The Death Distress Construct and Scale

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek
Keyword(s):  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Orthogonal Varimax Rotation ◽  
Death Depression

The purpose of this research was to construct a short scale to assess the death distress construct, that is, death anxiety, death depression, and death obsession as derivatives from the already existing scales. A sample of 630 volunteer undergraduates responded to scales of death anxiety, death depression, and death obsession. A Pearson correlation matrix was computed using the 51 individual items of the three scales. A forced three-factor principal components analysis with orthogonal varimax rotation was carried out. Eight items with factor loading > 0.5 on each scale was determined. The eight items with highest factor loadings on Factor I were with “Death obsession,” whereas the Factors II and III were labeled: “Death anxiety,” and “Death depression.” Their alpha reliabilities ranged from 0.83 to 0.93, indicating high internal consistency. One week test retest reliability ranged between 0.76 and 0.91, indicating temporal stability. A single high-loaded factor of death distress was disclosed, demonstrating the discriminant validity of the death distress construct and scale. Women obtained a significantly higher mean scores on all three factors. It was concluded that the aforementioned three factors were sufficiently independent to justify their use in assessing partially distinct sub-constructs as sub-components of the generic high-order factor of death distress, with empirical and clinical implications.

scholarly journals Measuring and Assessing Fluctuating and Authentic–Durable Happiness in Italian Samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1602
Author(s):  
Lucia Monacis ◽  
Pierpaolo Limone ◽  
Michaël Dambrun ◽  
Antonella Delle Fave ◽  
Maria Sinatra
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
A Value ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Convergent And Divergent Validity ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

On the basis of the self-centeredness and selflessness model, a new instrument assessing two distinct dimensions of happiness, fluctuating and authentic–durable, was developed. The current research aimed at examining the factor structure of the Italian version of the instrument, its psychometric properties and construct validity. To this end, two studies were carried out. Study 1 (N = 544) examined different measurement models, from unidimensional to multidimensional, from a fully symmetrical bifactor solution to a bifactor (S-1) solution. Findings indicated better and adequate fit indices for the last model. Using various samples (n = 1274) Study 2 confirmed the bifactor (S-1) structure and analysed psychometric properties, convergent and divergent validity and temporal stability of the instrument. Findings generally gave evidence of the multidimensional conceptualization of the construct, good levels of reliability values and adequate convergent validity of both scales. Discriminant validity showed mixed results from no association of age with authentic–durable happiness to weak and negative association with fluctuating happiness. Test–retest reliability displayed an adequate value of correlation coefficient for the two set scores of the authentic dimension and a value below the recommended cut-off criteria for the fluctuating dimension, where significant differences in the mean scores emerged. Future studies should aim to replicate the results of this research and attempt to overcome its limitations.

Are Death Anxiety and Death Depression Distinct Entities?

1993 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Alvarado ◽  
Donald I. Templer ◽  
Charles Bresler ◽  
Shan Thomas-Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Subjective Distress ◽  
Factor Loadings ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Life Factor ◽  
Death Depression

Subjective distress about the matter of death is widely recognized by thanatology scholars to be multiple faceted. Although there are several instruments that assess anxiety or fear regarding death, until recently there had been no instrument reported in the literature for measuring depression pertaining to death. In the present study the fifteen-item Death Anxiety Scale and the more recently constructed seventeen-item Death Depression Scale were correlated, and their combined thirty-two items were factor analyzed. The two scales correlated .55. Factor 1 was labeled “death anxiety” and its five highest factor loadings were with Death Anxiety Scale items. Factor 2 was labeled “death depression” and its five highest factor loadings were with Death Depression Scale items. Factors 3 and 4 each had the highest factor loadings on both Death Anxiety Scale and Death Depression Scale items and were respectively called “death of others” and “brevity of life.” Factor 5 was called “meaning-lessness of life” and its highest factor loadings were with Death Depression Scale items. It was concluded that the two death attitude instruments do have discriminant validity in relationship to each other. Also, suggestions were made for the combined use of these two scales.

scholarly journals Pictorial Empathy Test (PET)

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 421-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjaana Lindeman ◽  
Iivo Koirikivi ◽  
Jari Lipsanen
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Brief Assessment ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Development And Validation

Abstract. Research on empathy has increased rapidly during the last decades but brief assessment methods are not easily available. The aim was to develop a test for affective empathic reactions which would be simple to translate into different languages, easy to use in a variety of research settings, and which would catch the empathic reactions at the moment they arise. We describe the development and validation of the Pictorial Empathy Test (PET) in three studies (Study 1, N = 91; Study 2, N = 2,789; and Study 3, N = 114). The PET includes seven photographs about distressed individuals and the participants are asked to rate on a 5-point scale how emotionally moving they find the photograph. The results indicated that the PET displayed a unitary factor structure and it had high internal consistency and good seven-month test-retest reliability. In addition, the results supported convergent and discriminant validity of the test. The results suggest that the PET is a useful addition to the prevailing methods for assessing affective empathy.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the reliability and validity of computerized tests of attention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Langner ◽  
Frank Scharnowski ◽  
Silvio Ionta ◽  
Carlos Ernesto Garrido Salmon ◽  
Brian J. Piper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Vigilance Task ◽  
Continuous Performance Task ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Basic And Applied Research ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Psychomotor Vigilance

Different aspects of attention can be assessed through psychological tests, in order to identify stable individual or group differences as well as alterations after interventions. Aiming for a wide applicability of psychological assessments, Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) is an open-source software system for designing and running computerized tasks that tax various attentional functions. Here, we evaluated the reliability and validity of several widely used computerized attention tasks as provided with the PEBL package, namely the Continuous Performance Task (CPT), the Switcher task, the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), the Mental Rotation task, and the Attentional Network Test. For all tasks, we evaluated test–retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), as well as internal consistency through within-test correlations and split-half ICC. Across tasks, response time scores showed adequate reliability, whereas scores of performance accuracy, variability, and deterioration over time did not. Stability across application sites was observed for the CPT and Switcher task, but substantial practice effects (i.e., a lack of temporal stability) was observed for all tasks except the PVT. We substantiate convergent and discriminant validity for several task scores using between-task correlations and provide further evidence for construct validity via associations of task scores with attentional and motivational assessments. The Switcher task did not show sufficient stability and validity for the evaluation of switching costs, therefore we propose that a longer practice period might be necessary for achieving sound psychometric properties for this task. We suggest that researchers interested in individual differences should be particularly cautious when including accuracy or variability scores in their assessment. Taken together, our results provide necessary and valuable information that may help design and interpret studies involving attention assessments in basic and applied research.

scholarly journals PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF TRAVELERS NEEDS QUESTIONNAIRE (TNQ)

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Jeļena Ļevina ◽  
Jeļena Koļesņikova ◽  
Tatjana Kanonire
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

The purpose of this research was to develop the Travelers Needs Questionnaire (TNQ), which measures travelers’ needs, and to determine its psychometric properties. The TNQ was developed for travelers with native Russian language from different countries: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic States. The sample consisted of 237 participants aged from 17 to 68 years (26.2 % male, 73.8 % female, mean age M = 30.49, SD = 9.21). The factorial validity of the TNQ was established using principal components analysis with varimax rotation; this yielded seven factors: Professional Realization, Pilgrimage, Personal Development, Cultural Development, Sport, Physical Hedonism and Communication. All the TNQ scales had high internal consistency. The reaction and discrimination indices satisfied the accepted psychometric criteria. The further stage of the TNQ development would be the confirmatory factor analysis in broader international sample, the concurrent and convergent validity establishing, and test-retest reliability examination.

scholarly journals Turkish Version of the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedat Batmaz ◽  
Sibel Kocbiyik ◽  
Ozgur Ahmet Yuncu
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Cognitive Distortions ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Turkish Version ◽  
Oblique Rotation ◽  
Good Test ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Cognitive distortions are interrelated with all layers of cognitions, and they may be part of the treatment once they are accessed, identified, labeled, and changed. From both a research and a clinical perspective, it is of utmost importance to disentangle cognitive distortions from similar constructs. Recently, the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest), a brief and comprehensive measure, was developed to assess both the frequency and the intensity of cognitive distortions. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the CD-Quest in a psychiatric outpatient sample. Demographic and clinical data of the participants were analyzed by descriptive statistics. For group comparisons, Student’st-test was applied. An exploratory principal components factor analysis was performed, followed by an oblique rotation. To assess the internal consistency of the scale Cronbach’sαwas computed. The correlation coefficient was calculated for test-retest reliability over a 4-week period. For concurrent validity, bivariate Pearson correlation analyses were conducted with the measures of mood severity and negatively biased cognitions. The results revealed that the scale had excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, unidimensional factor structure, and evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity.

The Response to Conflict Scale

Assessment ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary R. Birchler ◽  
William Fals-Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Marital Conflict ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Psychometric Evaluation ◽  
Consistency Test ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Conflict Scale

This study details the psychometric evaluation of the Response to Conflict Scale (RTC), a 24-item measure of maladaptive responses to marital conflict. The inventory showed high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct and discriminant validity, and classification efficiency. Clinical utility of the RTC is also discussed.

A Measure of Career Self-Efficacy

1996 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 240-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Wulff ◽  
Jean A. Steitz
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

The present study involved the development of a measure of career self-efficacy. The measure is short, easy to use, and has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability as well as good congruent and discriminant validity.

scholarly journals When I don't Like Myself: Portuguese Version of the Internalized Shame Scale

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1411-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Matos ◽  
José Pinto-Gouveia ◽  
Cristiana Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Internalized Shame ◽  
Portuguese Version ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

In the past two decades, there has been a growing theoretical and empirical interest on the role of shame, namely internal shame, on the conceptualization of human functioning and several interpersonal and emotional problems. The current study explores the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Internalized Shame Scale (ISS), a self-report measure which assesses trait shame, composed by an Internal Shame subscale, measuring internalized shame, and a Self-Esteem subscale. The factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity for both subscales, are presented, in a sample of 385 college students. The Principal Components Analyses reveal that both Internal Shame and Self-Esteem subscales present a one-dimensional structure which explains, respectively, 48.54% and 57.7% of the variance. The subscales present high internal consistency, with high Cronbach'alphas (.95 and .85) and moderate to high item-total correlations. The two subscales present an excellent temporal stability. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales was corroborated through the moderate correlations with a measure of shame and of social comparison, and through the low and moderate correlations with the subscales depression, anxiety, and stress. The Portuguese version of the ISS is a valid and reliable instrument to measure internalized shame.

scholarly journals The Adaptation of Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 within an Omani Context: Some Initial Findings

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
El Shourbagi, Sahar ◽  
Abd-El-Fattah, Sabry M.
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Validity Indices ◽  
Gilliam Autism Rating Scale

Aim: The aim of the present study was to report some initial findings concerning the validity and reliability of the Omani version of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (OM-GARS-2). Sample: The sample of the study included 90 children aged 8-14 years and divided into two groups: Autistic group (n = 45), enrolled in two public centers of autism care in two governorates in Oman, and normal group (n =45), enrolled in two public schools in two governorates in Oman. Raters Sample: A total of 8 teachers (4 males and 4 females) working in these centers rated students on the OM-GARS-2. And 7 teachers (4 males and 3 females) in these schools rated students on the OM-GARS-2. All ratings were performed over a three-week period. Methodology: To answer the research questions, two types of reliability indictors were computed: (1) test-retest reliability, and (2) internal consistency reliability. Then, Pearson correlation coefficient was computed between students’ scores on OM-ABC which is studied by several researchers and the total score and the OM-GARS-2 subscales as well as total score. Finally, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted where group (autistic vs. normal) was set as an independent variable (factor) and the OM-GARS-2 subscales and Autism index was set as criterion variable to test the hypothesis that there would be one or more mean differences between groups. Results: The results of the study showed the OM-GARS-2 had temporal stability and internal consistency reliability. The OM-GARS-2 had criterion (type concurrent) validity and discriminant validity. Conclusion: To conclude, the reliability and validity indices of OM-GARS-2 are very similar to that of the original GARS-2 [1] and other studies conducted internationally.

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