Showing papers in "Psychological Assessment in 1995"

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation.

Abstract: In Study 1, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was administered to 425 undergraduates. Analyses yielded a three component solution comprising (a) rumination, (b) magnification, and (c) helplessness. In Study 2, 30 undergraduate participants were classified as catastrophizers (n = 15) or noncatastrophizers (n = 15) on the basis of their PCS scores and participated in an cold pressor procedure. Catastrophizers reported significantly more negative pain-related thoughts, greater emotional distress, and greater pain intensity than noncatastrophizers. Study 3 examined the relation between PCS scores, negative pain-related thoughts, and distress in 28 individuals undergoing an aversive electrodiagnostic medical procedure. Catastrophizers reported more negative pain-related thoughts, more emotional distress, and more pain than noncatastrophizers. Study 4 examined the relation between the PCS and measures of depression, trait anxiety, negative affectivity, and fear of pain. Analyses revealed moderate correlations among these measures, but only the PCS contributed significant unique variance t o the prediction of pain intensity.

Constructing validity: Basic issues in objective scale development

Abstract: A primary goal of scale development is to create a valid measure of an underlying construct. We discuss theoretical principles, practical issues, and pragmatic decisions to help developers maximize the construct validity of scales and subscales. First, it is essential to begin with a clear conceptualization of the target construct. Moreover, the content of the initial item pool should be overinclusive and item wording needs careful attention. Next, the item pool should be tested, along with variables that assess closely related constructs, on a heterogeneous sample representing the entire range of the target population. Finally, in selecting scale items, the goal is unidimensionality rather than internal consistency ; this means that virtually all interitem correlations should be moderate in magnitude. Factor analysis can play a crucial role in ensuring the unidimensionality and discriminant validity of scales.

Factor analysis in the development and refinement of clinical assessment instruments.

Abstract: The goals of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are described and procedural guidelines for each approach are summarized, emphasizing the use of factor analysis in developing and refining clinical measures For exploratory factor analysis, a rationale is presented for selecting between principal components analysis and common factor analysis depending on whether the research goal involves either identification of latent constructs or data reduction Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling is described for use in validating the dimensional structure of a measure Additionally, the uses of confirmatory factor analysis for assessing the invariance of measures across samples and for evaluating multitrait-multimethod data are also briefly described Suggestions are offered for handling common problems with item-level data, and examples illustrating potential difficulties with confirming dimensional structures from initial exploratory analyses are reviewed

Content validity in psychological assessment: A functional approach to concepts and methods.

Abstract: This article examines the definition, importance, conceptual basis, and functional nature of content validity, with an emphasis on psychological assessment in clinical situations. The conditional and dynamic nature of content validity is discussed, and multiple elements of content validity along with quantitative and qualitative methods of content validation are reviewed. Finally, several recommendations for reporting and interpreting content validation evidence are offered.

Short Form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF): Psychometric Information.

Abstract: The Profile of Mood States (POMS; P. M. McNair, M. Lorr, & L. F. Droppleman, 1981) is a commonly used measure of psychological distress. The length of this scale (65 items) may limit its use with physically ill or otherwise impaired populations or prevent its inclusion in multiinstrument assessment protocols. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a shorter, 37-item version of the POMS developed by S. Shacham (1983; POMS-SF). Data were provided by 600 respondents representing five different clinical samples and one sample of healthy adults. For all samples, internal consistency estimates for the POMS-SF subscales were very comparable to those for the original POMS. Furthermore, correlations between total mood disturbance and subscale scores on the POMS-SF and those from the original POMS all exceeded .95. The POMS-SF is considered an excellent alternative to the original POMS when a brief measure of psychological distress is desired.

A New Inventory to Assess Childhood Social Anxiety and Phobia: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children.

Abstract: The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument, the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), is described. The results indicate that the SPAI-C has high test-retest reliability and internal consistency. In addition, an assessment of concurrent and external validity indicates statistically significant correlations with commonly used self-report measures of general anxiety and fears and parental reports of children's anxiety and social competence. The results of a factor analysis indicate that the scale consists of three factors: Assertiveness/ General Conversation, Traditional Social Encounters, and Public Performance. Finally, scores on the SPAI-C successfully differentiate socially anxious and non-socially-anxious children. The instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure for childhood social anxiety and fear and may prove useful for improving clinical assessment and documenting treatment outcome. Social phobia is a marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Among children, epidemiological data suggest that the prevalence rate is between 1% and 2% (Anderson, Williams, McGee, & Silva, 1987; Kashani & Orvaschel, 1990). On the basis of adult retrospective reports, the average age of onset is midadolescenc e. Among child and adolescent samples, Strauss and Last (1993) reported a mean age of onset of 12.3 years, and children as young as 8 years of age have been diagnosed with this disorder (Beidel & Turner, 1988). Therefore, although some individuals will not develop social phobia until midadolescence or later, many younger children suffer from the condition. During the past decade, understanding of the clinical manifestations of social phobia in adult populations has increased dramatically. However, empirical data on the course and treatment of social phobia in children are limited. In one of the few extant studies, Beidel (1991) reported that children with social phobia had higher trait anxiety scores, had significantly poorer perceptions of their cognitive and academic abilities, and reported significantly more anxiety when taking an age-appropriate vocabulary test or reading aloud in front of a small audience. In addition to its clinical correlates, the detrimental effects of childhood social phobia are beginning to emerge. For example, some "school refusers" do so because of social fears (Last, Hersen, Kazdin, Orvaschel, & Perrin, 1991). Clark (1993) re

Examining scale discriminability in the BDI and CES-D as a function of depressive severity.

Abstract: Scale discriminability is the ability of a measure to discriminate among individuals ordered along some continuum, such as depressive severity. We used a nonparametric item-response model to examine scale discriminability in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in both college and depressed outpatient samples. In the college sample, the CES-D was more discriminating than the BDI, but a standard CES-D cutoff score of 16 overestimated the likely prevalence of depression (45%). The CES-D may be more effective than the BDI in detecting differences in depressive severity in college students but may be less specific. In the depressed outpatient sample, the CES-D was again more discriminating than the BDI. The superior scale discriminability of the CES-D offers one explanation for its poorer specificity in college samples. Endorsing many items that discriminate at low levels of depressive severity can result in scores that exceed a cutoff criterion.

The Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult: Measurement of Smoking Outcome Expectancies of Experienced Smokers.

Abstract: The original Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (SCQ ; T. H. Brandon & T. B. Baker, 1991) measured college students' outcome expectancies for cigarette smoking. A version (SCQ-Adult) was needed for assessing expectancies in more typical, older, nicotine-dependent smokers. Two separate versions of the SCQ were developed and compared. Tests of construct validity provided greater support for the version comprising probability items over the version comprising subjective expected utility items. As expected, principal components analyses revealed a greater number of factors than the original SCQ, suggesting that expectancies become more specific with smoking experience. All scales showed good reliability. Over the course of smoking cessation treatment, expectancies became less positive, especially for abstaining participants. Other validity tests also tended to be consistent with research on alcohol expectancies and with contemporary models of drug outcome expectancies.

Methodological issues in assessment research with ethnic minorities.

Abstract: Assessment research on ethnic minorities presents multiple methodological and conceptual challenges. This article addresses the difficulties in denning and examining ethnicity as a variable in psychological research. The authors assert that many of the problems stem from not making explicit the assumptions underlying the use of ethnicity as an explanatory variable and from inadequately describing cultural and contextual characteristics of ethnic minority samples. Also raised are common methodological problems encountered in examining race, ethnicity, and culture in assessment research, such as decisions regarding which populations to study, sampling methodologies, measure selection, method of assessment, and interpretation of results. Finally, some guidelines are offered for tackling some of the methodological dilemmas in assessment research with ethnic minorities. Assessment research on ethnic minority groups has had a controversial history. For example, comparisons of intellectual abilities and cognitive skills, of self-esteem and self-hatred, of personality patterns, and of prevalence rates and degrees of psychopathology among different ethnic and racial groups have generated considerable controversy regarding the validity of findings. It is our belief that conducting valid assessment research with ethnic minority groups is particularly problematic because of methodological, conceptual, and practical difficulties that arise in such research. This article addresses common methodological problems that have plagued assessment research on ethnic minorities. Our intent here is not to provide definitive solutions to methodologica l problems but rather to raise issues that many researchers may not have otherwise considered, so that informed decisions can be made about how to handle variables related to ethnicity. We also pose some guidelines for future assessment research with ethnic minorities to improve the knowledge base not only for ethnic minorities but also for the field of psychological assessment. In doing so, we will closely examine fundamental problems such as sample heterogeneity, measurement of culture, and underlying assumptions about ethnicity, all of which make assessment research with ethnic minorities inherently challenging. Because our work involves Asian Americans, many of the cited examples deal with this population, although the point behind the examples may apply to other ethnic groups. We refer to assessment research in a broad sense and use examples from extant literature on cognitive, personality, and clinical psychodiagnostic assessment with various ethnic mi

Methodological considerations in the refinement of clinical assessment instruments.

Abstract: Instrument refinement refers to any set of procedures designed to improve an instrument's representation of a construct. Though often neglected, it is essential to the development of reliable and valid measures. Five objectives of instrument refinement are proposed: identification of measures' hiera

Self-expressiveness within the family context: psychometric support for a new measure

Abstract: The family appears to be an important setting for learning about emotions and how to express them within a social context. Because of the need for reliable and valid measures of emotional expressiveness in the family, the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ) is introduced and evaluated in four studies with 499 mothers and 362 fathers. Factor analyses indicate highly consistent patterns of loadings for a two-factor solution across the four studies. The resulting positive and negative scales are highly internally consistent and stable over time. Evidence of good convergent, discriminant, and construct validity was obtained, and a preliminary short form with good internal consistency and construct validity was also identified. Ideas for future research on marital and parent-child issues are suggested

The Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5): Constructs and MMPI-2 Scales.

Abstract: The Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5; A. R. Harkness & J. L. McNulty, 1994) is a dimensional descriptive system for personality and its disorders. Replicated rational selection was used to generate Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989)-based scales for the PSY-5. The scales are Aggressiveness, 18 items; Psychoticism, 25 items; Constraint, 29 items; Negative Emotionality/ Neuroticism, 33 items; and Positive Emotionality/Extraversion, 34 items. In three clinical samples with Ns of 328, 156, and 1,196; a college sample with an N of 2,928; and MMPI-2 normative samples with an N of 2,567, alphas ranged from.65 to.88. For 838 college students who had also completed Tellegen's (1982) Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), correlations between PSY-5 scales and corresponding MPQ superfactors were as follows: Constraint, r =.57, p < .01; Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism, r =.72, p <.01; and Positive Emotionality/Extraversion, r =.62, p <.0.1 PSY-5 Aggressiveness correlated r =.59, (p <.01) with MPQ Aggression. PSY-5 Psychoticism correlated r =.61 (p <.01) with MPQ Alienation

Borderline personality disorder features in nonclinical young adults: 1. Identification and validation.

Abstract: Two studies were conducted that sought to (a) establish and validate a self-report method of identifying nonclinical young adults who present with significant borderline personality disorder (BPD) features and (b) evaluate the clinical correlates of this classification across a number of relevant areas of functioning. Specifically, the Personality Assessment Inventory Borderline Features Scale (PAI-BOR; Morey, 1991) was used to screen and select nonclinical participants whose scores indicated the presence of significant BPD features (B + group) and participants whose scores indicated the relative absence of BPD features (B − group). B+ and B− participants were compared across a range of domains that are believed to be related to BPD in clinical samples (e.g., depression, personality traits, coping, Axis I disorders, interpersonal problems). Results supported the validity of this method of classification based on PAI-BOR scores and documented the level of dysfunction exhibited by the B+ participants

An MMPI-2 Infrequent Response Scale for Use with Psychopathological Populations: The Infrequency-Psychopathology Scale, "F(p).".

Abstract: This article describes the development and initial validation of a new Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) scale designed to detect infrequent responding in settings characterized by relatively high base rates of psychopathology and psychological distress. The Infrequency-Psychopathology Scale, F(p), was developed by identifying a set of 27 MMPI-2 items answered infrequently by both inpatients and the MMPI-2 normative sample. The new scale's construct validity was examined through tests of a series of hypotheses derived from an analysis of the reasons for elevated Infrequency (F) and Infrequency-Back (Fb) scores in inpatient settings. The F(p) scale's incremental validity was explored by comparing its performance to that of the F scale. The results of this study suggest that F(p) may be used as an adjunct to F in settings characterized by relatively high base rates of psychopathology and psychological distress. An important feature contributing to the clinical usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) is the availability of scales that assess the validity of individual test protocols. The importance of appraising the validity of individual test scores was recognized by Hathaway and McKinley (1943), who included two validity scales, Lie (L) and Infrequency (F) in the original version of the MMPI. The F scale was developed as an infrequent-response indicator by identifying 64 items that were answered infrequently in the

Normative values for the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Fear Questionnaire, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory.

Abstract: Community norms are reported for the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI ; A. T. Beck, N. Epstein, G. Brown, & R. A. Steer, 1988), Fear Questionnaire (FQ ; I. M. Marks & A. Mathews, 1979), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ ; T. J. Meyer, M. L. Miller, R. L. Metzger, & T. D. Borkovec, 1990), and Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI ; S. M. Turner, D. C. Beidel, C. V. Dancu, & M. A. Stanley, 1989). The demographic profile of the samples closely matched the 1990 U.S. national census. On the SPAI, women scored higher than men on the Agoraphobia subscale, and the lowest income group scored higher than higher income participants on the Difference and Social Phobia subscales. Participants under 45 years of age exceeded those aged 45-65 on the BAI, the PSWQ, and FQ Social Phobia, Blood/Injury, and Total Phobia scores. Percentile scores are provided for all measures, as well as discussion oftheir usefulness for assessing clinical significance of therapy outcomes.

Validity Issues in Clinical Assessment.

Abstract: The data investigators should provide to support the validity of inferences they make based on scores from a measure depend on (a) whether the measure is assumed to assess a hypothetical construct or behavior and (b) the purposes for which the measure is intended. The authors distinguish between the representational phase of validity assessment, which establishes that a measure produces scores that reflect the construct or behavior it purports to assess, and the elaborative validity phase, in which the meaning and utility of scores are examined. Key issues relevant to convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity are examined for measures of latent traits or constructs and then for measures of behaviors or response classes.

The California Verbal Learning Test in the Detection of Incomplete Effort in Neuropsychological Evaluation.

Abstract: This study determined whether performance patterns on four California Verbal Learning Test variables (CVLT ; Trials 1-5 List A, discriminability, recognition hits, and long-delay cued recall) could differentiate participants with moderate and severe brain injuries from those with mild head injuries who were giving incomplete effort. Litigating mild head injury participants (n = 23) performing at chance level or worse on a forced-choice test obtained significantly lower scores on the four CVLT variables than participants with moderate and severe brain injuries (n = 23). The linear discriminant function accurately classified 91%, and the quadratic function, 96%. The discriminability cutoff score accurately classified 93% of the cases ; recognition hits, 89% ; long-delay cued recall, 87% ; and CVLT total, 83%.

Predicting Future Clinical Adjustment From Treatment Outcome and Process Variables

Abstract: General issues relating to the use of outcome and process data from the treatment of antisocial children to predict future childhood adjustment are examined For outcome measures, it was assumed that variables based on direct observation of child behavior would provide a better predictor of long-term adjustment than would ratings by participant adults Long-term adjustment measures consisted of police arrest and out-of-home placement data collected 2 years after treatment termination Observation data collected at termination predicted future police arrest, but parent and teacher ratings did not It was also hypothesized that measures of the processes thought to produce the changes in child antisocial behavior would serve as predictors of future adjustment The data supported this hypothesis How do researchers measure change brought about by interventions designed to alter children's antisocial behavior problems? In keeping with the current Zeitgeist, we assumed that the most generalizable procedure would be based on multipleagent, multiple-method assessments (Bank, Dishion, Skinner, & Patterson, 1990) Combining this with modern techniques for analyzing change (eg, Collins & Horn, 1991) should provide an elegant approach to the problem of evaluating treatment outcome The necessary groundwork for creating such constructs is missing, however From this perspective, the need for information relating to both short-term and long-term clinical outcomes becomes apparent Each treatment should specify its expected long-term clinical outcomes, which may become one means of validating the short-term outcome measures In addition to studying outcome, treatment programs must assess the theoretical models underlying the intervention This calls for evaluating the processes hypothesized as causal mechanisms To the extent that the theoretical model is well specified and assessed, changes in the process variables would also predict the long-term clinical outcomes Thus, measures of adjustment, process, or both may serve as predictors of long-term outcomes This article provides a detailed examination of treat

Effect of physical layout in performance of the Trail Making Test.

Abstract: The Trail Making Test, a commonly used test instrument in neuropsychological evaluation, consists of2 parts ( A and B). The difference in times to complete the 2 parts of the test is usually attributed to the increased cognitive demands of Part B. The results of this study suggest that the difference in physical layout of the 2 parts of the test also has a significant effect on the time needed for their completion. The study used only fully functional participants ; it is not known how the difference in physical layouts relates to test performance by persons with brain-function impairment.

Reliability and Validity of the Hamilton Depression Inventory: A Paper-and-Pencil Version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Clinical Interview

Abstract: A self-report, paper-and-pencil version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS ; M. Hamilton, 1960) was developed. This measure, the Hamilton Depression Inventory (HDI ; W. M. Reynolds & K. A. Kobak, 1995) consists of a 23-item full form, a 17-item form, and a 9-item short form. The 17-item HDI form corresponds in content and scoring to the standard 17-item HDRS. With a sample of psychiatric outpatients with major depression (n = 140 anxiety disorders (n = 99), and nonreferred community adults (n = 118), the HDI forms demonstrated high levels of reliability ( r α =.91 to.94, r tt =.95 to.96). Extensive validity evidence was presented, including content, criterion-related, construct, and clinical efficacy of the HDI cutoff score. Overall, the data support the reliability and validity of the HDI as a self-report measure of severity of depression.

Methodological Problems and Issues in MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A Research.

Abstract: Personality questionnaires are among the most versatile and user-friendly approaches to personality assessment. This article focuses on methodological considerations in conducting research on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2 ; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989), the most widely used clinical personality instrument. The article addresses ways of identifying methodological problems in research and alerts researchers to potential pitfalls in conducting personality assessment research. The topics addressed include the following : methodological factors addressing the continuity of the MMPI-2 and the original MMPI ; sample selection in MMPI-2 research ; issues concerning test administration ; the application of exclusionary criteria in developing research samples ; methodological factors in processing, reporting, and analyzing data ; developing and evaluating new MMPI-2 scales ; and assessing test bias in personality research.

Empirically based assessment and taxonomy : applications to clinical research

Abstract: The empirically based paradigm uses standardized procedures to assess problems reported by different informants. Multivariate analyses are used to derive taxonomic constructs comprising syndromes that are robust across samples and assessment procedures. The taxonomic constructs are operationally defined via scales that are normed in relation to participants' characteristics and the sources of data. New cases can be evaluated via the same assessment procedures that are used to derive and operationalize the constructs. Spanning from age 2 to 27, applications of the paradigm were illustrated with cross-cultural, longitudinal, accelerated longitudinal, treatment, and diagnostic studies. The empirically based approach provides productive alternatives to the agendas for research and services implied by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, especially in managed care contexts.

Measurement and data analytic issues in couples research.

Abstract: Measurement and data analytic strategies appropriate for couples research are distinct from traditional approaches for research with individuals. Both conceptual and structural characteristics of measurements influence subsequent approaches to data analysis. In this article, the authors emphasize issues of nonindependence in couples' data and discuss data analytic techniques applicable when the predictor variables vary between-couples, within-couples, or both ( mixed variables). Both univariate and multivariate analyses of correlational and experimental data are presented. Issues involved in the analysis of sequential observations across time are briefly summarized. A critique of conceptual and methodological advances in couples research should improve both the accessibility and application of these strategies.

Comparison of the MMPI-2 Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5), the NEO-PI, and the NEO-PI-R

Abstract: This study examined relations between Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5 ; A. R. Harkness, J. L. McNulty, & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 1995), NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI ; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1985), and the revised NEO-PI(NEO-PI-R; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992b) scores in community (N = 170) and clinical (N = 57) samples. In the clinical sample, the temporal stability of the scales and their associations with personality disorder symptom counts were also assessed. Correlations between the two instruments demonstrated meaningful relations between the two sets of constructs in both samples. Both instruments showed substantial stability over 6 months, and both were significant and substantial predictors of symptom counts for most personality disorders. The data support the reinterpretation of personality disorders in terms of underlying dimensions of personality.

Relationship of Children's Depression Inventory factors to major depression among adolescents.

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) scores and major depression, conduct disorder, and anxiety disorder diagnoses. Participants were 107 (58 male, 49 female) psychiatric inpatients, aged 12-18 years (M = 15.4, SD = 1.5). Definite major depression participants (n = 26) reported higher scores than nondepressed participants (absence of any depression diagnosis, n = 81) on all 5 CDI factor scores and the total CDI score. Conduct disorder participants scored higher on the externalizing factor ; no other significant main or interaction effects were obtained for conduct disorder or anxiety. A discriminant function model using the 5 CDI factor scores classified participants as depressed versus nondepressed with a high degree of accuracy ; a model using only the CDI total score yielded comparable discriminatory accuracy. The CDI total score was recommended as the most practical measure for classifying participants as depressed or not depressed.

Assessing Depression in Primary Care Practice with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression.

Abstract: Individuals suffering from depression seek help as frequently in the primary care setting as in psychiatric facilities. As primary care physicians increasingly provide such treatments, they will need to assess a patient's clinical status before, during, and after treatment. The authors evaluated the concordance and factor structures of 2 widely used depression inventories, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, in a sample of primary care patients participating in a randomized, control trial of treatments for major depression. The 2 scales were significantly correlated and assessed similar rates of improvement at multiple assessment points. Factor analyses indicated that despite their equivalent assessment of severity of depression, the 2 instruments emphasize different dimensions of depression. Major depression is a common illness among medical outpatients. Studies using structured psychiatric interviews have shown that between 5% and 10% of such individuals suffer from major depression at any given time (Katon & Schulberg, 1992) and that the functional impairment incurred from this disorder is greater than that incurred with many chronic physical illnesses (Wells et al., 1989). Furthermore, this psychiatric disorder is associated with excessive use of health care services (Regier et al., 1988). Given that depressed persons seek help as frequently in the primary care setting as in psychiatric facilities (Regier et al., 1993), clinical guidelines have been developed by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) of the U.S. Public Health Service to assist primary care physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders (AHCPR, 1993). As internists and family practitioners strive to improve their assessment procedures and to objectively measure the severity of a patient's affective distress before, during, and after treatment, what psychometrically acceptable instruments are available for these tasks? Among the best validated are the clinicianadministered Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; Hamilton, 1960, 1967) and the self-report Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, 1978; Beck etal., 1961). The HRSD items largely measure somatic and neurovegetative aspects of depression, whereas the BDI items focus more on the disorder's cognitive and affective dimensions. Numerous reports describe the application of these instruments in studies of psychiatric patients and their psychometric

A Validity Study of Two Projective Object Representations Measures.

Abstract: Two projective measures of object representations, the Concept of the Object on the Rorschach (H. Rorchach, 1942) and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scales (D. Westen, 1993) were compared with each other, with measures of intelligence (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised; D. Wechsler, 1981), and measures of pathology (Millon Clinical Multiavial Inventory [T. Millon, 1983], Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [S. R. Hathaway & J. McKinley, 1983] Axis II diagnoses). Analyses focused on the construct validity of object representations and the implications of structural and affective aspects of object representations for psychopathology. Results support the construct validity of object representations and an affective, but not a cognitive-structural, linkage between object representations and pathology.

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: Reliability and Validity Studies and Derivation of a Short Form.

Abstract: A series of interrelated analyses were conducted on 2 samples of college students to examine the reliability and validity of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and to develop and validate a short version of the scale. Factor analyses were conducted and tended to approximate Cloninger's proposed model. Novelty Seeking predicted a range of substance use and abuse measures, and substance use disorders. Harm Avoidance was unrelated to substance use but predicted alcohol problems and dependence phenomena. No support was found for the quadratic and specific interaction effects proposed by Cloninger (1987a) . The Short-TPQ, a 44-item scale derived through exploratory factor analysis, demonstrated levels of reliability and validity quite comparable to those of the full scale. These results provide moderate support for the reliability and validity of both the TPQ and the Short-TPQ.

Methodological issues and problems in the assessment of substance use

Abstract: Three general types of methodologic issues that are particularly salient in research involving assessment of substance use or substance-abusing populations are highlighted: (a) the reliability and validity of self-report, collateral, and biological methods of assessing substance use, (b) the variabi

Psychometric Properties of the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire.

Abstract: The Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ-P) was designed to assess the frequency of positive self-statements. This article reports original data and reviews other studies that have used the ATQ-P. These data show that the reliability and the norms of the ATQ-P appear stable and that the ATQ-P is inversely associated with negative affective states but unrelated to conditions such as medical condition not accompanied by psychological distress. The ATQ-P also shows adequate convergent and discriminate validity. Data also show that the ATQ-P conforms to theoretical predictions ofthe states-of-mind model. Finally, these data show that the ATQ-P is sensitive to cognitive changes. In sum, the results suggest that the ATQ-P is an effective measure of positive self-statement frequency.