1,721,098 research outputs found
Use of social desirability scales in clinical psychology: a systematic review
No full textObjective: There is still an open debate about the utility of social desirability indicators. This report
systematically reviewed the use of social desirability scales in studies addressing social desirability
in clinical psychology. Method: A systematic review (January 2010–March 2015) was conducted,
including 35 studies meeting the inclusion criteria of being published in peer-reviewed journals and
describing quantitative findings about an association of social desirability with clinical psychology variables
using a cross-sectional or longitudinal design. Results: Social desirability was associated with
self-reports of various clinical-psychological dimensions. Most of the included studies treated social
desirability as a 1-dimensional variable and only 10 of 35 disentangled the impression management
and self-deception components. Although theoretical literature does not consider social desirability a
mere response bias, only 4 of the reviewed articles controlled for the possible suppressor effect of
personality variables on social desirability, while the majority focused upon the stylistic (response bias)
rather than the substantive (personality) nature of this construct. Conclusion: The present review
highlighted some limitations in the use of social desirability scales in recent clinical psychology research
and tried to offer a few suggestions for handling this issue
Screening for infertility-related stress at the time of initial infertility consultation: psychometric properties of a brief measure
Full text linkAIM: To develop and psychometrically test a brief self-report to assess the amount of infertility-related stress; to investigate how infertility-related stress was associated to socio-demographics, causes of infertility and emotional distress.
BACKGROUND: Infertility exerts a stress effect on both personal and interpersonal areas. Due to the burden of multiple assessments in fertility clinics, there is the need for very brief and easy to administer measures of the stressful impact of infertility on the intrapersonal and interpersonal life domains.
DESIGN: The study had a psychometric, cross-sectional design.
METHOD: Between January - December 2013, a total of 597 Italian infertile patients (58·6% women), recruited at the time of initial infertility consultation, completed the Infertility-Related Stress Scale. A subsample of 200 participants (50% women) also completed self-reports of anxiety and depression. A subsample of 40 patients completed again the Infertility-Related Stress Scale at a 4-week follow-up visit.
RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses supported the proposed two-factor model of infertility stress affecting intrapersonal and interpersonal life domains. Both dimensions showed good reliability and were associated in expected ways with emotional distress. Patients with above-threshold levels of anxiety and depression showed higher infertility stress in both domains and particularly in the intrapersonal area. Infertility stress was significantly higher in women than in men in the intrapersonal domain.
CONCLUSION: The Infertility-Related Stress Scale showed evidence of validity and reliability. This new, brief self-report can assist fertility clinic staff in identifying those patients who need support to overcome the stressful impact of infertility on intrapersonal and interpersonal domains
A combined intervention of art therapy and clown visits to reduce preoperative anxiety in children
No full textAims and objectives: To test whether a combined intervention of art therapy and clown visits could enhance the efficacy of oral medication in reducing children's anxiety at parental separation prior to induction of anaesthesia. Background: Approximately 50% of children undergoing surgery report high anxiety at anaesthesia induction. Complementary therapies have been used to decrease children's anxiety, but no study has evaluated the efficacy of a combination of such therapies. Design: This is an observational study, which involved allocating different interventions to two groups and measuring their anxiety at two time points. Methods: This study assigned 78 children (aged 3–11 years) undergoing general anaesthesia for surgery to two conditions. The control group underwent general anaesthesia following standard practice, and the intervention group received an intervention of integrated art therapy and clown visits upon their arrival at the hospital and throughout their time in the preoperating room. Each child in both groups received 0·5 mg/kg oral midazolam 30 minutes before surgery and had a parent present throughout their time in the preoperating room. Each child's anxiety was evaluated twice using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale: at baseline and at separation from parents. Repeated measures anova was used to test for differences between the time points and the two groups. Results: Children in the intervention group showed a significant (p < 0·001) reduction in Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale scores at parental separation compared to those in the control group. Additionally, the majority of parents and nurses evaluated the intervention to be effective for reducing children's anxiety. Conclusions: This study found that an intervention based on art therapy and clown visits enhanced the effect of midazolam in reducing children's anxiety at preoperative separation from parents. Relevance to clinical practice: Paediatric staffs may consider using such a combination of strategies in preparing children for anaesthesia induction
The Patient-Professional Interaction Questionnaire (PPIQ) to assess patient centered care from the patient's perspective
Full text linkObjective: To investigate how patients evaluate the provision of patient-centered care (PCC) by healthcare professionals and psychometrically test a questionnaire to assess it. A tool previously developed for self-assessment of professionals’ provision of PCC was adapted into a patient-rated form, named Patient-Professional Interaction Questionnaire (PPIQ). Methods: A sample of 1139 patients from six hospitals completed the 16-item PPIQ and the questionnaire structure, reliability, susceptibility to social desirability, and associations with other variables were tested. Results: The PPIQ confirmed the original four-factor structure (effective communication, interest in the patient's agenda, empathy, and patient involvement in care) and showed acceptable reliability and measurement invariance across both in-/out-patients and first/non-first encounter with the evaluated professional. Associations with patients’ social desirability were negligible and effective communication was rated the highest among the PPIQ dimensions. PPIQ scores varied according to patients’ educational level and type of professional evaluated, while associations between first/non-first encounter and PPIQ scores varied according to in-/out-patient. Conclusion: The PPIQ is a psychometrically sound patient-rated measure of the provision of PCC by healthcare professionals. Practice implications: The PPIQ has potential value in promoting quality patient-professional interactions in the hospital setting, as patients’ reported experience is an important dimension of the clinician's performance
Editorial: Measurement in Health Psychology
Full text linkEditorial on the Research Topic
Measurement in Health Psycholog
Subclinical attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours
Full text linkBackground Literature emphasises the importance of identifying and intervening in the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours (ULBs) during adolescence at an early stage, to mitigate their long-term detrimental effects. Among the possible associated factors contributing to ULBs, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been shown to play an important role. However, little is known about ADHD subclinical manifestations. Aims The present study aimed to bridge the gap in the literature and shed light on the relationship between subclinical ADHD and early adoption of ULBs during adolescence. Through a clinimetric approach, prevalence of ULBs, severity of ADHD symptoms and psychosocial factors (i.e. allostatic overload, abnormal illness behaviour, quality of life, psychological well-being) were investigated among adolescents. The associations between different degrees of ADHD, ULBs and psychosocial factors were also explored. Method This multicentre cross-sectional study involved 440 adolescents (54.5% females; mean age 14.21 years) from six upper secondary schools. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics, ULBs, ADHD symptoms and psychosocial factors. Results The most common ULBs were energy drinks/alcohol consumption and problematic smartphone use. Of the sample, 22% showed subclinical ADHD and 20.2% showed clinical ADHD. The subclinical ADHD group showed several ULBs (i.e. altered mindful eating, impaired quality of sleep, problematic technology use) and psychosocial factors, akin to those of ADHD group and different from peers without ADHD symptoms. Conclusions Since subclinical ADHD manifestation is associated with ULBs, similarly to clinical ADHD, identifying subthreshold symptoms during adolescence is crucial, as it could improve health-related outcomes in adulthood across different domains
Self-perceived provision of patient centered care by healthcare professionals: The role of emotional intelligence and general self-efficacy
Full text linkObjective: This study aimed to investigate whether healthcare professionals' emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with self-perceived provision of patient-centered care (PCC), taking into account the potential mediating effect of general self-efficacy (GSE). Methods: A sample of 318 healthcare professionals, recruited in 2015 among four hospitals in Italy, completed the Provider-Patient Relationship Questionnaire, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy scale. A structural equation model was tested with GSE mediating the relationship between EI and self-perceived provision of PCC. Groups of participants based on gender, profession, and work setting were also compared on the study variables. Results: EI had direct effects on the self-perceived provision of PCC dimensions. GSE partially mediated only the relationship between EI and involving the patient in care. Healthcare professionals in rehabilitation units showed higher self-perceived provision of PCC than those in acute care or ambulatory services. Conclusion: Self-perceived provision of PCC seems to have the potential to be improved by EI and to be distinguishable from GSE. Practice implications: Since EI can be developed, findings of this study have potential implications for improving PCC through continuing education interventions for healthcare professionals
The Cancer Worry Scale Revised for Breast Cancer Genetic Counseling
No full textBackground: The Cancer Worry Scale was revised to be used in breast cancer genetic counseling (CWS-GC). This scale is used to identify dimensions that are relevant in the genetic counseling context, such as worry about developing breast cancer, impact of worries on daily life, and risk perception in women attending a counseling session for BRCA1/2 mutations. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the psychometric properties of the CWS-GC in a sample of Italian women. Methods: A total of 304 women aged 19 to 90 years, 58% with history and 42% with no history of breast or ovarian cancer, participated in the study. Validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change of the CWS-GC were assessed. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a 2-factor structure of the CWS-GC measuring cancer worry and risk perception and with Cronbach's α coefficients of.90 and.70, respectively. Criterion validity was attested by substantial yet not overlapping correlations with anxiety and fear of medical procedures. In a subsample of 50 women, test-retest reliability at a 4-week interval ranged from 0.70 to 0.87, and the CWS-GC was able to detect small to medium changes 1 month after genetic counseling. Conclusions: Overall, the CWS-GC showed good psychometric characteristics in this population. Implications for Practice: The CWS-GC would be appropriate for use by healthcare professionals to better understand how women react and adapt to information on genetic cancer risk to provide them with emotional support and encourage surveillance behaviors
An Abbreviated Version of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire
Full text linkObjective To assess the psychometric properties of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ). Methods A total of 15 mindfulness experts evaluated the content of the 28 items and 5 factors of the MEQ. A sample of 1,067 Italian adults (61.4% women) completed the MEQ and other measures; 62 participants completed a 4-week test-retest. Results Content analysis reduced the MEQ to 20 items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 2-factor model based on awareness and recognition of hunger and satiety cues. Factors showed adequate internal consistency (α = .75 and.83, respectively) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.73 and 0.85, respectively), and were associated in expected ways, although with small to moderate effect sizes, with general mindfulness, meditation experience, yoga practice, not being on a diet plan, and body mass index categories. Conclusions and Implications Findings provided evidence of validity and reliability for the 20-item MEQ and support its use by clinicians and researchers for addressing eating-related issues
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