Despite the growing interest in the prevalence and consequences of loneliness, the way it is measured still raises a number of questions. In particular, few studies have directly compared the psychometric properties of very short measures of loneliness to standard measures.

We conducted a large epidemiological study of midwife students (n = 1742) and performed a head-to-head comparison of the psychometric properties of the standard (20 items) and short version (3 items) of the UCLA Loneliness Scales (UCLA-LS). All participants completed the UCLA-LS-20, UCLA-LS-3, as well as other measures of mental health, including anxiety and depression.

First, as predicted, we found that the two loneliness scales were strongly associated with each other. Second, when using the dimensional scores of the scales, we showed that the internal reliability, convergent-, discriminant-, and known-groups validities were high and of similar magnitude between the UCLA-LS-20 and the UCLA-LS-3. Third, when the scales were dichotomized, the results were more mixed. The sensitivity and/or specificity of the UCLA-LS-3 against the UCLA-LS-20 were systematically below acceptable thresholds, regardless of the dichotomizing process used. In addition, the prevalence of loneliness was strikingly variable as a function of the cut-offs used.

Overall, we showed that the UCLA-LS-3 provided an adequate dimensional measure of loneliness that is very similar to the UCLA-LS-20. On the other hand, we were able to highlight more marked differences between the scales when their scores were dichotomized, which has important consequences for studies estimating, for example, the prevalence of loneliness.

Developmental care for newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD) improves cardiac and respiratory patterns. According to the American Heart Association, developmental care in newborns with CHD is important for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Developmental Care Scale for Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease.

This was a methodological, descriptive study conducted with 169 nurses from a tertiary-level NICU. The Demographical Information Form and the Developmental Care Scale for Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease were used to collect the data. The scales’ language and content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency were also assessed.

The scale consists of 31 items and four subscales. Factor loadings ranged from 0.44 to 0.82 and explained 65% of the total variance. Fit indices indicate that the model is acceptable. Cronbach’s α was 0.95 for the entire instrument, 0.91 for developing the external environment subscale, 0.94 for assessing family well-being, 0.86 for the caregiver activities toward the neonate, and 0.82 for the basic need subscale. Item–total correlations ranged between 0.34 and 0.75, according to the item analysis results.

The Turkish version of the Developmental Care Scale for Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease is valid and reliable. The use of this scale could improve the performance of neonatal intensive care nurses in providing developmental care to newborns with CHD as well as the quality of care.

Accurately assessing the self-efficacy levels of palliative care professionals’ is crucial, as low levels of self-efficacy may contribute to the suboptimal provision of palliative care. However, there is currently lacking a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating the self-efficacy of palliative care practitioners in China. Therefore, this study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale (PCSS) among Chinese palliative care professionals.

This study involved the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PCSS, and the evaluation of its psychometric properties through testing for homogeneity, content validity, construct validity, known-groups validity, and reliability.

A total of 493 palliative care professionals participated in this study. The results showed the critical ratio value of each item was >3 (p < 0.01), and the corrected item-total correlation coefficients of all items ranged from 0.733 to 0.818, indicating a good homogeneity of the items with the scale. Additionally, the scale was shown to have good validity, with item-level content validity index ranged from 0.857 to 1.000, and scale-level content validity index/Ave was 0.956. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the 2-factor structure of the Chinese version of PCSS (C-PCSS), explaining 74.19% of the variance. CFA verified that the 2-factor model had a satisfactory model fit, with χ2/df = 2.724, RMSEA = 0.084, GFI = 0.916, CFI = 0.967, and TLI = 0.952. The known-groups validity of C-PCSS was demonstrated good with its sensitive in differentiating levels of self-efficacy between professionals with less than 1 year of palliative care experience (p < 0.001) or without palliative care training (p = 0.014) and their counterparts. Furthermore, the C-PCSS also exhibited an excellent internal consistency, with the Cronbach’s α for the total scale of 0.943.

The findings from this study affirmed good validity and reliability of the C-PCSS. It can be emerged as a valuable and reliable instrument for assessing the self-efficacy levels of palliative care professionals in China.

There is no universal tool for measuring disaster preparedness in the general population. This study aimed to provide a summary of the domains and psychometric properties of the available scales that assess preparedness for disasters, or one of its main types, among individuals or households.

This study is a systematic review of the literature on disaster preparedness tools. Studies published up to December 2022 were identified through a systematic search of four databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) were used to review and evaluate the psychometric properties. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used to report this article.

Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Among them, five scales measured general disaster preparedness, five measured earthquake preparedness, one measured flood preparedness, and one measured bushfire preparedness. The scales had a number of dimensions ranging from one to six. The most common item topics in the included scales were as follows: having an evacuation plan (n = 7), information source (n = 7), fire extinguisher (n = 6), and emergency kit (n = 5). The scales were rated sufficient for content validity (n = 10), structural validity (n = 5), internal consistency (n = 5), and test-re-test reliability (n = 6). One scale was checked for criterion validity and was rated as insufficient according to the COSMIN guidelines.

The findings suggest the need to improve the psychometric properties of the scales, expand their contents, and develop scales relevant to target populations. This study provides useful information for researchers to develop comprehensive assessment tools and valuable sources of items for future scales.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected perinatal mental health. Reliable tools are needed to assess perinatal stress during pandemic situations.

To assess the psychometric properties of the Greek versions of the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) and the Pandemic-Related Postpartum Stress Scale (PREPS-PP) and to explore the associations between women's characteristics and perinatal stress during the second pandemic wave.

The PREPS and PREPS-PP were completed by 264 pregnant and 188 postpartum women, respectively, who also completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

The internal consistency was similar for PREPS and PREPS-PP. It was good for preparedness stress (a = 0.77 and α = 0.71, respectively) and infection stress (α = 0.83 for both scales) but low for positive appraisal (α = 0.46 and α = 0.41, respectively). Of the pregnant women, 55.33% and 55.27%, respectively, reported scores of ≥40 on STAI-S and STAI-T, and the respective percentages for the postpartum women were 47.34% and 46.80%. In addition, 14.39% of the pregnant women and 20.74% of the postpartum women scored ≥13 on the EPDS. Higher preparedness stress on PREPS and PREPS-PP was associated with primiparity (P = 0.022 and P = 0.021, respectively) and disrupted perinatal care (P = 0.069 and P = 0.007, respectively). In postpartum women, higher infection stress was associated with chronic disease (P = 0.037), primiparity (P = 0.02) and perceived risk of infection (P = 0.065). Higher score on infection stress was associated with disrupted perinatal care in both groups (P = 0.107 and P = 0.010, respectively).

The Greek versions of PREPS and PREPS-PP are valid tools for the assessment of women at risk of perinatal stress during a health crisis.

The self-report version of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS-SR) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess panic disorder, but is unavailable in French.

The aim of this study was to conduct a transcultural validation of the French-Canadian PDSS-SR and examine its psychometric properties.

This study is part of a pragmatic RCT of group transdiagnostic CBT for anxiety disorders, and includes 272 adults meeting DSM-5 panic disorder diagnostic criteria. At baseline, participants completed the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-5), the French-Canadian PDSS-SR and self-report measures. Convergent validity was assessed with Spearman correlations, Cronbach’s α was used to analyse internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) evaluated its factor structure. Sensitivity to change was assessed with paired sample t-tests in patients (n = 72) meeting DSM-5 criteria for panic disorder at baseline with posttreatment data.

108 patients met DSM-5 criteria for panic disorder, including 58 with agoraphobia. The majority were women (85.3%) and mean age was 37.1 (SD = 12.4). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) was 0.91. For convergent validity, the highest correlation was with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.64). CFA suggested a two-factor model. Optimal threshold for probable diagnosis was 10. Analyses support sensitivity to change when comparing transdiagnostic group CBT and control conditions.

With its good psychometric properties in primary care patients, the French-Canadian self-report version of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale is an efficient and practical instrument for both clinicians and researchers working in the field of mental health.

No significant relationships.

Assessment of the psychometric characteristics of the Greek version of the brief World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) in patients with advanced cancer and pain, and exploration of the association between psychological distress and quality of life (QoL).

The sample consisted of 145 patients with advanced cancer and pain who completed the WHOQOL-BREF, the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and the Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In analysis, the following methods were used: Cronbach's alpha, Item Response Theory (IRT), polychoric, Pearson and polyserial correlation, t-test, and Linear regression.

The internal consistency was high for all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.731). Similarly, with the exception of three items, the WHOQOL-BREF items has large discrimination parameters suggesting that they have a high ability in differentiating subjects. On SCL-90, the three dimensions with the highest scores were Depression, Somatization, and Anxiety. The overall score for psychological distress, the Global Severity Index (GSI), showed significant negative association with all the WHOQOL-BREF factor scores (Physical Health: B = −1.488, p < 0.001, Psychological Health: B = −1.688, p < 0.001, Social Relationships: B = −0.910, p < 0.001, Environment: B = −1.064, p < 0.001). Male gender was associated with lower scores for Social Relationships (B = −0.358, p = 0.007) and Environment (B = −0.293, p = 0.026).

The Greek version of the WHOQOL-BREF showed good psychometric properties in patients with advanced cancer and can be used as a reliable instrument in clinical practice. The level of psychological distress can be considered a determinant of QoL in patients with advanced cancer and pain, independently of pain intensity or other clinical characteristics. In cancer, the disease process can activate multiple physiological and psychological mechanisms that lead to a wide range of symptoms of psychological distress. To improve their QoL, psychological intervention focused on the identification and alleviation of psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer, and help in finding meaning in their experience, should be provided.

There is no widely-recommended standardized and valid measurement tool for evaluating the disaster preparedness of nurses. This study aims to assess the psychometric properties of scales developed or adapted to evaluate the sudden-impact natural disaster preparedness of nurses.

This study is a systematic literature review for the psychometric properties of disaster preparedness tools. Studies published from 2010 through June 2021 were identified from a systematic search of five databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and ProQuest. The Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist was used for the systematic review and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline for reporting. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) report on the Development of a Disaster Preparedness Tool Kit for Nursing and Midwifery was used to evaluate scale contents.

Six articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The scales generally had a multi-dimensional structure and used Likert scoring with internal consistency coefficients ranging from 0.785 to 0.97. All scales were rated sufficient in content validity, structural validity, and cross-cultural validity. One scale was rated sufficient in criterion validity while the others were rated indeterminate. One scale was rated insufficient in reliability and internal consistency while the others were rated sufficient.

The findings suggest improving the psychometric properties of scales of nurses’ disaster preparedness according to COSMIN, expanding their content scope, and developing new scales. The study will provide beneficial data to users and researchers regarding the need for a comprehensive assessment tool in determining the disaster preparedness of nurses.

This study reports the evaluation of the original 31-item Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire (QODD) using a sample of caregivers of recently deceased older adults in China, and the validation of a shortened version (QODD-C) derived from the original scale.

The translation was performed using a forward and back method. The full scale was tested with 212 caregivers of decedents in four regions of China. Confirmatory factor analysis tested the model fit between the full Chinese version and the original conceptual model and generated the QODD-C. The psychometric analysis was performed to evaluate the QODD-C's internal consistency, content validity, construct validity, and discriminant validity.

A five-domain, 18-item QODD-C was identified with excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.933; split-half Pearson's value = 0.855). The QODD-C total score was significantly associated with constructs related to five domains. The caregiver's relationship with the decedent, the decedent's age at death, death reason, and death place was significantly associated with the QODD-C total score.

The QODD-C is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the quality of dying and death among the Chinese populations.

The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is a 20-item, self-reported questionnaire that measures the presence and severity of Internet addiction which is an increasing problem in adolescents. Although a Portuguese version IAT has been validated in adults, its psychometric properties have never been evaluated before, in adolescents.

To analyse the reliability and construct and concurrent validity of the IAT in a Portuguese adolescent sample.

772 adolescents (53.5% girls), mean aged 13.21±2.246, answered the Portuguese versions of the IAT and the Portuguese versions of validated scales to evaluate: Cyberbullying, Game Addiction, Agressivity and Anxiety, Depression Scales. To study the temporal stability, 377 (60.5% girls) respondents answered the questionnaires again after approximately four-six weeks. The total sample was aleatory splitted to realize the exploratory and the confirmatory factor analyses.

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a second order two-factor structure - “Isolation and Social Commitment” and F2-“Negligence and Functional Commitment”. The χ2/df value was 2.260 and had a significant p value; it had the lowest RMSEA score = .074 (p< .001) and it had the highest TLI (.980) and CFI (.905). IAT mean scores were no different between genders [Girls=29.25±18.775 vs. Boys: 30.85±17.929, p=.405]. The Cronbach’s alphas were > .85. Pearson correlation between the test and the re-test was r=.660. The IAT, video game addiction (r=.434), Cyberbullying (r=.383), anxiety (r=.209) and depression (r=.263) were significantly correlated (p<.001).

The Portuguese IAT has good reliability and validity, showing to be an adequate instrument for measuring Internet Addiction symptoms in Portuguese Adolescents.

Assessing mentalizing abilities is a complex issue. Only recently an instrument assessing mentalizing capacity as a whole, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), has been developed.

To reach the purpose of our study, we investigated the psychometric proprieties of the Italian version of the RFQ.

The study was conducted on a sample including a group of violent offenders and a group of community participants. All subjects fulfilled the RFQ, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ).

The theoretical model was defined and analysed by using Partial Least Squares–Path Modelling with high-order construct definition. Data showed good psychometric proprieties of the Italian version of the RFQ. Also, specific patterns of correlations were identified between the RFQ subscales and both PID-5 and AQ scores. Offenders significantly differed from controls only in relation to one subscale of the RFQ.

Data supported the factorial structure of the RFQ found in the original validation study. Results also support the existence of a second-order variable, mentalizing, resulting from the convergence of hypomentalizing and hypermentalizing.

Mentalization (MZ) is the capacity by which people make sense of their own’s and others’ mental states; when compromised, it is associated with several mental disorders (Bateman & Fonagy, 2010). A valid instrument to assess MZ is missing and required for the Portuguese population.

To develop and validate a Portuguese version (Questionário de Mentalização – QMZ) of the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ) (Hausberg et al., 2012).

A sample of 184 Portuguese medical students (mean age = 21.6 ± 2.47 years, 59.8% female) was used to explore the psychometric properties of the scale, using reliability and factor analysis (varimax rotation method).

The QMZ exhibited a Cronbach’s alpha score of .80. All items contributed to its reliability. Based on the scree plot of Cattell and interpretability of items, a 2-factor and a 5-factor structures were further explored. The former explained 38.8% of the total variance (VE) and included a regulation of affect (VE= 27.3%, α=.79) and a self-reflection and emotional awareness (VE= 11.5%, α=.62) factors. The latter explained 60.6% of the total variance and incorporated the following dimensions: self-control (VE= 27.3%, α=.74), daily relationships (VE= 11.5%, α=.67), self-comprehension (VE= 8.1%, α=.54), close relationships (VE= 7.0%, α=.41) and self-monitoring (VE= 6.7%, α=.52). The 5-factor structure was closer to the dimensional concept of mentalization.

The QMZ has proved to be a promising instrument, with adequate psychometric properties, confirmed by its acceptable construct, criterion and factorial validity and reliability to assess mentalization in Portuguese language.

The 48-item EPQR-S is a short version of EPQ-R widely used to assess neuroticism (N), extraversion (E), psychoticism (P) and Lie scale (L) for research purposes. The EPQR-S was chosen for the Arab population because it is a well-established Eysenck theory of personality.

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic EPQR-S.

The EPQ-R S, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO–FFI-3) were administered to 1842 (538 males, 1304 females) Kuwait University undergraduates with a mean age = 20.42 ± 1.42. The internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the EPQR-S with EPQ and NEO–FFI-3 were assessed.

Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory for N (0.76), E (0.72), L (0.70) and low for P. (0.60). The results revealed significant gender differences in P & E with a favor for males and in N & L a favor with females. PCA showed that EPQR-S four factors explains 52.48% of the total variance. Moreover, the high correlations between the EPQR-S and EPQ scales, with coefficients of (0.92) for the N, (0.88) for the E, (0.78) for the L, and (0.76) for the P as the majority of items of the dimensions of the EPQR-S are the same with those of the EPQ. Furthermore, there were high correlations between the same scales of the EPQR-S and NEO–FFI-3, with coefficients of (0.67) for the N scales, and (0.52) for the E scales.

The findings support the psychometric properties N, E, L scales only.

No significant relationships.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Peace, Equanimity, and Acceptance in the Cancer Experience questionnaire (PEACE-J) and to evaluate the association between the PEACE subscales and Japanese patient characteristics.

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among 412 patients with cancer. This survey assessed medical and demographic factors, such as the PEACE, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy — Spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp). The forward–backward translation method was used to develop the PEACE-J. The validity of PEACE-J was evaluated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and correlation analysis between each subscale of PEACE and FACIT-Sp and CISS. The Cronbach's α and the item-total correlation of each subscale of the PEACE questionnaire were calculated to assess internal consistency reliability.

The factor analysis yielded two subscales corresponding to the original version: Cronbach's α coefficients were 0.84 and 0.86 for the Peaceful Acceptance of Illness subscale and the Struggle with Illness subscale, respectively. The PEACE subscales and the FACIT-Sp subscales and the CISS subscales were moderately associated with each other, including the Peaceful Acceptance to each subscale of FACIT (r = 0.22–0.55, p < 0.01); and the Peaceful Acceptance and the Struggle with Illness to CISS emotion-oriented coping (r = −0.36 and r = 0.45, p < 0.01, respectively). Married patients showed higher levels of peaceful acceptance than unmarried patients (p < 0.001). Poorer performance status, chemotherapy use, and recurrence or metastasis were significantly associated with higher levels of struggle with illness (p < 0.001).

This study indicated that the PEACE-J is a valid and reliable measure of the patient's sense of acceptance, calmness or equanimity, and peace, as well as their sense of struggle or desperation concerning their illness.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is often associated with cognitive deficits. Accurate evaluation of the MS patients’ cognitive performance is essential for diagnosis and treatment recommendation. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS), widely used cognitive testing battery, examines processing speed, verbal and visuospatial learning, and memory. Our study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the BICAMS and to provide normative values in a Lebanese sample.

The BICAMS, comprised of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), and a newly developed verbal learning/memory test, the Verbal Memory Arabic Test (VMAT), were administered on healthy subjects and MS patients. The sample consisted of 180 healthy individuals, of whom 63 were retested after 2–3 weeks. Forty-three MS patients matched with 43 healthy subjects based on age, sex, and years of education were assessed. A sample of 10 MS patients was also examined on two occasions. Test–retest reliability and criterion-related validity were examined, and regression-based norms were derived.

The test–retest correlations showed good evidence of reliability with coefficients ranging between 0.64 and 0.73 in the healthy sample, and between 0.43 and 0.92 in the MS sample. The BICAMS was able to discriminate between MS patients and matched healthy participants on the SDMT and BVMT-R. Normative data were comparable to other studies.

This new Arabic version of the BICAMS shows initial good psychometric properties. While good evidence of VMAT’s reliability was shown in the healthy participants, less test–retest reliability in this tool was seen in the MS group, and partial criterion-related validity was evident. This renders further examination of the VMAT. We provide regression-based norms for a Lebanese sample and encourage the use of this battery in both research and clinical settings.

Occupational Burnout (OB) is currently measured through several Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and some of them have become widely used in occupational health research and practice. We, therefore, aimed to review and grade the psychometric validity of the five OB PROMs considered as valid for OB measure in mental health professionals (the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Pines' Burnout Measure (BM), the Psychologist Burnout Inventory (PBI), the OLdenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI)).

We conducted systematic literature searches in MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE databases. We reviewed studies published between January 1980 and September 2018 following a methodological framework, in which each step of PROM validation, the reference method, analytical technics and result interpretation criteria were assessed. Using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments we evaluated the risk of bias in studies assessing content and criterion validity, structural validity, internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, hypotheses testing and responsiveness of each PROM. Finally, we assessed the level of evidence for the validity of each PROM using the GRADE approach.

We identified 6541 studies, 19 of which were included for review. Fifteen studies dealt with MBI whereas BM, PBI, OLBI and CBI were each examined in only one study. OLBI had the most complete validation, followed by CBI, MBI, BM and PBI, respectively. When examining the result interpretation correctness, the strongest disagreement was observed for MBI (27% of results), BM (25%) and CBI (17%). There was no disagreement regarding PBI and OLBI. For OLBI and CBI, the quality of evidence for sufficient content validity, the crucial psychometric property, was moderate; for MBI, BM and PBI, it was very low.

To be validly and reliably used in medical research and practice, PROM should exhibit robust psychometric properties. Among the five PROMs reviewed, CBI and, to a lesser extent, OLBI meet this prerequisite. The cross-cultural validity of these PROMs was beyond the scope of our work and should be addressed in the future. Moreover, the development of a diagnostic standard for OB would be helpful to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the PROMs and further reexamine their validity.

The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42019124621).