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BEHAVIORALMEASUREMENTS

Letter

BehavioralMeasurementDatabaseServices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <. • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .VOL. I, No. IFALL 1993Enriching the health and behavioral sciences by broadening instrument access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HaPI: A Unique Resource forMeasurement Information

How is happiness measured? Is there a way tomeasure young children's ability to cope with stress?What tools are available to assess cognitivefunctioning in the elderly? How can physicians,nurses, and other health professionals assess chronicpain in their patients? Now there is finally a single,interdisciplinary, comprehensive resource for findingthe instruments you need: the Health andPsychosocial Instruments (I-bPI) database.

HaPI, available online through BRS (an internationalvendor of databases) and now available as a CD-ROM, contains over 18,000 records relevant topsychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers,educators, evaluators, sociologists, administrators,other health and behavioral scientists, and students.From widely recognized to obscure and unpublished,these instruments include questionnaires, interviewschedules, coding schemes, observation checklists,rating scales, tests, projective techniques, andmeasures using vignettes or scenarios.

HaPI: (a) enables faculty and researchers to locateinstruments for research studies, journal articles,convention papers, class and laboratory exercises,workshops, grant proposals, and consulting activities;(b) offers students easy access to measures forpapers, projects, theses, and dissertations, therebyenhancing learning and performance;(c) helps practitioners identify instruments tofacilitate assessment of client/patient problems andoutcomes at individual and organizational levels;(d) gives librarians and information specialists ameasurement resource that cuts across disciplinesand professions to meet user needs;(e) allows authors to track use of their measures byothers.

The Behavioral Measurements Letter

Information Brought to Light: Most instrumentsare "buried" in avalanches of published literature andare hence difficult to discover. Worse still,scientists in one field (e.g., psychology or sociology)may be unfamiliar with instruments in other fields(e.g., medicine, nursing, public health). The majorityof users do not have access to instruments that eitherhave been recently developed or are described inunpublished manuscripts. These measures aregenerally known only by those in a particular field orsubspecialty. By maintaining information oninstruments from these diverse sources, HaP I enablesusers to retrieve relevant measures about which theymight otherwise be unaware. Thus, HaP I helpsresearchers avoid "reinventing the wheel." HaPIplaces existing information on measurementinstruments at users' fingertips, no farther away thantheir keyboard.

What You Get: The information in the HaP Idatabase is designed to give users a better feel forinstruments. To index 'key terms, HaPI uses MeSH(Medical Subject Headings), a thesaurus of key termsfor the medical literature, and the Thesaurus ofPsychological Index Terms for the behavioralliterature. A typical record may include: title,author(s), source, key terms (descriptors) to .helpusers refine and/or continue their search, number ofitems in the instrument, subscale titles, an abstractthat briefly describes the instrument, information onthe instrument's reliability and validity, and selectedreferences. So the next time you need an instrument,don't worry, just get HaP!.

Linda PerloffEditor

Vol. I, No. I, 1993

Note From the Editor

Linda Per/off

This is the first issue of The Behavioral MeasurementsLetter, a semi-annual newsletter devoted to theexploration of timely measurement topics. TheBehavioral Measurements Letter is published byBehavioral Measurement Database Services, producerof the Health and Psychosocial Instruments (Hal' I)database.

The impetus for this newsletter sprang from our beliefin the paramount importance of measurement. Just asin the physical sciences, advances in the health andbehavioral sciences are proportional to advances inmeasurement. As Robert Pool stated in the case of thephysical sciences, "These advances are vital, becausescience's understanding of the physical world isnecessarily limited by the accuracy with which sciencecan measure that world" (Science, 1988, 240, 604-605).

Accurate measurement in the health andbehavioral sciences is similarly crucial, becauseresearchers and practitioners must also be able toquantify their abstract concepts (e.g., mental status,leadership, abuse, empathy, compliance, well-being) inways that are precise, meaningful, dependable, andgeneralizable. We hope to help professionals in thehealth and behavioral sciences meet the challenges oftheir profession by improving their access to relevantmeasurement instruments and to interdisciplinarymeasurement issues. We plan to focus on everydayissues in measurement that researchers andpractitioners encounter in their quest for instruments.Future issues will also provide readers with updates onwhat's new in HaPI, selected new instruments from thedatabase, and teaching tips for making measurementmore exciting and meaningful for students. Each issuewill feature guest columnists from different disciplines(library and information science, psychology,communication, nursing, medicine, sociology, socialwork, organizational behavior). Indeed, among themost important messages we hope to communicate withthis newsletter is that measurement, a common bondlinking all researchers, practitioners, educators, andevaluators, transcends disciplines and fields.

The Behavioral Measurements Letter

In Appreciation -A Tribute to Doris Bloch

The computerized Health and PsychosocialInstruments (HaPI) database would never havebecome a reality were it not for the vision of DorisBloch, RN, Dr. PH, FAAN. She was the guiding lightand efficacious advocate on behalf of HaPI at theNational Institute for Nursing Research of theNational Institutes of Health, an original sponsor ofHaP I during its essential four-year developmentalperiod. Dr. Bloch, who received her doctorate inpublic health from the University of California atBerkeley, is now Special Assistant to the Center's·Director. During those early days when HaP I wasundergoing its initial development, it was DorisBloch's ability to anticipate and help resolve complexissues, along with her extensive background andsophistication in measurement and evaluationthroughout the health sciences, that played a decisiverole in the birth and sustenance of HaPI. Anexemplary role model steadfastly reflecting the highestethical standards, scholarship, and practice, Dr.Bloch's efforts on behalf of HaPI and many otherendeavors identify her as a distinguished contributor tomeasurement and evaluation.

"The union of the mathematicianwith the poet, fervor with measure,passion with correctness, this surelyis the ideal. "

William James (1879)

2 Vol. 1, No.1, 1993

Using HaPI with OtherSocial Science Databases

William J Paisley

The usefulness of social science databases is wellknown to researchers who find the referencesthey need in minutes with a PC rather than hoursin the library. With the help of well-screenedsearch results, the trip to the library stacks toread the retrieved articles becomes a moreenjoyable last step. Literature reviews are morecomprehensive. New research projects build onthe most recent findings of other investigators.

I have a new Public Health Service grant tocompile information on health promotionprograms focusing on key health problems suchas cancer and cardiovascular disease. Although Ihave been active in this research area for almost20 years, scores of relevant studies from manycountries are added to this literature every year.My research must begin with a thorough searchof the social science databases.

For years my preferred database for this type ofsearch has been the Social Sciences CitationIndex, which has a broad interdisciplinarycoverage that saves some effort in searching allthe disciplinary databases. Thanks to SSCI'sunique Cited Reference field, I can use a recentlycompleted study as my entry point, workbackwards to' its key. references, then searchforward again to other recent studies that citethe same earlier work. As references lead toreferences, this backwards-forwards tracinghelps to fill in a survey of current researchactivity.

The HaPI database recently came to my rescuewhen I was having difficulty with one concept;cardiovascular knowledge or heart diseaseknowledge. There are no hits on these terms mrrse in the SSCI, although I know that manyrelevant articles are waiting to be found there.

The Behavioral Measurements Letter

I loaded HaPI in the library's CD-ROM reader andsearched on cardiovascular knowledge. This was athree-step process, because I wanted to be sure that Ifound these terms in any field (e.g., title, abstract,descriptors) where they occur. First I ran down alloccurrences of knowledge, which totaled 616 in thesefields. Then I searched cardiovascular or heart disease,which totaled 115. occurrences. 1 combined these hits'with what the librarians call Boolean "AND" logic; topinpoint the instruments and studies that deal withboth concepts. There were 27 occurrences at thisintersection.

When I scanned the results, many of the 27 referencesproved to be good candidates for the SSCI search thatfollowed. For example, a 1989 article in HealthEducation Quarterly by 1. D. Killen and associates,"The Stanford Adolescent Heart Health Program," isrepresented in the HaP I database under theinformative title, "knowledge of cardiovascular diseaserisk concepts",

I turned to SSCI with the Killen et al. article as thefirst entry point. It contained 61 references, several ofwhich were "roots" to later studies. However, theresults were even richer when I searched on Killen etal. as the cited reference. Eight recent studies citeKillen et al. One of these is an integrative review ofcardiovascular disease, risk reduction, knowledge, etc.by B. L., Tinsley (Child Development, 1992). Itcontains 164 references!

This first search is not "the beginning of the end," as'Churchill said, "but only the end of the beginning."The interplay between HaPI and other social sciencedatabases makes it possible to identify. important

3

William J Paisley is cofounder ofthe electronic publishing company,Knowledge Access, Inc. He received his PhDin communication research from Stanford'University. Dr. Paisley's areas ofspecialization include public knowledge andthe flow of scientific and technical information.

Vol. 1, No.1, 1993

HaP I Advisory Board

Timothy C. Brock, PhDPsychology, Ohio State University

William C. Byham, PhD "Development Dimensions International

Donald Egolf, PhDCommunication, University of Pittsburgh

David E Gillespie, PhDGeorge Warren Brown School of Social WorkWashington University

Richard L. Hughes, MDContinental Bank and Northwestern UniversitySchool of Medicine

Marilyn A. Lester, PhDNational-Louis University Library

Robert C. Like, MD, MSUniversity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Joseph D. Matarazzo, PhDOregon Health Sciences University

Vickie M. Mays, PhDPsychology, University of California, Los Angeles

Michael S. Pallak, phDBehavioral Health Foundation

Kay Pool, PresidentPool, Heller & Milne, Inc.

Ellen B. Rudy, PhD, RN, FAANUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Nursing

Gerald Zaltman, PhDHarvard University Graduate School ofBusiness Administration

Stephen J. Zyzanski, PhDCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine

A Welcome From HaPl's DirectorEvelyn Perloff

I am excited by the realization that we can nowcommunicate regularly with users of HaPI throughThe Behavioral Measurements Letter. The principalobjective of HaP I is to provide measurementinformation to librarians, researchers, educators,practitioners, administrators, evaluators, andstudents in the health and behavioral sciences. Weurge you to raise questions and keep us informedabout your interests and needs, as they relate toHaPI and to The Behavioral Measurements Letter.We will respond as quickly and completely aspossible. I also wish to share with you that therealization of HaPI and now The BehavioralMeasurements Letter are two dreams come true. Ithas been over 20 years since the first words about apossible database of instruments were put to paper.It has been much longer, I assure you, when as anundergraduate chemistry major I learned toappreciate that to measure is to begin to know(even with errors of measurement). This orientationthen became a foundation for how I thought andhow I behaved, and since I have never found abetter way to know, I continue to remain bullishabout HaPI's capacity to enable us to do a betterjob of knowing. Indeed, I believe that HaPI has thepotential for advancing our understanding of theunderpinnings of health and behavior by enabling usto operationally define and quantify abstractconcepts more accurately.

Staff

Director Evelyn Perl off, PhDOperations Manager Anne Butz Canny, MNDatabase/Newsletter Editor.. Linda Perloff, PhDEditorial Specialist Marie A. Cini, MS, MSComputer ConsultanL.. Alfred A. Cecchetti, MSIndexer/Librarian Gina Neish, MLSRecord Analysts Cheri Britt, MS

David Njus, MAJournal Reviewer Jacqueline Reynolds, BAFile Processor Betty HubbardBusiness Service Coordinator Diane Cadwell

The Behavioral Measurements Letter 4 Vol. 1, No.1, 1993

Did you know that. ..?

There are 70 instruments in HaPI with Self-Efficacyin the title, including:

• Self-Efficacy for Adult Stutterersby WaIter H. Manning & Amy F. Ornstein

• Computer Self-Efficacy QuestionnaireBy Irene T. Miura

• Self-Efficacy and Exercise Habits Surveyby James F. Salbo, Robin B. Pinski,Robin M. Grossman, Thomas L. Patterson,& Phillip R. Nader

There are 34 records in HaPI with Caregiver in thetitle, including:

• Caregiver Hassles and Uplifts Scaleby 1. M. Kinney & M. A. P. Stephens

• Caregiver Social Impact Scaleby S. W. Paulshock & G. T. Deimling

• Caregiver Burden Inventoryby Mark Novak & Carol Guest

There are 20 records in HaPI with Body Image in thetitle, including:

• Attitude to Body Image Scaleby Victoria R. Strang

• Body Image Detection Deviceby Gary A. Ruff & Billy A. Barrids

• Body Image Avoidance Questionnaireby James C. Rosen, Debra Srebnik, ElayneSaltzberg, & Sally Wayne

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Remember!

HaPI-CD is quickly installed, readilyoperated, and easily searched.

HaPI-CD needs minimum equipment: anyIBM-compatible PC with a CD-ROMdrive, 640K RAM, and SOaK free harddisk space ..

HaP I-CD can be installed as a single userCD-ROM or on a network.

HaPI-CD's searchable record fields such astitle, author, source, and index terms giveyou instant access to the information youwant. What's more, you're in control of thesearch strategies and the informationdisplayed at no additional cost.

HaP I-CD uses two thesaurses - MedicalSubject Headings (MeSH) and theThesaurus of Psychological Index Terms -to provide index terms for retrieving therecords. you want from HaPI.

Direct questions and orders to:Evelyn Perloff, PhD, DirectorBehavioral Measurement Database ServicesTelephone: 412-687-68509 AM-5 PM, EST, Monday-Friday

The HaPI database isavailable online through BRS .

Search Service at yourcampus / organization library

. The Behavioral Measurements Letter . 5 Vol. I, No. I, 1993

Evolving Issues in Instrumentation forNursing Research

Ada S Hinshaw

The rapid growth of nursing research during the pasttwo decades has been due, in large· part, to itsemphasis on measurement. Not surprisingly, thiseffort has produced, and continues to produce, avariety of reliable and valid instruments relating toboth the science and the practice of nursing.

If we are to maintain this level of productivity andexcellence, we must continue to stress the role thatmeasurement plays in nursing research, teaching, andpractice Toward this effort, I wish to propose that weaddress three measurement issues, in addition: ofcourse, to reliability, validity, and sensitivity. A firstissue concerns external validity, or the generali:z;abilityof research results across client populations, settings,and time. For example, in my area of research on jobsatisfaction numerous scales are available, but many,have not been tested with multiple nursingpopulations. The measures of job satisfaction used inthese studies are often very different from one another.Because the concept of job satisfaction ismultidimensional, different scales may assess .verydifferent aspects of the construct. This makes itdifficult to draw meaningful conclusions across a set.of studies.

A second issue relates to integrating physiological andbehavioral measures, where the units of measurementand definitions of the same construct can be verydifferent This poses problems for nursing researchand practice. Accurate diagnosis and appropriateintervention often require that nurses performphysiological and behavioral assessments. Moreover,nurses view patients holistically. Since nursingresearch attempts to understand concepts and'relationships in the broader context of the wholeindividual, many phenomena are multi dimensional

. and are more completely under- stood with a diverse,multiple indicator approach. The challenge thenbecomes how to integrate multiple indicators in ameaningful way.

f\1V thi rd and last issue calls for ready access to them~riad instruments developed for nursing by nursesar;d other health and behavioral science researchers.Without current information on what already exists,

The Bcha vioral Measurements Letter

we are doomed to "reinventing the wheel," withgreat waste and expenditure of time, energy, andmoney.

We in nursing are, therefore, proud to haveinitiated funding for Health and PsychosocialInstruments (HaP!) in 1985. HaPI currentlyserves as a primary resource for linking theincreasing number of available measures with theincreasing number of users who needmeasurement instruments for their research,teaching, and practice.

Nursing science is at an exciting and challengingstage of development. Its emphasis on thegeneration of knowledge' for practice and thedevelopment of instruments for accuratemeasurement will help to guarantee highstandards of nursing care and nursing research.Consistent and valid measurement not onlyadvances. the science of nursing, but enablesnurses to accurately identify symptoms andimprove the quality of care to treat patients'problems.

Ada S. Hinshaw is Director oj theNational Institute Jor Nursing Researchatthe National Institutes oj Health. Shereceived her PhD in sociology from theUniversity oj Arizona and her MSN JromYale University. Dr. Hinshaw's areas ojspecialization include quality oj patient'caregiving and nursing staff turnover.

"Experience is the child of Thoughtand Thought is the child of action.".

Benjamin Disraeli (1826)

6 Vol. 1, No.1, 1993

Up and Coming ..... in our next issue

• Finding the Right Measure - CharlesSpielberger

• Teaching Tips: How to Get StudentsInterested in Measurement - FredBryant

• For Good Measure - A Global View ofMeasurement - Robert Per/off

• HaPI's Historical Highlights- AnneCanny

We welcome your comments and suggestionsabout the future content of The BehavioralMeasurements Letter. We also invite you tocontribute letters or columns on measurement.We are eager to answer questions and welook forward to meeting the specific needsyou identify. Send all material to:

Linda Perloff, PhD, EditorThe Behavioral Measurements LetterPO Box 110287Pittsburgh, PA 15232-0787.

HaPI Thoughts

The Behavioral Measurements Letter

OF COURSE, HaPI PLACESEXISTING INFORMATIONON MEASUREMENTINSTRUMENTS AT USER:SFINGERTIPS ...

7 Vol. 1, No.1, 1993

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BEHAVIORALMEASUREMENTS

Letter

BehavioralMeasurementDatabaseServices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .In This Issue:

, .

• HaPI: A Unique Resource for MeasurementInformation - Linda Perloff 1

• Note From the Editor. 2• A Tribute to Doris Bloch 2• Using HaPI With Other Social Science

Databases - William J Paisley 3• A Welcome From HaPI's Director .4• Evolving Issues in Instrumentation

for Nursing Research-Ada S. Hinshaw 5• HaPT Thoughts 7

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The Behavioral Measurements LetterBehavioral

BI\1 ()S MeasurementDatabaseServices

PO Box 110287 • Pittsburgh, PA 15232-0787

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PAIDPermit No. 1235Pittsburgh, PA

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