Measuring State Medicaid Home Care Participation and Intensity Using Latent Variables

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 731-744
Author(s):  
Judite Gonçalves ◽  
France Weaver ◽  
R. Tamara Konetzka

Population aging and policies to redirect long-term care toward home- and community-based services have led to increases in Medicaid home care spending in most states. Changes in state Medicaid home care policy generosity may result from changes in the number of persons served (i.e., Participation) and/or changes in quantities of services covered (i.e., Intensity). This study measures state Medicaid home care Participation and Intensity comprehensively using latent variables, and uses those latent variables to describe changes in Medicaid home care policy generosity over time and across states. Yearly state-level data from the Medicaid Statistical Information System (1999-2012) are analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Between 1999 and 2012, 29 states expanded both Participation and Intensity, whereas six states reduced both. In the remaining states, a trade-off occurred. Distinguishing between Medicaid home care Participation and Intensity deserves attention, as expansions along these two dimensions represent potentially different implications for beneficiaries.

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Pedro Sobral ◽  
Maria Emília Costa

Abstract. We developed a new instrument designed to measure fear of intimacy in romantic relationships. We suggest assessing fear of intimacy through two dimensions: self-revelation and dependence. The Fear of Intimacy Components Questionnaire (FICQ) was validated across three studies in which a 10-item solution systematically emerged. Consistently with a two component perspective, a two-factor solution fitted data the best: fear of losing the self (FLS) and fear of losing the other (FLO). Qualitative analyses verified content validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses tested the factor structure. Multigroup analyses supported the structural invariance across gender, age, and relationship status. Both factors showed adequate discriminant validity and internal consistency, and good 3-week period test-retest reliability. Associations between the FICQ and insecure attachment orientations demonstrated convergent validity. The association between the FICQ and relationship satisfaction above and beyond a preexisting measure offered criterion validity. By going beyond traditional self-revelation-focused conception of fear of intimacy, that is, by proposing a bi-dimensional structure to fear of intimacy, we believe that this new measure will contribute to future research on fear of intimacy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Ciorba ◽  
Brian E. Russell

The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model that proposes a causal relationship between motivation and academic achievement on the acquisition of jazz theory knowledge. A reliability analysis of the latent variables ranged from .92 to .94. Confirmatory factor analyses of the motivation (standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .067) and jazz theory (SRMR = .063) measures indicated a good fit of the predicted model to the observed data. Results of the latent path model indicated good fit (χ2 = 20.08, p = .692, df = 24, N = 102) and large, positive, and statistically significant direct effects of motivation (β = 0.65) and academic achievement (β = 0.56) on jazz theory knowledge acquisition. The successful identification of this proposed model lends enough support for continued investigation into the process surrounding the acquisition of jazz theory knowledge.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-135
Author(s):  
Patrícia M. Pascoal ◽  
Maria-João Alvarez ◽  
Magda Sofia Roberto

Abstract Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Beliefs About Appearance Scale (BAAS) in terms of its factorial structure and invariance, reliability, and validity when applied to adults from the community. Methods Participants consisted of 810 heterosexual Portuguese individuals in a committed relationship. As a confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original structure of the BAAS, an exploratory factor analysis was performed. Results A 12-item version was extracted comprising two dimensions: one personal and the other social. The factorial model depicting this bidimensional structure revealed an adequate fit following confirmatory factor analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated invariance across gender. Concurrent and discriminant validities and internal consistency were estimated and observed to be adequate. Conclusions This shorter measure of the BAAS can accurately assess body appearance beliefs and may be used in different research settings and contexts.


Author(s):  
Mary Schmeida ◽  
Ramona McNeal

U.S. longevity is placing a demand on long-term care services for the impaired and elderly. Medicaid is the primary insurance program in funding costly long-term care for the aged poor. As a major health reform law, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148, gives financial incentive for states to expand Medicaid, transitioning long-term care services from costly facilities toward home and community-based care. Not all states choose to expand their Medicaid long-term care program despite the financial incentive, but instead they continue spending on nursing facility care despite the less costly option of community care. This article explores why some states have been reluctant to expand long-term care into the community. Regression analysis and 50 state-level data is used.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schroeders ◽  
Timo Gnambs

Abstract. Measurement invaraiance is a key concept in psychological assessment and a fundamental prerequisite for meaningful comparisons across groups. In the prevalent approach, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA), specific measurement parameters are constrained to equality across groups. The degrees of freedom ( df) for these models readily follow from the hypothesized measurement model and the invariance constraints. In light of research questioning the soundness of statistical reporting in psychology, we examined how often reported df match with the df recalcualted based on information given in the publications. More specifically, we reviewed 128 studies from six leading peer-reviewed journals focusing on psychological assessment and recalculated the df for 302 measurement invariance testing procedures. Overall, about a quarter of all articles included at least one discrepancy with metric and scalar invariance being more frequently affected. We discuss moderators of these discrepancies and identify typical pitfalls in measurement invariance testing. Moreover, we provide example syntax for different methods of scaling latent variables and introduce a tool that allows for the recalculation of df in common MGCFA models to improve the statistical soundness of invariance testing in psychological research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1002-1020
Author(s):  
John Tawa ◽  
Amanda K. Montoya

Previous research has found that interdependent self-construals are related to poorer intergroup outcomes. Here we examine interdependent self-construal specifically in relation to comfort in contexts in which people are a numeric minority (i.e., outgroup comfort), and also examine the moderating roles of racial nominalism and racial essentialism. Among a racially diverse sample ( N = 577), interdependent self-construals were related to more outgroup comfort. Two dimensions of racial nominalism—humanist and sociopolitical—were established with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Humanist, sociopolitical, and essentialist beliefs about race were examined as moderators of the interdependent self-construal and outgroup comfort relationship. Among participants of color with higher sociopolitical beliefs, and unexpectedly among participants with higher essentialist beliefs, interdependent self-construal was more positively related to outgroup comfort. Findings are discussed in relation to theory on self- and group-level construals, and in relation to the role of multicultural education for fostering sociopolitical beliefs about race.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (66) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Raquel Wachholz Strelhow ◽  
Livia Maria Bedin ◽  
Jorge Castellá Sarriera

Abstract: Religious coping refers to the use of strategies related to religious faith in coping with stressful situations. This study presents the adaptation of the Children's Religious Coping scale (CRC) for Brazilian children and verifies its psychometric properties. Participants are 1,612 children (54.71% girls) between 8 and 13 years old (M = 10.19, SD = 1.47). Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the CRC was composed of two dimensions: Positive Religious Coping, with 17 items in three factors (Belief in God's support, Seeking the religious institution, Intercession), and Negative Religious Coping, consisting of 11 items in three factors (Dissatisfaction with God or others, Negative reappraisal of meaning, Punishing reappraisal). The instrument showed adequate reliability, multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the items factor weights are similar by sex. The scale showed good fit indices for this sample, demonstrating that it can be a promising instrument for future research.


Psicologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94
Author(s):  
Ronald R. Holden ◽  
Rui C. Campos ◽  
Christine E. Lambert ◽  
Ana Simões ◽  
Sara Costa ◽  
...  

The development of psychometrically sound measures to assess mental pain are important because research has consistently demonstrated a robust relationship to suicide risk. The current research evaluated the Three-Dimensional Psychological Pain Scale (TDPPS) structure, a suicide-relevant measure intended to articulate pain into affective, cognitive, and behavioral facets. As the first Western study to evaluate the TDPPS structure with non-Chinese respondents, six samples comprising 1,627 adults participated. Neither confirmatory factor analyses nor exploratory structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized three-dimensional structure of the TDPPS but, instead, identified two dimensions: pain escape and pain emotions. Scales based on these two dimensions demonstrated replicability in cross-validation and score internal consistency reliability. Furthermore, validity for scores on these two scales was confirmed through moderate associations with another pain measure and scales of suicidal behavior and depression. Findings extend knowledge of TDPPS’s structure of psychological pain and suggest a scale scoring revision.


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