Testing the phrase completion response option format in a Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth

Measurement of psychological empowerment among youth has relied on scales that use a Likert-type format, which has been subject to critique. Phrase completion is a technique that has been introduced as an alternative to the Likert-type format. This study tested the application of a phrase completion response option format in a measure of psychological empowerment, the abbreviated Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth, with data from a sample of high school students (n = 202) from an economically disadvantaged community located in the northeastern United States. Prior to testing the new measure, we evaluated the validity of the abbreviated version of the original scale using the Likert-type format with data from a separate sample of high school students (n = 977) from the same geographic community. Results supported the validity of both formats of the scale; however, the performance of scores from the phrase completion format was superior to the Likert-type format. Findings imply that the phrase completion format, which heretofore has not appeared in the empowerment literature, may be considered a useful form in which to construct instruments that are intended to measure empowerment among youth

Emergency department-based peer support for opioid use disorder: Emergent functions and forms

Emergency department (ED)-based peer support programs aimed at linking persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) to medication for addiction treatment and other recovery services are a promising approach to addressing the opioid crisis. This brief report draws on experiences from three states' experience with such programs funded by the SAMHSA Opioid State Targeted Repose (STR) grants. Core functions of such programs include: Integration of peer supports in EDs; Alerting peers of eligible patients and making the patient aware of peer services; and connecting patients with recovery services. Qualitative data were analyzed using a general inductive approach conducted in 3 steps in order to identify forms utilized to fulfill these functions. Peer integration differed in terms of peer's physical location and who hired and supervised peers. Peers often depend on ED staff to alert them to potential patients while people other than the peers often first introduce potential patients to programming. Programs generally schedule initial appointments for recovery services for patients, but some programs provide a range of other services aimed at supporting participation in recovery services. Future effectiveness evaluations of ED-based peer support programs for OUD should consistently report on forms used to fulfill core functions

Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research Consortium: Accelerating Evidence-Based Practice of Genomic Medicine

Despite rapid technical progress and demonstrable effectiveness for some types of diagnosis and therapy, much remains to be learned about clinical genome and exome sequencing (CGES) and its role within the practice of medicine. The Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) consortium includes 18 extramural research projects, one National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) intramural project, and a coordinating center funded by the NHGRI and National Cancer Institute. The consortium is exploring analytic and clinical validity and utility, as well as the ethical, legal, and social implications of sequencing via multidisciplinary approaches; it has thus far recruited 5,577 participants across a spectrum of symptomatic and healthy children and adults by utilizing both germline and cancer sequencing. The CSER consortium is analyzing data and creating publically available procedures and tools related to participant preferences and consent, variant classification, disclosure and management of primary and secondary findings, health outcomes, and integration with electronic health records. Future research directions will refine measures of clinical utility of CGES in both germline and somatic testing, evaluate the use of CGES for screening in healthy individuals, explore the penetrance of pathogenic variants through extensive phenotyping, reduce discordances in public databases of genes and variants, examine social and ethnic disparities in the provision of genomics services, explore regulatory issues, and estimate the value and downstream costs of sequencing. The CSER consortium has established a shared community of research sites by using diverse approaches to pursue the evidence-based development of best practices in genomic medicine

Empowerment and effectiveness: a mixed methods study of coalition building within a statewide substance abuse prevention context

This study contributes to the literature by testing a conceptual model of the relationships between empowering organizational characteristics and individual empowerment and their impact on perceived effectiveness within coalitions implementing a substance abuse prevention framework. Excessive drinking among adolescents and young adults is a significant problem in the United States and contributes to a wide range of costly consequences, including motor vehicle crashes, suicide, interpersonal violence, and alcohol poisoning (SAMSHA, 2012). In addition to excessive drinking, an estimated 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older, (8.7 percent), reported current use of illicit drugs in 2011, with marijuana use on the rise and the current most commonly used illicit drug (SAMHSA, 2012). The U.S. Department of Justice (2011a) estimated the economic cost of illicit drug use to society for 2007 was more than $193 billion. The present study adopted a mixed methods convergent parallel design, (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) which included analysis of secondary quantitative and qualitative data that were collected in 2011 for the evaluation of the adoption of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) in New Jersey. Participants were drawn from a purposeful, non-random sample of staff and members within eleven New Jersey coalitions implementing the SPF (n = 138 survey participants; n = 20 interview participants). Using organizational and individual empowerment theories within the conceptual framework, the present study examined psychological empowerment and empowering organizational characteristics and their impacts on perceived effectiveness within coalitions. This study included descriptive, path, and qualitative analyses. The path model showed a good fit to the data with the hypothesized pathways. Psychological empowerment and sense of community had direct, positive effects on perceived effectiveness. Direct effects of organizational characteristics on perceived effectiveness were found as well as indirect effects through their relationships to sense of community and psychological empowerment. Previous research on individual empowerment and organizational empowerment has not included the relationship to self-reported effectiveness. Practical implications include developing coalition training on the SPF with emphasis on organizational characteristics that foster members’ empowerment, increase coalition effectiveness, and improve positive community impact.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Kristen Gilmore Powel

Testing the phrase completion response option format in a Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth

Measurement of psychological empowerment among youth has relied on scales that use a Likert-type format, which has been subject to critique. Phrase completion is a technique that has been introduced as an alternative to the Likert-type format. This study tested the application of a phrase completion response option format in a measure of psychological empowerment, the abbreviated Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth, with data from a sample of high school students (n = 202) from an economically disadvantaged community located in the northeastern United States. Prior to testing the new measure, we evaluated the validity of the abbreviated version of the original scale using the Likert-type format with data from a separate sample of high school students (n = 977) from the same geographic community. Results supported the validity of both formats of the scale; however, the performance of scores from the phrase completion format was superior to the Likert-type format. Findings imply that the phrase completion format, which heretofore has not appeared in the empowerment literature, may be considered a useful form in which to construct instruments that are intended to measure empowerment among youth.</p

Psychometric Properties of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II

The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II is one of the most frequently used measures of acculturation, despite lack of validation. This study analyzed the structure of the Marginality Scale of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II using data from a diverse Latino sample of residents. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Marginality Scale yielded poor model-to-data fit for the hypothesized scales. Exploratory analysis and tests of construct validity were performed to further analyze the Marginality Scale. Results indicate that the revised version needs further work and should be validated with the original intended population for the scale. The utility of the marginality concept is questioned overall considering its history of lack of clear conceptualization and validity