Paul D. Retzlaff

Measuring self-efficacy in people with multiple scleoris: a validation study☆☆☆

OBJECTIVE To assess the psychometric properties of a measure of self-efficacy in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN Cross-sectional study by mail with retest. SETTING MS Clinic registry of a large Boston teaching hospital . PATIENTS 141 MS patients representing a broad range of disability. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The MS Self-Efficacy Scale (MSSE), the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Sickness Impact Profile, and the mastery subscale of the Ryff Happiness Scale. RESULTS The MSSE has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, both for the overall scale and for the SE Function and SE Control subscales. Results of convergent and divergent validity analyses suggest that the scale is both sensitive and specific. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that MSSE is appropriate for assessing self-efficacy in the MS population.

Towers of Hanoi and London: Reliability and Validity of Two Executive Function Tasks

The Towers of Hanoi and London are presumed to measure executive functions such as planning and working memory. Both have been used as a putative assessment of frontal lobe function. In this study, both tasks were administered to 61 normal adult participants to test the assumption that the two tasks are measuring the same cognitive processes. The results revealed a significant, but relatively low (.37) correlation between performances on the two tasks. Follow-up analyses indicated that the likely source of the lack of convergence was the unreliability of the Tower of London. Thus, the common assumption that the two tasks are isomorphic must be questioned.

Development of the Tower of London-Revised

The objective of this work was to reconstruct the Tower of London (TOL) test in order to increase its reliability. A three-phase process was undertaken to accomplish this goal. In Phase 1, the TOL item pool was increased, the task was administered to a sample of college students (N = 50), and item-total correlations were calculated in order to identify the items that had the highest correlation with the total score. In Phase 2, the revised 30-item TOL (TOL-R) was administered to a second sample (N = 50) and the internal consistency reliability (Chronbach alpha) was estimated at .794. Finally, Phase 3 examined the test-retest reliability of the TOH-R on a new sample (N = 34) and the stability was found to be acceptable at r = .70.

Air Force Pilot Personality: Hard Data on the "Right Stuff"

Three-hundred and fifty Air Force pilots undergoing Undergraduate Pilot Training were administered the Personality Research Form (PRF) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) within the first four weeks of training. Pilots were significantly different from non-flying college students on several PRF scales. Cluster analyses indicated that three very distinct personality types exist in the data. These types were supported through multiple cross-validations. Descriptions of pilot personality types are given in terms of PRF and MCMI personality variables. The accuracy of prevailing stereotypes is examined in light of the data. Implications for future research and pilot selection criteria are discussed.

The Use of the MCMI-III in the Screening and Triage of Offenders

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III (MCMI-III) is well suited for use in corrections settings. The MCMI-III’s scales correlate with theDiagnosticand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) personality disorders (frequently found in correctional settings), and the publisher offers a corrections-specific interpretive package. To further elucidate the usefulness of the MCMI-III with offenders and assess its efficacy, the authors administered the test to more than 10,000 inmates of the Colorado Department of Corrections. Scale scores were compared to intake judgment and outcome variables across mental health, substance abuse, and violence variables. A number of scales were found to predict several mental health variables such as subsequent diagnosis, medication prescription, and therapy time. Substance abuse scale elevations corresponded to subsequent intake recommendations. Although more modest, the aggressive personality disorder scales and several of the neurotic scales correlated with future institutional violence. The authors discuss the relevance of these findings to screening, triage, and correctional assessment.

Psychopathology and Tattooing among Prisoners

Tattooing has always been associated with criminals. Indeed, it is both an administrative and clinical problem in prisons. This article looks at the relationship between psychopathology and tattooing infractions within prison. Using a sample of 8,574 male inmates in the Colorado Department of Corrections, initial admission personality testing was compared to tattooing infractions within the next 2 years. Personality types more likely to engage in tattooing included Antisocial, Sadistic, Negativistic, and Borderline. Compulsive personality types engaged in relatively less tattooing. Clinical syndromes associated with more tattooing included Mania, Drug Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, and Thought Disorder.

Neuropsychological battery choice and theoretical orientation: A multivariate analysis

In order to investigate the tests selected by neuropsychologists to make up clinical batteries, a large survey of neuropsychological test usage was cluster analyzed. This provided groupings of tests that are endorsed in common. Theoretical orientation within neuropsychology also was included in the analysis to determine which tests and clusters of tests are more and less associated with the reported orientation of the neuropsychologist. Fifteen clusters of tests were found. Strong and appropriate associations with the eclectic, hypothesis testing, process approach, Halstead-Reitan, Luria, and Benton orientations were seen.

An analysis of the MCMI-I at the item level.

The study reports on principal component analyses of the MCMI-1 at the item level. The 175 items of the MCMI were separated for analysis into 100 descriptive of personality and 75 that represent clinical symptoms. The data analyzed came from a sample of 253 psychiatric outpatients and a sample of 185 inpatient alcoholics. The scree test was applied to decide on the number of factors to retain. The factors retained in the four analyses were rotated by the Varimax and Direct Oblimin procedures. The results were similar across the two samples. The six personality dimensions isolated were interpreted as Social Introversion-Extraversion, Dependency on Others, Verbal Hostility, Need to Please Others, Self-Dramatization, and Orderliness. These have some resemblance to Millons eight personality styles. Four of the five symptom factors were similar to Millons clinical symptom scales. In addition to a very large Depression factor, there were factors of Manic Excitement, Drug Abuse, Alcoholic Misuse, and Suicidal Ideation.

Juvenile Diversion Interventions

Abstract The juvenile diversion program examined in this study consisted of 32 State of Colorado programs that provided intervention to juvenile offenders. This study was conducted to explore three aspects of juvenile system diversion programs: the types of interventions assigned to juveniles in diversion programs, the characteristics and legal background of the juveniles in each intervention, and the program outcomes. This data consisted of a sample of 5865 juvenile offenders who participated in system diversion programs during the fiscal year 1995-1996. Both uni-variate and multivariate procedures were applied. The results identified unique patterns of intervention assignment. The results also suggested that client characteristics, especially arrest history, were more relevant to program outcome than the presence or absence of an intervention.

MCMI-II Scoring: Weighted and Unweighted Algorithms

This brief report examines the relationship between the scale scores derived through weighted and unweighted item scoring on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II). The inventories of 356 subjects across three samples were scored using weighted and unweighted algorithms. Correlations between the weighted and unweighted MCMI-II scales were found to approach unity. This casts doubt on whether the weighting system has substantial effect on the profiles that are generated or on reducing interscale correlations.