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Multidimensional Measure (multidimensional + measure)
Selected AbstractsMultidimensional measure for gastroesophageal reflux disease (MM-GERD) symptoms in children: a population-based studyACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2008Hoda M Malaty Abstract Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms are very common in children with major presenting symptoms of abdominal pain, heartburn and regurgitation. The presence of GERD symptoms often result in an impaired health-related quality of life for both the patients and their parents. Evaluation of children with GERD symptoms continues to challenge physicians due to the lack of a validated measure for GERD symptoms. Aims: To develop and test a multidimensional measure for GERD symptoms in children and to evaluate the responses of the measure among children attending pediatric gastroenterology (GI) clinics. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that enrolled children with GERD symptoms from pediatric GI clinic. All children and parents received a standardized questionnaire concerning socio-economic parameters, GERD symptoms, duration, frequency, intensity and missed activities due to GERD symptoms. Each child and parent pair was interviewed by a physician to complete baseline information for the multidimensional measure that consisted of four scales: symptoms scale (10 items), pain intensity scale (3 items); disability scale (3 items) and satisfaction scale (2 items). Results: One hundred and thirty-three children participated in the study; 59% girls, ages 4 to 18 years, mean age = 10 ± 3, 50%, 10 years and younger. There was an excellent correlation between the four-scales measure among children 7 years and younger (R = 0.70, p = 0.0001) and children >7 years (R = 0.74, p = 0.0001). The inter-item consistency (Cronbach's co-efficient alpha) for the symptoms items, pain intensity items, disability items and satisfaction items were 0.71, 0.74, 0.78 and 0.60, respectively, demonstrating adequate reliability of the measure. Conclusion: Children with GERD symptoms have good responses to the multidimensional measure for GERD symptoms, showing that the measure performed well across populations. The measure is reliable and specific for assessing the symptoms of GERD in children and is an appropriate outcomes measure for clinical trials involving GERD symptoms in children. [source] Australian children at risk of social exclusion: a spatial index for gauging relative disadvantagePOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 2 2010Robert Tanton Abstract Multidimensional measures of disadvantage, such as social exclusion, are increasingly becoming an important focus of research into poverty and disadvantage. This paper describes the development of an Australian regional index of child social exclusion. Using data from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing, we use principal components analysis to produce an aggregate measure of social exclusion risk for children aged 0,15, and for subgroups of children aged 0,4 and 5,15. Initial analysis of the indexes provides some tentative evidence of spatial patterns in the geographical distribution of child social exclusion, including a greater risk of child social exclusion in rural areas of Australia. This article outlines one of the first examples internationally of the construction of a small-area index of social exclusion specifically tailored towards children. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Measurement of Daily Surge and Its Relevance to Disaster PreparednessACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Melissa L. McCarthy MS This article reviews what is known about daily emergency department (ED) surge and ED surge capacity and illustrates its potential relevance during a catastrophic event. Daily ED surge is a sudden increase in the demand for ED services. There is no well-accepted, objective measure of daily ED surge. The authors propose that daily and catastrophic ED surge can be measured by the magnitude of the surge, as well as by the nature and severity of the illnesses and injuries that patients present with during the surge. The magnitude of an ED surge can be measured by the patient arrival rate per hour. The nature and severity of the surge can be measured by the type (e.g., trauma vs. infection vs. biohazard) and acuity (e.g., triage level) of the surge. Surge capacity is defined as the extent to which a system can respond to a rapid and sizeable increase in the demand for resources. ED surge capacity includes multiple dimensions, such as systems, space, staffing, and supplies. A multidimensional measure is needed that reflects both the core components and their relative contribution to ED surge capacity. Although many types of factors may influence ED surge capacity, relatively little formal research has been conducted in this area. A better understanding of daily ED surge capacity and influencing factors will improve our ability to simulate the potential impact that different types of catastrophic events may have on the surge capacity of hospital EDs nationwide. [source] Development and initial validation of an instrument measuring managerial coaching skillHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2005Gary N. McLean This article reports on two studies that used three different samples (N = 644) to construct and validate a multidimensional measure of managerial coaching skill. The four dimensions of coaching skill measured were Open Communication, Team Approach, Value People, and Accept Ambiguity. The two studies assessed the context adequacy, dimensionality, reliability, factor structure, and construct validity of the scale. Preliminary reliability and validity evidence of the scale was determined. Consequently, the coaching scale provides future researchers with a valuable tool to measure coaching skill in organizational studies, and it offers human resource development professionals a valid instrument to develop effective managers. [source] Psychometric evaluation of the Spanish version of CONNECT: a measure of continuity of care in mental health servicesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007L.M. Chavez Abstract This article provides the results of the psychometric testing of the Spanish version of CONNECT(-S), a measure of continuity of care in mental health services. CONNECT-S is a multidimensional measure designed for use with seriously mentally ill respondents. Consisting of 12 scales and one single-item indicator, it addresses qualities of interaction in current relationships between mental health service providers and consumers in five conceptual domains: (1) practitioner knowledge of their clients, (2) creating flexibility, (3) practitioner availability, (4) practitioner co-ordination, and (5) smoothing transitions. One-hundred-and-fifty participants took part in the study. Participants were recruited from mental health outpatient clinics in both the Puerto Rican (n = 109) and the San Antonio (n = 41) samples. Internal consistency for scales in a combined site estimate ranged from 0.68 to 0.96. Test-retest reliability ranged from fair to substantial in all but one scale. Concurrent validity hypotheses based on a priori predictions were mostly supported. The Spanish translation and adaptation of CONNECT-S provided sound psychometric results across both sites. CONNECT-S addresses the gap in measurement of continuity of care for the two largest US Latino subgroups, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans; and provides an encouraging starting point for a measure that is both relevant and culturally sensitive. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spirituality and job satisfaction among female Jewish Israeli hospital nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2010Aryeh Lazar lazar a. (2010) Spirituality and job satisfaction among female Jewish Israeli hospital nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 334,344. Abstract Title.,Spirituality and job satisfaction among female Jewish Israeli hospital nurses. Aim., This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the relationship between spirituality and hospital nurses' work satisfaction and to determine the unique contributions of various specific aspects of spirituality to their work satisfaction. Background., Spirituality has been indicated as a possible contributor to nurses' job satisfaction. However, few researchers have examined the relationship between spirituality and nurses' job satisfaction. Method., During 2007, 120 female Jewish Israeli hospital nurses responded to a questionnaire including a multidimensional measure of spirituality and a measure of overall job satisfaction. Results., Correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between life coherency aspects of spirituality and spiritual values with job satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated the particular importance of an idealistic spiritual orientation (positive contribution) and a transcendent spiritual orientation (negative contribution) to the prediction of nurses' job satisfaction. Conclusion., The relationship between spirituality and nurses' job satisfaction is complex. Hospital managers may be able to enhance job satisfaction by providing opportunities for nurses to satisfy their spiritual needs (in particular, altruistic and ideological orientations) on the job. In addition, nurses with a strong transcendent orientation may be identified and given special attention to increase the likelihood of job satisfaction. [source] Measuring perceived community support: Factorial structure, longitudinal invariance, and predictive validity of the PCSQ (perceived community support questionnaire)JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Juan Herrero Social support from intimate and confiding relationships has received a great deal of attention; however, the study of the community as a relevant source of support has been comparatively lacking. In this article, we present a multidimensional measure of community support (Perceived Community Support Questionnaire, PCSQ). Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on data from three samples of adult population (two-wave panel: sample 1, N = 1009 and sample 2, N = 780; and an independent sample 3, N = 440), results show that community integration, community participation, and use of community organizations are reliable indicators of the underlying construct of perceived community support. Also, community support is associated with a reduction of depressive symptoms after 6 months, once autoregression is controlled for. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Validating the organizational climate measure: links to managerial practices, productivity and innovationJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2005Malcolm G. Patterson This paper describes the development and validation of a multidimensional measure of organizational climate, the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM), based upon Quinn and Rohrbaugh's Competing Values model. A sample of 6869 employees across 55 manufacturing organizations completed the questionnaire. The 17 scales contained within the measure had acceptable levels of reliability and were factorially distinct. Concurrent validity was measured by correlating employees' ratings with managers' and interviewers' descriptions of managerial practices and organizational characteristics. Predictive validity was established using measures of productivity and innovation. The OCM also discriminated effectively between organizations, demonstrating good discriminant validity. The measure offers researchers a relatively comprehensive and flexible approach to the assessment of organizational members' experience and promises applied and theoretical benefits. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Stepparent Relationship Index: Development, validation, and associations with stepchildren's perceptions of stepparent communication competence and closenessPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2006PAUL SCHRODT There is a growing consensus among family researchers that many of the challenges facing members of stepfamilies revolve around the role of the stepparent. Using schema theory, this study extends recent research on the stepparent role by developing an empirically reliable measure for the primary dimensions that stepchildren identify as part of their stepparent relationship schemas. Participants included 522 young adult stepchildren from 4 different states who completed an inventory assessing key dimensions of the stepparent-stepchild relationship, as well as stepchildren's perceptions of stepparents' communication competence and closeness. The results produced a new multidimensional measure, the Stepparent Relationship Index, as three dimensions of the stepparent-stepchild relationship emerged from factor analytic techniques: positive regard, (step)parental authority, and affective certainty. Each subscale produced acceptable reliability estimates, and initial evidence of concurrent validity was obtained. [source] Measuring Job Interview Anxiety: Beyond Weak Knees and Sweaty PalmsPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Julie McCarthy A multidimensional measure of interview anxiety, called the Measure of Anxiety in Selection Interviews (MASI), was developed using a student sample (N= 212) and tested using a sample of job applicants in a field setting (N= 276). The MASI goes beyond the measurement of "weak knees" and "sweaty palms" by providing an assessment of 5 interview anxiety dimensions: Communication, Appearance, Social, Performance, and Behavioral. The psychometric properties of the scales were strong and confirmatory factor analyses supported the a priori structure. In addition, substantial evidence for the concurrent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity of the MASI was obtained. Moreover, a multiple correlation of .34 was found for the 5 MASI scales in the prediction of interview performance. The development of the MASI has important implications for the field, as it may provide the foundation for future research on job interview anxiety, guide interview anxiety treatment programs, and promote the enhancement of job interview validity. [source] Quality of life among long-term survivors of breast cancer: different types of antecedents predict different classes of outcomesPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 9 2006Charles S. Carver Abstract Quality of life (QOL) has many aspects, both in the short-term and in the long-term. Different aspects of QOL may have different types of precursors: demographic, medical, and psychosocial. We examined this possibility in a group of long-term breast cancer survivors. Early-stage breast cancer patients (N=163) who had provided information about medical, demographic, and psychosocial variables during the year after surgery completed a multidimensional measure of QOL 5,13 years later. Initial chemotherapy and higher stage predicted greater financial problems and greater worry about appearance at follow-up. Being partnered at diagnosis predicted many psychosocial benefits at follow-up. Hispanic women reported greater distress and social avoidance at follow-up. Initial trait optimism predicted diverse aspects of better psychosocial QOL at follow-up, but not other aspects of QOL. Thus, different aspects of QOL at long-term follow-up had different antecedents. Overall, psychological outcomes were predicted by psychosocial variables, presence of a partner at diagnosis, and ethnicity. Financial outcomes, in contrast, were predicted by medical variables, which otherwise predicted little about long-term QOL. This divergence among aspects of QOL should receive closer attention in future work. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Investigation of the Multidimensional Model of Job Insecurity in China and the USAAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Cynthia Lee Il y a plus d'une décennie, Ashford, Lee, and Bobko (1989) ont développé un outil de mesure standard permettant évaluer des niveaux individuels d'insécurité au travail. Les années suivantes, des chercheurs se sont demandé si la totalité des mesures composant cet instrument était nécessaire. Nous avons donc examiné l'utilité des différentes dimensions du test multidimensionnel de l'Insécurité au travail de Ashford et al. (1989) aux Etats Unis et en Chine, en éprouvant et élargissant les conclusions antérieures. Nos résultats suggèrent qu'éliminer les dimensions "caractéristiques du travail" et "impuissance" de l'instrument multidimensionnel initial est prématuré dans les deux cultures. D'autres recherches s'avèrent donc nécessaires pour déterminer l'utilité de cet outil dans sa version complète. Les implications de nos résultats sont discutées. Over a decade ago, Ashford, Lee, and Bobko (1989) developed a standard measure for those interested in assessing levels of individual job insecurity. In ensuing years, some researchers have questioned whether the entire measure is necessary. We examined the usefulness of the components of Ashford et al.'s (1989) multidimensional measure of job insecurity in both the United States and China, as well as replicating and extending prior findings regarding antecedents and consequences. Our results suggest that the call to eliminate job features or powerlessness from the fully composite measure of job insecurity is premature in both cultures. We call for more research on the utility of the fully operationalised measure. Implications of our findings are discussed. [source] Exploring spirituality among youth in foster care: findings from the Casey Field Office Mental Health StudyCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 1 2010Lovie J. Jackson ABSTRACT This study examined spiritual coping mechanisms, beliefs about spirituality and participation in spiritual activities and in other positive activities among adolescents in foster care. A multidimensional measure of spirituality was developed for face-to-face interviews with 188 youth (ages 14,17) from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds in the United States. Findings revealed 95% of youth believe in God, over 70% believe God is ,creator' and God is ,love', and 79% considered prayer a spiritual practice. Most youth said love and forgiveness help them heal. Two-thirds (67%) reported responding to ,bad or tragic things happening' by spending time alone, and over half responded by praying (59%) or sharing the problem with someone else (56%). Youth's top three spiritual goals were to follow God's plan for them, become a better person, and know their purpose in life. Based on the value youth ascribed to spiritual coping mechanisms, recommendations for policy and practice focus on the integration of spirituality into practice and caregiving for youth in foster care. [source] Multidimensional measure for gastroesophageal reflux disease (MM-GERD) symptoms in children: a population-based studyACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2008Hoda M Malaty Abstract Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms are very common in children with major presenting symptoms of abdominal pain, heartburn and regurgitation. The presence of GERD symptoms often result in an impaired health-related quality of life for both the patients and their parents. Evaluation of children with GERD symptoms continues to challenge physicians due to the lack of a validated measure for GERD symptoms. Aims: To develop and test a multidimensional measure for GERD symptoms in children and to evaluate the responses of the measure among children attending pediatric gastroenterology (GI) clinics. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that enrolled children with GERD symptoms from pediatric GI clinic. All children and parents received a standardized questionnaire concerning socio-economic parameters, GERD symptoms, duration, frequency, intensity and missed activities due to GERD symptoms. Each child and parent pair was interviewed by a physician to complete baseline information for the multidimensional measure that consisted of four scales: symptoms scale (10 items), pain intensity scale (3 items); disability scale (3 items) and satisfaction scale (2 items). Results: One hundred and thirty-three children participated in the study; 59% girls, ages 4 to 18 years, mean age = 10 ± 3, 50%, 10 years and younger. There was an excellent correlation between the four-scales measure among children 7 years and younger (R = 0.70, p = 0.0001) and children >7 years (R = 0.74, p = 0.0001). The inter-item consistency (Cronbach's co-efficient alpha) for the symptoms items, pain intensity items, disability items and satisfaction items were 0.71, 0.74, 0.78 and 0.60, respectively, demonstrating adequate reliability of the measure. Conclusion: Children with GERD symptoms have good responses to the multidimensional measure for GERD symptoms, showing that the measure performed well across populations. The measure is reliable and specific for assessing the symptoms of GERD in children and is an appropriate outcomes measure for clinical trials involving GERD symptoms in children. [source] The Structure of Banking Systems in Developed and Transition EconomiesEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001Dwight Jaffee The paper empirically analyses the determinants of banking system structure (as measured by bank assets, number, branches and employees) for 26 developed OECD countries. The estimated regressions are then applied to 23 transition economies, to obtain benchmarks for the efficient structure of their banking systems. The actual and benchmark measures of banking structure are compared to evaluate the state of banking system development, including the computation of a measure of ,banking system convergence'. The results are objective and replicable multidimensional measures of banking system development for the transition economies. [source] Self-Pity: Exploring the Links to Personality, Control Beliefs, and AngerJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2003Joachim Stöber Self-pity is a frequent response to stressful events. So far, however, empirical research has paid only scant attention to this subject. The present article aims at exploring personality characteristics associated with individual differences in feeling sorry for oneself. Two studies with N=141 and N=161 university students were conducted, employing multidimensional measures of personality, control beliefs, anger, loneliness, and adult attachment. With respect to personality, results showed strong associations of self-pity with neuroticism, particularly with the depression facet. With respect to control beliefs, individuals high in self-pity showed generalized externality beliefs, seeing themselves as controlled by both chance and powerful others. With respect to anger expression, self-pity was primarily related to anger-in. Strong connections with anger rumination were also found. Furthermore, individuals high in self-pity reported emotional loneliness and ambivalent-worrisome attachments. Finally, in both studies, a strong correlation with gender was found, with women reporting more self-pity reactions to stress than men. Findings are discussed with respect to how they support, extend, and qualify the previous literature on self-pity, and directions for future empirical research are pointed out. There are a hundred ways to overcome an obstacle and one sure way not to,self-pity. Dale Dauten, columnist [source] | |||||||||||||||||||