selection; child; New Zealand context, Cognitive and neuropsychological assessments with children must be accurate and valid due to the significant influence that results can have on the life of a child and their family/whanau. Patterns [...]

Purpose Cough is a common symptom of pulmonary sarcoidosis. We analyzed the severity of cough and factors associated with cough in a university sarcoidosis clinic cohort. Methods Consecutive patients completed the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) and a cough visual analog scale (VAS). Clinical and demographic data were collected. Means of the LCQ were analyzed in patients who had multiple visits in terms of constant variables (e.g., race, sex). Results 355 patients completed the LCQ and VAS at 874 visits. Cough was significantly worse in blacks than whites as determined by the LCQ-mean (16.5 ± 2.6 vs. 17.8 ± 3.0, p < 0.001) and VAS-mean (3.8 ± 3.0 vs. 2.0 ± 2.6, p < 0.0001). Cough was worse in women than men as measured by the VAS-mean (2.7 ± 2.9 vs. 2.2 ± 2.7, p = 0.002), one of the LCQ-mean domains (LCQ-Social-mean 5.4 ± 0.9 vs. 5.2 ± 1.0, p = 0.03), but not the total LCQ-mean score. Cough was not significantly different by either measure in terms of smoking status, age, or spirometric parameter (FVC % predicted, FEV1 % predicted, FEV1/FVC). In a multivariable linear regression analysis, cough was significantly worse in blacks than whites and in pulmonary sarcoidosis than non-pulmonary sarcoidosis with both cough measures, in women than men for the VAS only, and not for spirometric parameters, Scadding stage, or age. The LCQ and VAS were strongly correlated. Conclusions In a large university outpatient sarcoidosis cohort, cough was worse in blacks than whites. Cough was not statistically significantly different in terms of age, spirometric measures, Scadding stage, or smoking status. The LCQ correlated strongly with a visual analog scale for cough., Author(s): Marc A. Judson [sup.1] , Amit Chopra [sup.1] , Edward Conuel [sup.2] , Efstratios Koutroumpakis [sup.2] , Christopher Schafer [sup.2] , Adam Austin [sup.2] , Robert Zhang [sup.2] , [...]

The current study systematically investigated the effects of scoring and categorization methods on the psychometric properties of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Four hundred and three college students completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient at least once. Total scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability using a binary or Likert scoring method, but the results were more varied for the subscales. Overall, Likert scoring yielded higher internal consistency and test-retest reliability than binary scoring. However, agreement in categorization of low and high autistic traits was poor over time (except for a median split on Likert scores). The results support using Likert scoring and administering the Autism-Spectrum Quotient at the same time as the task of interest with neurotypical participants., Author(s): Jennifer L. Stevenson [sup.1] , Kari R. Hart [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) 0000 0001 0358 5890grid.267667.4Department of Psychology, Ursinus College, 601 East Main Street, 19426, Collegeville, PA, USA (2) [...]

The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) has been validated as a tool to aid in the diagnosis of Autism; however, given the growing diversity in the United States, the ADI-R must be validated for different languages and cultures. This study evaluates the validity of the ADI-R in a US-based Latino, Spanish-speaking population of 50 children and adolescents with ASD and developmental disability. Sensitivity and specificity of the ADI-R as a diagnostic tool were moderate, but lower than previously reported values. Validity of the social reciprocity and restrictive and repetitive behaviors domains was high, but low in the communication domain. Findings suggest that language discordance between caregiver and child may influence reporting of communication symptoms and contribute to lower sensitivity and specificity., Author(s): Sandra B. Vanegas[sup.1] , Sandra Magaña[sup.1] , Miguel Morales[sup.1] , Ellyn McNamara[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, M/C 626, 1640 [...]

There is a lack of standardized aphasia batteries available in the Russian language. The primary aims of the study were to: (1) develop a new aphasia test of auditory comprehension [...]

The aim of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of a questionnaire measuring to what extent the climate of health care settings are perceived as being person-centered. The English Person-Centered Climate Questionnaire-patient version (PCQ-P) was distributed to a sample of hospital patients (n = 108) and data were subjected to psychometric evaluation using statistical estimates of validity and reliability. Content and construct validity of the PCQ-P was satisfactory in literature reviews and factor and item analysis. Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory for the total scale (0.90) and also for subscales: safety = 0.96 and hospitality = 0.89. The intraclass correlation coefficient indicating test-retest reliability was 0.70 with a 95% confidence interval ranging between 0.63 and 0.77. Even though the sample should be considered, the results indicate that the PCQ is a valid and reliable contribution for assessing to what extent the climate of health care settings are perceived to be person-centered by patients. Keywords: instrument development; psychometrics; questionnaires; person-centered care; hospitals

The psychometric properties of the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ) are evaluated using a clinical sample of children with selective mutism (SM). The study shows that SMQ is useful in determining the severity of a child's nonspeaking behaviors, the scope of these behaviors and necessary follow up assessment.

The prevention of counterproductive of antisocial risk taking is a research priority. Attempts to understand risk-taking behaviors are dominated by the psychometric and neuropsychological paradigms, which have developed in relative isolation. Previous studies indicate that risk taking is associated with the sensation-seeking personality trait, although the relationship with impulsivity may be complex. Poor risk-related decision making is associated with lesions to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Furthev research is necessary to establish which forms of risk taking are associated with the 5-factor model of personality and may be influenced by ventromedial prefrontal cortex functioning. The relationship between risk-related decision making and personality traits is also discussed in order to provide a basis for future research adopting an integrated model of risk taking behavior.

The author identifies four conceptualizations of the relation between symptoms and disorders as utilized in diagnostic systems such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994): A constructivist perspective, which holds that disorders are conveniently grouped sets of symptoms; a diagnostic perspective, which holds that disorders are latent classes underlying the symptoms; a dimensional perspective, which holds that symptoms measure latent continua; and a causal systems perspective, which holds that disorders are causal networks consisting of symptoms and direct causal relations between them. Advantages and disadvantages of these conceptualizations are discussed. The author concludes that the psychometric analysis of diagnostic systems is not settled, and that these systems require deeper psychometric analysis than they currently receive. Keywords: diagnostic systems; psychometrics; theoretical psychology; latent variable models; causal networks

This special issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology comprises six theoretical papers that are concerned with the interconnected topics of scientific method, abductive inference, and clinical reasoning. The first four papers deal with the nature and limitations of a broad abductive theory of scientific method, and its application to clinical reasoning and case formulation. These are followed by three papers which in turn consider the prospects of using explanatory criteria to appraise competing models of psychopathy, examine the merits of a number of different psychometric perspectives on the assessment of psychopathology, and reject a core supposition of the orthodox approach to hypothesis testing. Keywords: scientific method; abduction; clinical reasoning; inference to the best explanation; diagnostic systems; hypothesis resting

A cross-sectional study that was conducted on twins to assess inspection time and psychometric tests of many cognitive abilities in children from 1 to 17 years is presented. Results showed that there were substantial correlations between cognitive abilities and inspection time.

The psychometric properties of four teacher report measures and their utility for accurate diagnosis of pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSDs) were examined. Participants were 191 youth (65% male; 62% African-American; 23% diagnosed with a BPSD), age 5-18 (M=10.16, SD=3.27) years, 70% recruited from a community mental health center and 30% recruited from a mood disorders clinic. Teachers 'who knew the child best' were asked to complete the Achenbach Teacher Report Form (TRF) as well as teacher versions of the General Behavior Inventory (T-GBI), the Child Mania Rating Scale (CMRS-T), and the Young Mania Rating Scale (T-YMRS). Teacher response rates and missing data varied significantly depending on the age of the child. Exploratory factor analysis identified stable and interpretable factors; however, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and logistic regression analyses showed that teacher report measures were not able to discriminate BPSD cases from non-BPSD cases, or from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases. Teacher report appears to be insufficiently specific or sensitive to BPSD for clinical diagnostic use, although teacher scales might have research utility. Keywords: bipolar disorder; children and adolescents; diagnostic accuracy; psychometrics; sensitivity and specificity; teacher report

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Main Meal Quality Index when applied on the UK population. Subjects/Methods: The indicator was developed to assess meal quality in different populations, and is composed of 10 components: fruit, vegetables (excluding potatoes), ratio of animal protein to total protein, fiber, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat, processed meat, sugary beverages and desserts, and energy density, resulting in a score range of 0-100 points. The performance of the indicator was measured using strategies for assessing content validity, construct validity, discriminant validity and reliability, including principal component analysis, linear regression models and Cronbach%apos;s alpha. Results: The indicator presented good reliability. Conclusions: The Main Meal Quality Index has been shown to be valid for use as an instrument to evaluate, monitor and compare the quality of meals consumed by adults in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2017) 71, 674-676; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.175; published online 14 September 2016, Author(s): B M Gorgulho [1]; G K Pot [2, 3]; D M Marchioni [1] Introduction Despite cultural and social differences, countries and international organizations have developed nutritional references and guidelines, [...]

A new measure of unrealistic marital expectations was tested in a sample of 453 community couples. Structural validity, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency and temporal stability of the new measure were measured.

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS; Schniering, C. A., & Rapee, R. M. (2002). Development and validation of a measure of children's automatic thoughts: The Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 1091-1109) in a large sample of anxious youth. The participants were 891 referred children and adolescents. Participants completed the CATS and a wide range of symptom measures, and were assessed via a structured diagnostic interview. Previous community-based psychometric properties were confirmed. The scale was highly sensitive to treatment change, and showed evidence of cognitive specificity with reductions in threat and failure beliefs, but not in hostility beliefs following treatment. The CATS demonstrated good convergent validity with related anxiety and depression scales, and moderate discriminant validity was found across anxious, anxious-depressed and anxious-oppositional groups. Implications for the assessment of child anxiety, and difficulties around children 'faking good' on anxiety measures are discussed. Keywords: Child anxiety; Cognition; Assessment; Treatment change

The purpose of the study was to report initial data on the psychometric properties of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. The scale was applied to a nonclinical sample of 250 (137 women, 113 men) Turkish undergraduate students selected randomly from Middle East Technical University. Their mean age was 20.4 yr. (SD = 1.9). The factor structure of the Turkish version, its criterion validity, and internal reliability coefficients were assessed. Although maximum likelihood factor analysis initially indicated that the scale had only one factor, a forced two-factor solution accounted for more variance (61%) in scale scores than a single factor. The straightforward items loaded on the first factor, and the reverse-coded items loaded on the second factor. The total score was significantly positively correlated with scores on the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale and significantly negatively correlated with scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Factor 1 (straightforward items) correlated more highly with both Shyness and Self-esteem than Factor 2 (reverse-coded items). Internal consistency estimate was .94 for the Total scores, .91 for the Factor 1 (straightforward items), and .87 for the Factor 2 (reverse-coded items). No sex differences were evident for Fear of Negative Evaluation.

Two nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) methods were used to analyze the Baseline Addiction Severity Index (ASI-5) data of a sample of substance abuse patients, from both Recent and Lifetime indexes of ASI problems function. The study found that NIRT was successful in deriving summary indexes of severity that were relatively independent between the different ASI-5 problem areas and demonstrated concurrent validity.

This article is based largely upon the author's invited address at the 113th annual convention of the American Psychological Convention, Washington, DC, as the 2005 recipient of the Samuel J. Messick Award bestowed by APA Division 5 and the Educational Testing Service. The author summarizes the growth of graduate training in psychometrics and quantitative psychology, in the years prior to and following the end of WWII. He then opines the steady decline in the training of psychometricians and quantitative psychologists beginning in the 1970s and continuing into the 20th century. Likely causes of the decline are inferred and prospects for strengthening the quantitative skills of doctorates are discussed, including recommendations for reversing the downward trend.

The further integration of primary care within the wider health system is an imperative for reform in all countries. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors associated with general practitioner (GP) integration using the GP Integration Index which has been recently developed and is demonstrating good reliability. The analysis is based on a database derived from an Australia-wide mail questionnaire survey of 1874 GPs drawn from a 20% stratified random sample of 123 Divisions of General Practice (47.8% adjusted response rate). The GP Integration Index measures the level of GPs' integration with the health care system based upon a description of their own behaviour. It consists of nine GP integration factors, and their two associated higher-order factors--Primary Care Management (PCM) and Community Health Role (CHR)--as well as five GP integration enabling factors. A multivariate multilevel analysis was undertaken. An explanatory model for both PCM and CHR was tested based on the GP integration factors as well as general practice, GP and regional characteristics. CHR and PCM were most strongly associated with GP integration enabling factors (mainly at the individual-level) and, for CHR only, with urban-rural location (mainly at the area-level). The most important single explanatory variable for both PCM and CHR was the GP integration enabling factor, 'Knowledge of local resources.' The important explanatory variables were those reflecting the way GPs work, rather than their broad 'classification' within individual or GP-setting groupings. Based on these results, some revision to the proposed model was necessary. We conclude that processes of care factors (as compared to structure of care factors) are more important in relation to GP integration than previously recognised. Future policy initiatives to promote GP integration should focus on programs to improve GP's knowledge of local resources. Keywords: Integration; General practice; Psychometrics; Scale development; Australia

The 50-item Violence-Related Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (V-RABS) includes three subscales measuring possible causes of violent behavior (environmental influences, biological influences, and mental illness) and four subscales assessing possible controls of violent behavior (death penalty, punishment, prevention, and catharsis). Each subscale demonstrates good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Thus, the V-RABS and its component subscales can be valuable research tools for understanding people's beliefs about the causes and controls of violent crime. Keywords: attitude measurement; violence prevention; scale construction; punishment; death penalty

The scientist-practitioner collaboration around a structured employment interview coaching program is described. The aim of the project is to provide assistance to promotion candidates in preparing for a structured panel interview, to survey employee reactions to the program, to determine whether the intervention had an effect on interview performance and to provide benefits without negatively influencing validity and reliability of interview procedures.

The construct of stagnation through scale development method, where a concept-driven approach was adopted to generate candidate items for the stagnation scale, is explored. The results conclude that the stagnation scale has good psychometric properties, and has meaningful factor structures, and that stagnation is a clinical syndrome distinct from depression.

An attempt is made to test the psychometric measures of spatial abilities, spatial updating, verbal abilities and working memory in which the layout of large environments from direct experience of walking through a real environment by a desktop virtual environment and a videotape of a walk through an environment is explained. The results indicate that spatial abilities at different scales of space are partially dissociated and that there are very large individual differences in environmental spatial abilities.

The 48-item Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) was designed to assess three dimensions (task-oriented, emotional, and avoidant) of self-reported responses to stressful circumstances, but results from factor analyses suggest four factors. The present research used confirmatory factor analysis to verify the four-factor structure for the 21-item CISS short form in samples of 1,628 undergraduate students and 390 community-dwelling adults. Factors corresponding to task-oriented and emotional scales were orthogonal and were well defined by their seven constituent items. The avoidant scale was split into two three-item parcels that describe specific avoidance behaviors (contact a friend and treat oneself) rather than broad response categories. In the undergraduate sample, depression and anxiety correlated negatively with the task-oriented scale and positively with the emotional scale. In the community sample, the emotional scale was positively correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with extroversion and agreeableness, whereas the task-oriented scale was negatively correlated with neuroticism and positively correlated with extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. It was concluded that the task-oriented and emotional scales have potential as measures of two types of responses to routine stressors. Keywords: coping styles; inventories; factor structure; psychometrics

Social capital is a relatively new concept which has attracted significant attention in recent years. No consensus has yet been reached on how to measure social capital, resulting in a large number of different tools available. While psychometric validation methods such as factor analysis have been used by a few studies to assess the internal validity of some tools, these techniques rely on data already collected by the tool and are therefore not capable of eliciting what the questions are actually measuring. The Young Lives (YL) study includes quantitative measures of caregiver's social capital in four countries (Vietnam, Peru, Ethiopia, and India) using a short version of the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (SASCAT). A range of different psychometric methods including factor analysis were used to evaluate the construct validity of SASCAT in Peru and Vietnam. In addition, qualitative cognitive interviews with 20 respondents from Peru and 24 respondents from Vietnam were conducted to explore what each question is actually measuring. We argue that psychometric validation techniques alone are not sufficient to adequately validate multi-faceted social capital tools for use in different cultural settings. Psychometric techniques show SASCAT to be a valid tool reflecting known constructs and displaying postulated links with other variables. However, results from the cognitive interviews present a more mixed picture with some questions being appropriately interpreted by respondents, and others displaying significant differences between what the researchers intended them to measure and what they actually do. Using evidence from a range of methods of assessing validity has enabled the modification of an existing instrument into a valid and low cost tool designed to measure social capital within larger surveys in Peru and Vietnam, with the potential for use in other developing countries following local piloting and cultural adaptation of the tool. Keywords: Social capital; Psychometric validation; Qualitative; Factor analysis; Developing world; Peru; Vietnam

The psychometric properties and exploratory factor analysis of the Children's Attributions and Perceptions Scale in two Spanish samples of children were examined (n = 48 from an after-school social care center in a deprived neighborhood, and n = 120 from a school mainly enrolling families of medium socioeconomic status: 49% boys and 51% girls; M age = 10.5 yr., SD = 18.7). A cross-cultural comparative analysis of the Spanish samples and the normative sample was also carried out. Factor analysis supported a 4-factor solution for Spanish populations. Significant differences were found between the Spanish groups in school and the social care centers. The cross cultural analysis showed that stressful conditions (sexual abuse vs deprivation) produced greater differences than cultural group (Spanish vs American).

The development, psychometric analysis, and validation of the African American Respect Scale, a 20-item instrument measuring prosocial attitudes held by male adolescents is described. Suggestions for social work practice with African American youth include assessing their attitudes toward respect, and assisting them to handle disrespect without resorting to violence.

Psychometric characteristics of the Student Information Literacy Self-efficacy Report based on responses from 498 students ages 9 to 12 years are reported. Students report their stir-efficacy (confidence and difficulty) in 11 different phases of being information literate, i.e., developing a topic, planning, self management, locating sources, selecting sources, retrieving information, analysing information, evaluating information, synthesising knowledge, presenting knowledge, and self-evaluation using a positively packed rating scale. The data were strongly internally consistent (Cronbach [alpha] = .95) with a test-retest reliability of .78. The 11 phases, factors measured by a matching pair of self-efficacy questions, were confirmed ([chi square] = 529.68; df = 198; RMSEA = .058; TLI = .940), Ratings were correlated low with teachers' ratings and test scores of information literacy skills and moderately correlated with academic self-concept. The test provides unique information about students' self-efficacy for information literacy. Its use in classrooms is warranted.

A study focuses on the comparison of two types of item designs with regard to the effect of variations of the property 'perceptual organization' on the psychometric properties and concurrent validity of figural matrices. The results indicate a comparably high concurrent validity of the automatically generated figural matrices with regard to Raven matrices and points towards differential effects of two kinds of implementations of perceptual organization.