The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire： A Pilot Study on the Reliability and Validity of the Self-report Version to Measure the Mental Health of Zambian Adolescents

The study had the objective of exploring the feasibility of using the self-report SDQ-Y （youth version of strengths and difficulties questionnaire） to assess the emotional and behavioural well being of adolescents in Zambia. This was a cross sectional study of Lusaka school children （n = 420） aged 11-15 years using the self-report SDQ-Y and a demographic questionnaire. It was found that compared to a UK normative sample, Zambian adolescents were almost twice as likely to have total difficulties scores in the abnormal range （O.R. 1.9）. It was found that there was a significant difference in the total SDQ scores （Z = -2.67, P = 0.008） with children reporting health problems having significantly higher scores. Children reporting health problems also had significantly more emotional problems （Z = -2.78, P = 0.005）. There was a trend for children with health problems to score higher on the hyperactivity scale （Z = -1.9 P = 0.053）. The internal consistency of SDQ subscales ranged from low to moderate. It can be concluded that SDQ is a useful instrument for use with Zambian adolescents, in particular, the total difficulties score and the emotional difficulties score performed well in this sample and could potentially be used to screen for mental health problems or to examine the impact of interventions.

Food Frequency Questionnaire for Chinese Children Aged 12-17 Years: Validity and Reliability

Objective The primary objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire(FFQ) among Chinese children aged 12-17 years. Methods A semi-quantitative 72-food item FFQ was developed for children aged 12-17 years. The reliability and validity of this FFQ were evaluated against 24-h dietary recalls(24 h DRs) to measure the consumption of foods and nutrients. We administered two FFQs and three DRs to children(N = 160) over a period of 1 month to evaluate the reliability and validity. Reliability was examined by quartile agreement and intraclass correlation coefficients(ICCs), and validity was examined by quartile agreement, Bland-Altman plots and correlation with DRs. Results For reliability, the ICCs between the two FFQs ranged from 0.21 to 0.76 for foods and nutrients, and the quartile agreement ranged from 70.0% to 95.0% in the same or adjacent quartiles. Spearman’s correlation coefficients of foods and nutrients between the second FFQ and the 24 h DRs ranged from-0.04 to 0.59. The Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement across the range of intakes among nutrients. The quartile agreement ranged from 50.0% to 100.0%, with infrequent misclassification. Conclusion The FFQ assessment of dietary intakes demonstrated acceptable relative validity and high reproducibility for Chinese children aged 12-17 years.

The reliability and validity of the inpatient satisfaction questionnaire as an instrument for measuring inpatient satisfaction

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Inpotient Satisfaction Questionnaire (IPSQ) on the basis of a pilot survey. Methods: The subjects were 900 patients discharged from 3 general hospitals in Guangzhou. Mail survey was employed. The reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The validity was assessed by content validity and construct validity. Results: The response rates were 30% for the test, 47% for the retest and 93.2% for the total items. High haiability of IPSQ was proved by Cronbach’s a of 0. 92, and no sighficant difference (P = 0. 183) and whereas conspicuous correlation (r = 0. 812, P < 0. 000 1 ) between test and retest were shown. Content validity was supported by factor loading. Convergent and discriminant validity was strongly supported by the fact that the maximum interscale correlation was less than the internal consistency of individual dimension. Conclusion:The IPSQ was reliable and valid.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Head and Neck Information Needs Questionnaire for patients with head and neck cancer and their caregivers

Objectives:This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Head and Neck Information Needs Questionnaire(HaNiQ).Methods:The HaNiQ was translated into a Chinese version using internationally recognized forwardand back-translation procedures.The reliability and validity of the HaNiQ were measured using Cronbach’s a coefficient,split-half reliability,exploratory factor analysis,and Pearson correlation analysis.Results:A total of 207 patients in different head and neck cancer(HNC)stages and 174 caregivers completed the Chinese version of the HaNiQ.Internal consistencies varied between good and very well(Cronbach’s α coefficient 0.74-0.90);the split-half coefficient and the content validity index(CVI)of the questionnaire were 83.5%and 83.33%,respectively.The cumulative contribution rates of the 5 subscales in patients with HNCand their caregivers were 62.41%and 61.19%,respectively.However,there are some differences between the Chinese questionnaire for caregiver and the original questionnaire regarding the attribution of items.Items 22,23,and 27 in the Psychosocial subscale of the English version were assigned to the Survivorship subscale in the Chinese version for caregivers.Conclusions:The results demonstrated that the Chinese version of the HaNiQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the information needs of patients with HNC and that of their caregivers.Though the structure of the Chinese versionwas different from the English version for caregivers of HNC patients,the Chinese version of the HaNiQ appears to be reliable and would benefit from further testing.

Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire

Objective To study the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire(LYMQOL)in lymphedema patients.Methods LYMQOL was translated into Chinese.The Chinese version of the LYMQOL was distributed with the official Wechat account"Lymphedema Channel"to lymphedema patients who were recruited from October 28^(th),2020 to February 23^(rd),2021.Patients with upper limb lymphedema and lower limb lymphedema completed the LYMQOL-ARM subscale and the LYMQOL-LEG subscale separately,at enrollment,1 week later,and 1 month later.Reliability,validity,feasibility,responsiveness and average time required for completing the questionnaire were assessed.Results A total of 195 patients participated in the study.The Chinese questionnaire showed high reliability with Cronbach’sαcoefficients of 0.849-0.902 for the LYMQOL-ARM and intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)of 0.848-0.884 and Cronbach’sαcoefficients of 0.726-0.902 for the LYMQOL-LEG and ICC of 0.863-0.900.The LYMQOL showed moderate to good correlations with the EQ-5 D(0.4<r<0.6,P<0.01;for the LYMQOLARM,n=95,for the LYMQOL-LEG,n=102).Responsiveness analysis suggested that quality of life of upper limb lymphedema patients decreased after 1 month(P<0.05).The average time of patients to finish the questionnaire was approximately 12 minutes.Conclusions The Chinese version of the LYMQOL is easy to answer,comprehensive and appropriate in length,and has good reliability and validity.It may be utilized to assist treatment decision-making and track changes in clinical setting or research for lymphedema.

Reliability and Validity Test of Questionnaire on the Adaptation Strategy of Cryosphere Changes in Arid Inland River Basin

[Objective] The aim was to test the reliability and validity of questionnaire on the adaptation strategy of cryosphere changes in arid inland river basin. [Method] A questionnaire on 'the adaptation strategy of cryosphere changes in arid inland river basin' was carried out in Urumchi River basin and Aksu River basin, and its reliability and validity were tested by means of statistical method, so as to investigate the stability and accuracy of questionnaire. [Result] Reliability analysis of questionnaire showed that the split-half reliability coefficient of questionnaire in Urumchi River basin and Aksu River basin was 0.729 and 0.750, respectively, and Cronbach’s α reliability coefficient was 0.613 and 0.616, respectively, which revealed that the questionnaire had good equivalence and internal consistency which reflected good reliability and stability. According to validity analysis on questionnaire, there was significant correlation between the score of most questions and questionnaire, and it indicated that questionnaire had high content validity. There were 8 common factors collected from 26 questions, which were summarized as agricultural planting, agricultural water conservation, life satisfaction, cultivated land variation, social integration sense, climate and cryosphere changes, capital input improved by environment and family economic condition, respectively. Meanwhile, the contribution rate of various questions in corresponding indexes was higher, and reflected structure was in full accord with questionnaire content, which revealed that questionnaire owned good construct validity. [Conclusion] With higher stability and accuracy, the questionnaire could determine the desired topic and content and was suitable for the study on the perception of common people and choices of adaptive strategy under cryosphere changes in arid inland river basin in northwestern China.

Validity and Reliability of Chinese Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children Aged 10-17 Years

Objective This study is aimed to report the development,the reliability and validity of the Chinese Children Physical Activity Questionnaire(CCPAQ)which was designed for the assessment of physical activity pattern in young population in China.Methods The CCPAQ was administered for two times in 119 children(mean age 13.1±2.4 years;boys 47%)to examine reliability by using intraclass correlation coefficients.Validity was determined in 106 participants by agreement with the CCPAQ measures and the objective method,the ActiGraph accelerometer.Data on physical activity patter n including time spe nt on d iff ere nt intensi ties and total physical activity,sedentary behavior as well as physical activity energy expenditure were used to assess the validity with Spearman's correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman plots.Results The reliability coefficient of the CCPAQ ranged from 0.63-0.93(Intra-class correlation coefficient).Spearman's correlation coefficient for validity of time spent on total physical activity and sedentary behavior were all 0.32(P<0.001),and for physical activity energy expenditure was 0.58(P<0.001).Time spent on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and light physical activity showed a relatively low correlation with the accelerometer(rho=0.20,P=0.040;rho=0.19,P=0.054).Conclusion The CCPAQ appears to be a promising and feasible method to assess physical activity pattern in Chinese children.

Reliability and validity of the French version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire

Background:The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire(GPAQ)has been used to measure physical activity(PA)and sedentary time in France,but no study has assessed its psychometric properties.This study aimed to compare the reliability as well as criterion and concurrent validity of the French version of the GPAQ with the French International Physical Activity Questionnaire long form(IPAQ-LF)and use of an accelerometer in a general adult population.Methods:We included 92 participants(students or staff)from the Medicine Campus at the University of Lorraine,Nancy(north-eastern France).The French GPAQ was completed twice,7 days apart,to study test-retest reliability.The IPAQ-LF was used to assess concurrent validity of the GPAQ,and participants wore an accelerometer(ActiGraph GT3X+)for 7 days to study criterion validity.Reliability as well as concurrent and criterion validity of the GPAQ were tested by the intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC),Spearman correlation coefficient for quantitative variables,and Kappa and Phi coefficients for qualitative variables.Both concurrent and criterion validity of GPAQ were assessed by Bland-Altman plots.Results:The GPAQ showed poor to good reliability(ICC=0.37-0.94;Kappa=0.50-0.62)and concurrent validity(Spearman r=0.41-0.86),but only poor criterion validity(Spearman r=-0.22-0.42).Limits of agreement for the GPAQ and accelerometer were wide,with differences between 286.5 min/week and 601.3 min/week.Conclusion:The French version of the GPAQ provides limited but acceptable reliability and validity for the measurement of PA and sedentary time.It may be used for assessing PA and sedentary time in a French adult population.

Reliability and validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Greek adolescents and their parents

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief screening measure of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to assess reliability and validity of the Greek version of the SDQ. A representative Greek sample of 1194 adolescents (aged 11 to 17 years) and their parents completed the SDQ along with other measures. Internal consistency reliability was determined by calculation of the Cronbach α coefficient. Varimax Orthogonal Transformation was conducted to test the factor structure of the questionnaire. Validity was further examined by investigating the correlation of the SDQ with the KIDSCREEN questionnaire and its association with demographic factors. The inter-rater agreement between parent and self-reports was analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were computed to determine test-retest stability. For both parent and the self-report SDQ versions, most items loaded onto their predicted factors in consistency with the originally proposed five-factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable with a Cronbach α above 0.70 for all SDQ scales except for conduct and peer problems. Inter-rater correlations ranged from 0.33 to 0.45. Test-retest stability was good (ICCs > 0.60). Correlation coefficients between the SDQ and KIDSCREEN questionnaire were significant. Small effect sizes (d > 0.5) of the socioeconomic status were found for all of the SDQ scale mean scores. In conclusion, the SDQ was found to have satisfying psychometric properties and could be suitable for assessing emotional and behavioural problems in Greek adolescents.

Validity and reliability testing of the Chinese (mainland) version of the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)

The 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) has been tested in many languages, but not in Chinese mainland. We aimed to assess the Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39. Seventy-one subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) completed the PDQ-39 and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). All subjects were retested with the PDQ-39 a week later. The united Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr (H & Y) scale were also used to evaluate the subjects. Reliability was assessed by Cron- bach's α and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Validity was examined in terms of agreement with SF-36, UPDRS, and H & Y scales. The Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39 demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α: 0.84-0.88; ICC: 0.56-0.82). The item-total correlations (0.33-0.88) and scaling success rates (77.56%) indicated satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity of the PDQ-39 items. The correlations between related constructs of the PDQ-39 and UPDRS (r=0.44-0.68) and between those of the PDQ-39 and SF-36 (r=(-0.46)-(-0.69)) were all statistically significant (P<0.01). Except for stigma, cognitions, and bodily discomfort, all other dimensions of the PDQ-39 significantly discriminated patients at different H & Y stages indicated by the H & Y scale. Although our observations indicate that some problematic subscales of this version of the PDQ-39 could be improved upon, this study suggests acceptable reliability and validity of the Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39.

Development and validation of a novel questionnaire regarding vision screening among preschool teachers in Malaysia

AIM:To develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of a knowledge,attitude,and practice questionnaire related to vision screening(KAP-VST)among preschool teachers in Malaysia.METHODS:The questionnaire was developed through a literature review and discussions with experts.Content and face validation were conducted by a panel of experts(n=10)and preschool teachers(n=10),respectively.A pilot study was conducted for construct validation(n=161)and test-retest reliability(n=60)of the newly developed questionnaire.RESULTS:Based on the content and face validation,71 items were generated,and 68 items were selected after exploratory factor analysis.The content validity index for items(I-CVI)score ranged from 0.8-1.0,and the content validity index for scale(S-CVI)/Ave was 0.99.Internal consistency was KR^(2)0=0.93 for knowledge,Cronbach’s alpha=0.758 for attitude,and Cronbach’s alpha=0.856 for practice.CONCLUSION:The KAP-VST is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing knowledge,attitude,and practice in relation to vision screening among preschool teachers in Malaysia.

Adaptation of the Turkish version of Nurses' Self Concept Questionnaire

Objectives:Nurse's self-concept is significant for professionalism.We aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of a Nurses'Self Concept Questionnaire.Methods:A methodological study was conducted with the participation of a group of nursing students and nurses.For the statistical analysis,structural equation models,convergent validity analyses,discriminate validity analyses,internal consistency analysis,and test-retest reliability analyses were used.Results:Correlation-coefficient for the test-retest reliability of the Turkish version of Nurses'SelfConcept Questionnaire was 0.87.The internal consistency of this questionnaire was calculated with Cronbach'sαcoefficient and it was found high across the six subscales from 0.83 to 0.91.The goodness of fit indices was determined as acceptable.Conclusions:According to results,this Nurses'Self-Concept Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing nurses'and nursing students'self-concept in Turkey.

Revision and validation of the“Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire(Elderly Edition)”based on the Delphi process

Objective:This study aimed to revise the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire(Elderly Edition)(CCMQ-EE),as well as evaluate its reliability and validity.The objective was to provide a more accurate Chinese medicine constitution identification tool for geriatric health management and help further research on the relationship between geriatric diseases and constitution type,etc.Methods:The Delphi method and a cross-sectional survey of the elderly population were used.From April to October 2021,experts in different fields were invited to participate in the questionnaire,and items were revised through the experts'ratings and feedback.From December 2021 to February 2022,the revised CCMQ-EE was validated in the elderly population.Results:The coefficients of variation of rationality and importance scores decreased to less than 0.25 in the third round of Delphi.The Kendall coordination coefficients of rationality and importance in the third round were 0.15 and 0.17(P=.031 and P=.007,respectively).The revised CCMQ-EE was established with 34 items.The factor loadings of subscales were between 0.39 and 0.92,and the fitting effects of other subscales were acceptable,except for the inherited special constitution.The Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability coefficients of each subscale ranged from 0.65 to 0.83,and 0.66 to 0.96,respectively.The composite reliability and average variance extraction were between 0.66 and 0.84,and between 0.32 and 0.57,respectively.The reliability and validity of the revised CCMQ-EE were acceptable or satisfactory.Conclusion:The revised CCMQ-EE was developed through a three-round Delphi process and internal team discussion.After the verification in the elderly in Beijing area,its measurement performance was good.The updated questionnaire can probably replace the initial version to better promote health management and help healthy aging by identifying the constitution type of the elderly.

Psychometrics of chronic liver disease questionnaire in Chinese chronic hepatitis B patients

AIM: To evaluate psychometrics of the Chinese (mainland) chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 460 Chinese patients with CHB was selected from the Outpatient Department of the Eighth Hospital of Xi'an, including CHB (CHB without cirrhosis) (n = 323) and CHB-related cirrhosis (n = 137). The psychometrics includes reliability, validity and sensitivity. Internal consistency reliability was measured using Cronbach's α. Convergent and discriminant validity was evaluated by item-scale correlation. Factorial validity was explored by principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Sensitivity was assessed using Cohen's effect size (ES), and independent sample t test between CHB and CHB-related cirrhosis groups and between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normal and abnormal groups after stratifying the disease (CHB and CHB-related cirrhosis).RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability of the CLDQ was 0.83 (range: 0.65-0.90). Most of the hypothesized item-scale correlations were 0.40 or over, and all of such hypothesized correlations were higher than the alternative ones, indicating satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. Six factors were extracted after varimax rotation from the 29 items of CLDQ. The eligible Cohen's ES with statistically significant independent sample t test was found in the overall CLDQ and abdominal, systematic, activity scales (CHB vs CHBrelated cirrhosis), and in the overall CLDQ and abdominal scale in the stratification of patients with CHB (ALT normal vs abnormal). CONCLUSION: The CLDQ has acceptable reliability, validity and sensitivity in Chinese (mainland) patients with CHB.

Development and validation of a self-management behavior questionnaire for Chinese enterostomy patients

Objectives:This study aimed to develop a self-management behavior questionnaire for Chinese enter-ostomy patients and examine its reliability and validity.Methods:Guided by the theory of self-management,an initial questionnaire was generated through literature review,group meetings,and two rounds of an expert consultation.Finally,the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were validated through a questionnaire survey of 200 enterostomy patients were selected from the Affiliated Hospital of Medical University from June 2016 to March 2017.Results:The content validity index was 0.80e1.00.The exploratory factor analysis yielded a five-factor(dietary behavior,psychosocial behavior,symptom management behavior,medical compliance behavior,information management behavior),consisting of 40 items.The cumulative variance contri-bution rate was 65.42%.The Cronbach’s a coefficient for the total questionnaire was 0.972,and for the five factors ranged from 0.797 to 0.939,indicating a good internal consistency.The test-retest reliability was 0.867(P<0.01).The self-management behavior questionnaire score was negatively related to the Ostomy Skin Tool score(r=-0.800,P<0.01).Conclusions:The self-management behavior questionnaire developed in this study showed good reli-ability and validity and can be used to assess the self-management behavior of Chinese enterostomy patients.

Development and validation of the Nurse’s Workplace Mental Health Questionnaire

Objectives:This study aimed to develop and validate the Nurse’sWorkplace Mental Health Questionnaire(NWMHQ).Methods:The questionnaire was developed based on the two continua model of mental illness and health proposed by Keyes.The initial questionnaire was generated through literature review,two rounds of Delphi expert consultation,followed by a pilot survey.Finally,the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were validated through an online survey of 2,815 registered nurses selected from the public hospitals in 11 provinces from June to July 2020.Results:The item-content validity index(I-CVI)of the questionnaire ranged from 0.750 to 1.000 and the average scale-level content validity index(S-CVI/Ave)was 0.906.Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.948 and test-retest reliability was 0.850.The self-rating depression scale score was negatively related to the NWMHQ score(r=0.664,P<0.01).The exploratory factor analysis(EFA)yielded six factors(emotional status,psychological security,positive relationship,resilience,self-efficacy,and subjective well-being),consisting of 32 items.The cumulative variance contribution rate was 65.58%.Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)showed an acceptable fit.Conclusion:The NWMHQ developed in this study showed good reliability and validity.This questionnaire may help assess the mental health status of nurses and help nursing managers to develop appropriate targeted psychological interventions.

Development and initial validation of the child intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire among child strabismus patients

Objectives:To translate the Child Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire(Child-IXTQ)from English to Chinese and to evaluate its reliability and validity in Chinese childhood strabismus patients.Method:A consecutive sample of 143 child strabismus patients was recruited from the Department of Ophthalmology at a medical center in Southwest China.In addition,100 visually normal adults and 100 patients with other eye diseases were recruited.The Brislin translation model was followed to develop the Chinese version of Child-IXTQ.Reliability was established using Cronbach's a and test-retest.Validity was established encompassing content validity,construct validity,convergent validity,criterion-related validity and discriminative validity.Results:The correlation coefficients between each item score with the total score ranged from 0.370 to 0.813.Two subscales were extracted by principal component analysis,with a content validity of 0.91.The correlation coefficients between two factor scores with the total score were 0.709 and 0.939.Criterion-related validity was estimated by the correlating the Child-IXTQ with the PedsQL 4.0,and the correlation coefficient was 0.522.In addition,the Child-IXTQ discriminated accurately between strabismus patients and normal children,or children with other eye diseases that possessed good discriminative validity.Cronbach's a coefficient for the internal consistency was 0.907 and the test-retest reliability was 0.962.Conclusions:Our study indicates that the Child-IXTQ is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the health-related quality of life among children with strabismus.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire (AFFEXX-C)

Despite the well-established benefits of regular physical activity(PA)on health,a large proportion of the world population does not achieve the recommended level of regular PA.Although affective experiences toward PA may play a key role to foster a sustained engagement in PA,they have been largely overlooked and crudely measured in the existing studies.To address this shortcoming,the Affective Exercise Experiences(AFFEXX)questionnaire has been developed to measure such experiences.Specifically,this questionnaire was developped to assess the following three domains:antecedent appraisals(e.g.,liking vs.disliking exercise in groups),core affective exercise experiences(i.e.,pleasure vs.displeasure,energy vs.tiredness,and calmness vs.tension),and exercise motivation(i.e.,attraction vs.antipathy toward exercise).The current study aimed to validate a Chinese version of the AFFEXX questionnaire(AFFEXX-C).In study 1,722 Chinese college students provided data for analyses of factorial,convergent,discriminant,criterion validity,and test-retest reliability of the AFFEXX-C.In addition,1,300 college students were recruited in study 2 to further validate its structural model.Results showed that the AFFEXX-C demonstrates a goodfit and reliability.Additionally,results further supported the hypothesized model based on previous research:antecedent appraisals predicted core affective exercise experiences,which in turn predicted attraction-antipathy toward physical exercise.The AFFEXX-C was found to be a reliable and valid measure of affective exercise experiences in a population of Chinese college students.

Development and evaluation of a Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome questionnaire for measuring sub-optimal health status in China

OBJECTIVE:Sub-optimal health status(SHS),in which a person's mind and body exists in a low-quality state of being between disease and health,has become a public health problem that cannot be ignored in China.SHS measurement presents a challenge to the academic fields.We developed and evaluated a questionnaire from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) that embodies the features of TCM syndrome diagnosis for measuring SHS in China.METHODS:The construction of the theoretical framework of the questionnaire was based on a literature review,an expert questionnaire survey and group interviews.The subscales and questionnaire items were screened through a pilot study using statistical means and qualitative analysis.Reliability tests that were used included test-retest reliability,Cronbach's α coefficient,split-half reliability;validity tests included content validity,criterion validity,discrimination validity and construct validity.RESULTS:The final questionnaire,the SHSQ-50,included 50 five-class quantifiable items that encompassed nine subscales:liver stagnation syndrome,liver-Qi deficiency syndrome,spleen-Qi deficiency syndrome,liver-fire syndrome,heart-fire syndrome,stomach-fire syndrome,heart-Qi deficiency syndrome,lung-Qi deficiency syndrome and dampness syndrome.Questionnaires were completed by 268 of the 288 SHS subjects(93.0%) and by 86 of the 94 healthy subjects(91.5%).The Cronbach α coefficients,split-half coefficients and stability coefficients ranged from 0.70 to 0.95,0.67 to 0.87 and 0.88 to 0.98,respectively,for the overall scores and subscales.The Wilcoxon rank test showed statistically significant differences in the subscales and overall scores between the SHS group and the healthy group(P<0.01).Twelve factors with an eigenvalue greater than one were extracted by factor analysis and merged into nine factors,for which the cumulative contribution rate was 63.63%.The nine factors were corresponded to the overall structure of the questionnaire.CONCLUSION:The SHSQ-50 is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring TCM syndrome diagnosis of SHS in China.

Penn State Worry Questionnaire:structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire(PSWQ) is a measure of worry phenomena and has been demonstrated valid in cross-cultural populations. The present study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of PSWQ(Ch-PSWQ) in a Chinese college sample(n=1243). Exploratory factor analysis of the Ch-PSWQ revealed a two-factor solution(engagement of worry and absence of worry). Confirmatory factor analysis and model comparison supported that the model of one factor with method effect provided the best fit to the data. The Ch-PSWQ and its factors evidenced good internal consistency and both convergent and discriminate validity. The present study supports the opinion that the second factor of PSWQ not only contains the component of evaluating pathological worry,but also might represent other traits.