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Selected AbstractsReliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) in Alzheimer's disease: validation of a behavioral rating scale to assess dysexecutive symptoms in Japanese patients with Alzheimer's diseaseINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 10 2007Yoshihiro Shinagawa Abstract Background Both executive cognitive dysfunction and behavioral problems contribute to dysexecutive symptoms in daily life. The aim of the present study was to develop a behavior rating scale for assessing dysexecutive symptoms in Japanese patients with AD. Method The Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX), devised by Burgess et al. (1998), was used to evaluate 122 Japanese patients with AD. The factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of the Japanese version of the DEX were then examined. Results The Japanese version of the DEX demonstrated a good internal reliability and a good test,retest reliability. Factor analysis revealed three factors that were named ,apathy', ,hyperactivity' and ,planning and monitoring process of the purposive action'. The ,apathy' factor of the DEX was significantly correlated with the ,apathy' score of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), while ,planning and monitoring process' factor of the DEX was significantly correlated with the total score of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and the ,hyperactivity' factor of the DEX was significantly correlated with the ,aggression', ,euphoria' and ,disinhibition' scores of the NPI. Conclusions The Japanese DEX is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing executive dysfunction conveniently in real life situations of AD patients. While two factors, ,apathy' and ,hyperactivity', were associated with emotional and behavioral changes, the ,planning and monitoring process' was associated with the cognitive executive function in the patients with AD. These findings suggest that both a neuropsychiatric syndrome and cognitive function contribute to the dysexecutive symptoms experienced by AD patients in daily life. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Nursing attitudes towards acute mental health care: development of a measurement toolJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2005John A. Baker BNurs MSc MPhil RN Aim., This paper reports the development, piloting and validation of a tool to measure attitudes for use with nursing staff working in acute mental health care units. Background., The quality of care provided for service users in acute mental health care has come under both scrutiny and severe criticism. The attitudes of staff working in these environments have been cited as a contributory factor in poor care. No measure of attitudes specific to acute mental health has been reported. Methods., A 64-question measure was constructed and distributed to a sample of qualified and unqualified nurses drawn from seven mental health care units in the North of England. Exploratory factor analysis and a number of other statistical tests were performed to validate the questionnaire. Results., Preliminary analysis reduced the original 64 questions to 37. Five components were retained, accounting for 42% of the variance, and the five rotated factors were identified. The resultant ,Attitudes Towards Acute Mental Health Scale' (ATAMHS) achieved good internal reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0·72. Conclusion., The construction and validation of the ATAMHS measure will enable improved understanding of the attitudes of nursing staff working in acute mental health care settings to occur. This measure is available for use in a clinical area of nursing in which attitude change is of fundamental importance for future development of care. [source] Exploratory factor analysis of the research and development culture index among qualified nursesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 9 2005Bill Watson MSc Aims and objectives., This paper presents the exploratory factor analysis of a rating instrument for assessing the strength of organizational Research and Development (R&D) culture. Background., Despite nursing's limited research capacity, the discipline is capitalising upon opportunities to become involved in research and is making strong progress. Within the context of the debate on nursing research capacity, the R&D Culture Index was developed as a means of appraising R&D culture within health care organizations. Design., Factor analysis was carried out on data collected from 485 nursing staff. The method of extraction was Principal Components Analysis with oblique rotation. Methods., The Index was developed from the findings of qualitative research conducted with NHS staff. Eighteen items, encompassing the main themes from the data, were initially included in the Index. This pilot instrument was distributed to nursing staff within three different types of NHS Trust. Factor analysis resulted in rejection of two items and the analysis was repeated using the remaining 16 items. Results., Three latent factors were extracted accounting for 58·0% of the variance in the data. The factors were: R&D Support, describing the perceived support within the working environment for R&D activity; Personal R&D Skills and Aptitude, describing an individual's perception of their ability towards R&D activity; and Personal R&D Intention, describing an individual's willingness to engage in R&D activity. Each factor had good internal reliability, as did the overall index. Conclusion., The R&D Culture Index provides an efficient means of assessing the strength of an organization's R&D culture in a way that captures the role of the individual practitioner and the organizational environment. Relevance to practice., These findings suggest that the continuing promotion of R&D within health care organizations is dependent upon a multi-faceted approach that addresses the learning needs of the organization as well as those of the individual practitioners. [source] Traumatic Exposure Severity Scale (TESS): A measure of exposure to major disastersJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 3 2005Guliz Elal The debate about the role of the intensity of the stressor has occupied a central focus in posttraumatic stress disorder literature. There is currently a paucity of instruments with established psychometric properties measuring severity of trauma exposure in disaster survivors. The Traumatic Exposure Severity Scale was developed specifically to assess dimensions of exposure to an earthquake disaster in adults. Its 24 items assess a wide range of stressors organized into five subscales, derived from factor analyses: Resource Loss, Damage to Home and Goods, Personal Harm, Concern for Significant Others, and Exposure to the Grotesque. The scale provides both Occurrence and Distress scores. It has good internal reliability and validity. The instrument correlates significantly, but moderately, with a number of traumatic stress measures and the Beck Depression Index. [source] The Cancer Coping Questionnaire: A self-rating scale for measuring the impact of adjuvant psychological therapy on coping behaviourPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Stirling Moorey The Cancer Coping Questionnaire is a brief, self-rating scale designed to measure coping strategies taught in Adjuvant Psychological Therapy. This paper describes the development of the 21 item Cancer Coping Questionnaire (CCQ) in a sample of 201 patients with mixed cancers. The construct validity and reliability of the instrument are reported from work on 3 samples (a mixed cancer group, n=42; women with breast cancer, n=50; and a group of patients referred for psychological help, n=48). The CCQ showed very good internal reliability and test,retest reliability. As hypothesised cancer patients with more psychological morbidity demonstrated lower CCQ scores, and the CCQ correlated with measures of adjustment to cancer. Compared with an established coping inventory (the Coping Responses Indices; CRI) the CCQs overall individual scale (items 1,14) assessed similar coping areas, particularly in relation to the CRIs foci of coping. The CCQ correlated with Active Behavioural Coping methods on the CRI. The study did not demonstrate sufficiently consistent results concerning the Interpersonal Scale of the CCQ to confirm its validity. Further psychometric work is needed, but the study demonstrated the reliability and validity of the CCQ, supporting the view that change in CCQ scores with cognitive therapy indicates improvement in coping. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Validation of the gastrointestinal quality of life index for patients with potentially operable periampullary carcinomaBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 1 2000Dr E. J. M. Nieveen van Dijkum Background: A disease-specific quality of life questionnaire is not available for patients with periampullary carcinoma, although cancer-specific questionnaires and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) have been used. The aim of this study was to validate the GIQLI for patients with periampullary tumours and to evaluate if subscales of the GIQLI could be identified to allow a more detailed assessment of the patients' quality of life. Methods: Patients with periampullary carcinoma, included in a study concerning diagnostic laparoscopy, were asked about symptoms and completed a questionnaire comprising the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 24 questionnaire, the GIQLI and one question of the Rotterdam Symptom Check List (RSCL). Clinical interpretation and statistical factor analysis were used to identify subscales of the GIQLI. Results: The GIQLI could be divided into four subscales, measuring physical well-being, mental well-being, digestion and defaecation. All four subscales had a good internal reliability and the construct validity was supported by the pattern of correlations with the MOS and RSCL as well as differences in subscale scores for patients with or without certain symptoms. Conclusion: In patients with periampullary tumours the GIQLI can be divided into four subscales, measuring different aspects of quality of life. These subscales provide insight into the different problems affecting the patient. © 2000 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd [source] |