Heidi Celina Oviedo

Psychometric properties of a scale: internal consistency

Internal consistency reliability is the degree of correlation between a scales items. Internal consistency is calculated by Kuder-Richardsons formula 20 for dichotomous choices and Cronbachs alpha for polytomous items. 0.70 to 0.90 internal consistency is acceptable. 5-25 participants are needed for each item when computing the internal consistency of a twenty-item scale. Internal consistency varies according to population and then it is necessary to report it always that scale is used.

Internal consistency of a Spanish translation of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity short form

This study evaluated the internal consistency of a Spanish version of the short form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity based on responses of 405 Colombian adolescent students ages 13 to 17 years. This translated short-form version of the scale had an internal consistency of .80. This estimate indicates suitable internal consistency reliability for research use in this population.

Internal consistency of a five-item form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity among adolescent students.

The short form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity (L. J. Francis, 1992) is a 7-item Likert-type scale that shows high homogeneity among adolescents. The psychometric performance of a shorter version of this scale has not been explored. The authors aimed to determine the internal consistency of a 5-item form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity among 405 students from a school in Cartagena, Colombia. The authors computed the Cronbachs alpha coefficient for the 5 items with a greater corrected item-total punctuation correlation. The version without Items 2 and 7 showed internal consistency of .87. The 5-item version of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity exhibited higher internal consistency than did the 7-item version. Future researchers should corroborate this finding.

Análisis de factores: fundamentos para la evaluación de instrumentos de medición en salud mental

The validation of a measurement tool in mental health is a complex process that usually starts by estimating reliability, to later approach its validity. Factor analysis is a way to know the number of dimensions, domains or factors of a measuring tool, generally related to the construct validity of the scale. The analysis could be exploratory or confirmatory, and helps in the selection of the items with better performance. For an acceptable factor analysis, it is necessary to follow some steps and recommendations, conduct some statistical tests, and rely on a proper sample of participants.The validation of a measurement tool in mental health is a complex process that usually starts by estimating reliability, to later approach its validity. Factor analysis is a way to know the number of dimensions, domains or factors of a measuring tool, generally related to the construct validity of the scale. The analysis could be exploratory or confirmatory, and helps in the selection of the items with better performance. For an acceptable factor analysis, it is necessary to follow some steps and recommendations, conduct some statistical tests, and rely on a proper sample of participants.

Estigma: barrera de acceso a servicios en salud mental

BACKGROUND The perceived stigma represents a sociocultural barrier to access mental health services and prevents individuals who meet criteria for a mental disorder the possibility of receiving comprehensive and integred care. OBJECTIVE To update institutional mechanisms by which stigma related to mental disorders, perceived and perpetrated, acts as a barrier to mental health access. RESULTS Stigma as a barrier to access to mental health services is due to a reduction in service requests, the allocation of limited resources to mental health, the systematic process of impoverishment of the people who suffer a mental disorder, increased risk of crime, and implications in contact with the legal system, and the invisibility of the vulnerability of these people. CONCLUSIONS Structured awareness and education programs are needed to promote awareness about mental disorders, promote community-based psychosocial rehabilitation, and reintegration into productive life process. In Colombia, the frequency and variables associated with the stigma of mental disorders needs to be studied. This knowledge will enable the implementation of measures to promote the social and labor inclusion of people who meet the criteria for mental disorders.

Measuring Homonegativity: Psychometric Analysis of Herek’s Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG) in Colombia, South America

The empirical study of negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian people (homonegativity) is a way to understand the reason for its prevalence. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG). A total of 359 undergraduate students were recruited from two different cities in Colombia, South America. Participants’ attitudes toward gays and lesbian people were assessed using the ATLG Scale and the Homophobia Scale; anxiety was measured using a short version of the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Internal consistency analyses have shown that the ATLG Scale is a reliable measure of homonegativity in a Colombian sample. In addition, principal components analyses, as well as convergent and divergent validity analyses have confirmed that the ATLG Scale is a valid and reliable measure of homonegativity in the Colombian context and support its use as a research instrument.

Differential Item Functioning of the Psychological Domain of the Menopause Rating Scale

Introduction. Quality of life could be quantified with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), which evaluates the severity of somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms in menopause. However, differential item functioning (DIF) analysis has not been applied previously. Objective. To establish the DIF of the psychological domain of the MRS in Colombian women. Methods. 4,009 women aged between 40 and 59 years, who participated in the CAVIMEC (Calidad de Vida en la Menopausia y Etnias Colombianas) project, were included. Average age was 49.0 ± 5.9 years. Women were classified in mestizo, Afro-Colombian, and indigenous. The results were presented as averages and standard deviation (X ± SD). A p value <0.001 was considered statistically significant. Results. In mestizo women, the highest X ± SD were obtained in physical and mental exhaustion (PME) (0.86 ± 0.93) and the lowest ones in anxiety (0.44 ± 0.79). In Afro-Colombian women, an average score of 0.99 ± 1.07 for PME and 0.63 ± 0.88 for anxiety was gotten. Indigenous women obtained an increased average score for PME (1.33 ± 0.93). The lowest score was evidenced in depressive mood (0.50 ± 0.81), which is different from other Colombian women (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The psychological items of the MRS show differential functioning according to the ethnic group, which may induce systematic error in the measurement of the construct.

Escala de Discriminación en la Vida Cotidiana: Consistencia y estructura interna en estudiantes de medicina

La discriminacion se presenta en todos los contextos en cualquier etapa de la vida. La El objetivo del presente estudio fue explorar la consistencia y estructura interna de la EDVC en estudiantes de medicina de una universidad de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Se realizo un estudio metodologico en el que participaron 346 estudiantes, en edades entre 18 y 30 anos, media para la edad de 20,2 anos (DE=1,9); el 59,2%, mujeres; y 58,4%, mestizos. Se calculo alfa de Cronbach y omega de McDonald y se realizo un analisis factorial exploratorio con los diez incisos de la EDVC. El alfa de Cronbach fue 0,83 y la omega de McDonald, 084. La estructura interna mostro un unico factor que explico el 41,7% de la varianza total. Se concluye que la EDVC presenta alta consistencia interna y una sola dimension en estudiantes de medicina de una universidad de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Se necesitan nuevas investigaciones para conocer la consistencia y estructura interna en otras poblaciones.

Desempeño de la escala de racismo basado en la genética en estudiantes de medicina

The concept of racial discrimination changes over the time; and today different forms are distinguished, among others, genetic, modern, symbolic and subtle. Accordingly, scales for quantifying these are proposed. The objective of the research was to determine the psychometric performance of the Genetically Based Racism Instrument (GBRI) among medical students of a university in Bucaramanga, Colombia. A validation study was done which participation of 341 students aged between 18 and 30 years, 59.2% females, completed a nine-item version of the GBRI. Cronbach alpha and McDonald omega were estimated. Internal structure was computed with exploratory factor analysis. RBGS presented Cronbach alpha of 0.81; and McDonald omega, 0.82. Internal structure was represented by one dimension responsible for 40.6 % of variance. As conclusion, GBRI has high internal consistency and one-dimension structure in the participating students. Future research should explore the performance of this instrument in students of other academic programs and Colombian cities.

Association between religiosity and depressive symptoms

Introduccion: varios estudios informan asociacion significativa entre religiosidad y sintomas depresivos en adolescentes; sin embargo, otras investigaciones no. Hasta la fecha, esta relacion no se ha investigado en estudiantes adolescentes que viven en el pais violento y de bajos ingresos, como Colombia. Objetivo: establecer la correlacion entre religiosidad y sintomas depresivos en estudiantes de Cartagena, Colombia. Metodo: Se diseno un estudio transversal se llevo a cabo con la participacion de adolescentes en edades comprendidas entre 13 y 17 anos. Los estudiantes completaron dos escalas: la forma de cinco items de la escala de Francis de actitud hacia el cristianismo (Francis-5) que pregunto acerca de Dios, Jesus y la oracion (las puntuaciones mas altas indican mayor religiosidad), y el Indice de Bienestar General de la OMS (WHO-5) que indaga sintomas depresivos en las ultimas dos semanas (las puntuaciones mas bajas indican sintomas depresivos mayores). Se acepto como una correlacion de Pearson significativa (rho, r) un coeficiente superior a 0,20. Resultados: un total de 1.730 estudiantes respondieron el cuestionario. La media para la edad fue 14,7 (DE = 1,2). Por sexo, 912 (52,7%) estudiantes eran ninas, y 818 (47,3%), ninos. Francis-5 mostro una alta consistencia interna, coeficiente alfa de 0,909, y el coeficiente omega de 0,910. WHO-5 presento un coeficiente alfa de 0,757, y el omega de 0,759. Las puntuaciones para Francis-5 se observaron entre cero y veinte (media = 18,2, SD = 3,0, mediana = 20, moda = 20); y la WHO-5, entre cero y quince anos (media = 10,2; SD = 3,1, mediana = 10; moda = 10). La religiosidad no tuvo correlacion significativa con los sintomas de depresion (r = 0,080). Conclusiones: la religiosidad no se asocia a sintomas depresivos en estudiantes adolescentes en Cartagena, Colombia.