Psychometric properties of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF-Q)

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF-Q) in patients with atrial fibrillation. Design: A prospective study of the patients who underwent DC electrical cardioversion. Setting: Clinics of cardiology and thoracic surgery of the University Hospital in Groningen, the Netherlands. Main outcome measures: The disease-specific MLHF-Q and generic measures of quality of life were administered. The sensitivity to change over time was tested with effect sizes (ES). Internal consistency of MLHF-Q scales was estimated with Cronbach's alpha. To evaluate the construct validity multitrait-multimethod analysis was applied. The 'known group validity' was evaluated by the comparison of mean scores and effect sizes between two groups of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (NYHA I versus II-III). Stability of MLHF-Q scales was estimated in a subgroup of patients who remained stable. Perfect congruence analysis and factor analysis were applied to confirm the a priori determined structure. Results: Cronbach's alpha was :0.80 of the MLHF-Q scales. Perfect congruence analysis (PCA) showed that the results resemble quite well the a priori assumed factor structure. Multitrait-multi method analysis showed convergent validity coefficients ranging from 0.59 to 0.73 (physical impairment dimension) and 0.39 to 0.69 (emotional dimension). The magnitude of change can be interpreted as medium (ES = 0.50). The results of a 'test-retest' analysis in a stable group can be valued as satisfactory for the MLHF-Q scales (Pearson's r > 0.60). The physical dimension and the overall score of the MLHF-Q discriminated significantly between the NYHA I and II-III groups (p <0.001) with large effect sizes (ES > 1.0). Conclusions: The MLHF-Q has solid psychometric properties and the outcome of the current study indicates that the MLHF-Q is an effective and efficient instrument

Compliance after 17 years of breast cancer screening

The motives and reasons for regular attendance, irregular attendance and drop-out were studied in women who were enrolled in a biennial breast cancer screening programme in 1975 and who were invited to each subsequent screening round until 1992. Three compliance groups were compared: 'attended all rounds' (group A, n=79), 'missed 1 or 2 rounds' (group B, n=73) and 'missed more than 2 rounds' (group C, n=64). The groups did not differ with respect to background variables such as sociodemographic characteristics, actual health problems or preventive health orientations, but significant differences were found in general attitudes to breast cancer screening and to the organizational aspects of screening procedures. The results suggest that during the course of a screening programme, for a substantial group of not strongly motivated women, the recurring negative aspects of mammography, (pain and anxiety) are increasingly becoming a burden. "Circumstantial factors' like waiting for one's turn, the distance to the screening centre and incidental dissatisfaction with handling by screening staff, appear to trigger the decision to skip screening rounds or to drop out of the programme. From the perspective of maintaining a regular attendance throughout the programme this is an important group. Special efforts must be made to encourage these women to stay in the programme

Reliability, validity and structure of the Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire among adolescents in the Netherlands

The reliability, validity and structure of the 30 item Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire were investigated in a sample consisting of 1642 Dutch adolescents. The original structure of five subscales was not found to be sufficient in our data. Therefore a revised ADMQ was proposed, with four subscales and 22 items. A cross validation study proved that this revised ADMQ was improved for its structure and reliability. Also, the revised ADMQ proved to be a convergent and discriminative valid instrument indicated by associations with peer group pressure and differences for sex and school level. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Compliance after 17 years of breast cancer screening

Item does not contain fulltex

Relationship (The) between personality, supportive transactions and support satsfaction, and mental health of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis : results from the Dutch part of the Euridiss study

The relationships between two personality characteristics (neuroticism, extraversion), three types of supportive transactions (emotional support, social companionship, instrumental support) and satisfaction with these transactions, and two aspects of mental health (feelings of anxiety and depressive mood) were studied among 280 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Structural equation modeling of the relevant variables showed that people with a more neurotic personality profile showed more anxiety and depressed feelings. Extraversion had no direct effect on depression or anxiety. Companionship, both transactions and satisfaction, had an independent positive effect on depression but not on anxiety. The effect of emotional support ran via social companionship: more emotional support (both transactions and satisfaction) was expressed in companionship leading to a less depressed mood. Finally, more depressed people received more instrumental supportive transactions while more satisfaction with this type of supportive transactions was related to less anxiety. Apart from the disturbing effect of a neurotic personality profile on mental health, the results once more underscore the importance of social companionship as a multifunctional activity for people’s mental health. Maintaining this type of relationships despite a disabling condition gives people the opportunity to derive rewards that otherwise could not or only with more difficulty be achieved.