Validation of the Verbal and Social Interaction questionnaire: carers' focus in the carer-resident relationship in supported housing facilities for persons with psychiatric disabilities (VSI-SH)

Development of 7-Item Perceived Meaning of Activity in Housing (PMA-H-7) to Assess Opportunities for Meaningful Activities in the Supported Housing Context for People With Psychiatric Disabilities

People with psychiatric disabilities need to be able to express their views about their support, for example, the provision of meaningful activity in supported accommodation. Brief scales may be necessary to avoid strain and discomfort for this group. The aim was to develop a brief version of Perceived Meaning in Activity-Housing (PMA-H) and investigate its factor structure, internal consistency, evidence for convergent and discriminant validity, and any floor or ceiling effects. Two data sets from people with psychiatric disabilities living in congregate supported housing were reanalyzed. Seven-item PMA-H-7 was developed in Sample 1 and then tested for psychometric properties in Samples 1 (n = 155) and 2 (N = 35). Questionnaires addressing phenomena supposed to be similar to PMA (satisfaction with accommodation), or dissimilar (health, psychiatric symptoms, level of functioning), were administered. A single factor explained 44% of the variation in PMA-H-7. Internal consistency was α = .74/.75 in the two samples. Correlations of r _s = .47/.52 with housing satisfaction indicated convergent validity. Low and insignificant associations were found for the remaining variables, supporting discriminant validity. No floor or ceiling effects were identified. PMA-H-7 showed adequate psychometric samples for use with people with psychiatric disabilities in assessing opportunities for meaningful activity in the supported housing context.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of the Verbal and Social Interaction Questionnaire: A cross-sectional study among nursing students in China

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate the Chinese version of Verbal and Social Interaction Questionnaire for Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND

The development of caring interaction skills is particularly important for achieving better nursing student-patient interactions. Nursing students in China, as in most countries, have often failed to establish a caring interaction with their patients. There is a lack of instruments to explore the difficulties and problems in nursing student-patient interactions in China.

DESIGN

A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was carried out.

METHODS

Data for cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing purposes were collected between May 10, 2017 and November 11, 2017. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed; pilot testing, content validity and reliability were assessed for the translated questionnaire. EQUATOR guidelines for observational studies (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) were applied.

RESULTS

716 nursing students from four universities in China completed the questionnaire. A pilot testing (n = 32) was conducted at a university hospital. The internal consistency reliability and the intra-class correlation coefficients were satisfactory. The overall content validity index was 0.95. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a four-factor solution, explaining 61.26% of the variance, and the items had factor loadings ranging from 0.46-0.82. The final model's fit indexes were relatively acceptable. Overall, this instrument demonstrated sound psychometric properties.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of Verbal and Social Interaction Questionnaire for Nursing Students has a high level of reliability and acceptable content validity. However, some values in the construct validity assessment were lower than was hypothesised, suggesting a need for further model modification.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This easy-to-use instrument may help nursing educators, clinicians and managers in the assessment and development of students' interactional skills during their training or student-nurse transition period. Using the questionnaire could both provide the students with a greater understanding of caring interactions and help the nursing educators gain a better comprehension of the students' verbal, social and interactional skills.

Resident and staff perceptions of the content of their relationship in supported housing facilities for people with psychiatric disabilities

Background

The work of staff in supported housing facilities for people with psychiatric disabilities has most often been studied from the perspective of one of the two groups but not from both. The staff in these facilities generally come from differing professions, reflecting either the beliefs of the medical or social models of psychiatric care.

Aim

The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the perceptions of residents and staff of the frequency and the importance of verbal and social interactions in supported housing facilities for people with psychiatric disabilities and to compare these perceptions. A further aim was to investigate whether differences in education background and other sociodemographic factors are reflected in the staff perceptions of these interactions.

Methods

One hundred and eleven residents living in supported housing facilities in Sweden and 223 staff completed the Verbal and Social Interaction Supported Housing questionnaire.

Results

The results revealed significant differences between the perceptions of the residents and staff on all six categories of interactions, where the staff rated the frequency and importance higher than the residents, but also some similarities in terms of the relative order of the frequency of the categories of interactions. Both the residents and staff perceived that “To build a relationship with a supportive quality” as the most frequently occurring and most important category. The mean levels of importance for all the categories were higher than for the frequency according to both groups. No differences were found between the staff with a medical or social educational background. Similarly, no differences were found in staff perceptions between those with short experience and those with long experience.

Conclusion

This study is the first survey of its kind and the results indicate the need for reducing the gap between the staff intentions and the residents’ preferences, which could form the basis for in-house training activities.

Measuring Opportunities for Engaging in Meaningful Home-Based Activities in Housing Services for People With Psychiatric Disabilities: Development of the Perceived Meaning of Activity in Housing (PMA-H)

There is a scarcity of instruments for assessing opportunities for residents with psychiatric disabilities to engage in meaningful home-based activities. We thus developed the Perceived Meaning of Activity in Housing (PMA-H), containing four subscales (activity opportunities, social interaction, developing as a person, and organization and planning). The aim of the study was to investigate the content validity, utility, internal consistency and concurrent and criterion validity of the PMA-H, as well as possible floor and ceiling effects. One hundred and fifty-five residents in supported housing (SH) and 111 in ordinary housing with support (OHS) completed the PMA-H. The SH group also competed the Community-Oriented Programs Environment Scale (COPES). A majority of the participants found the content of the PMA-H relevant, easy to complete, and the time for completion as reasonable. Internal consistency varied between 0.85 and 0.92 for the subscales. Logical associations with COPES indicated construct validity. The subscales social interaction and developing as a person could discriminate between the SH and OHS groups, whereas activity opportunities could not. No floor or ceiling effects were found. This study indicated adequate initial psychometric properties of the PMA-H. It can thus be used in housing settings to assess the residents’ perceived opportunities for meaningful activity in the housing context.

Exploring the Nuances of Nurse-Patient Interaction through Concept Analysis: Impact on Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is a major priority in healthcare. Nurse-patient interaction has a direct effect on patient satisfaction and is essential to the provision of nursing care. Using the Avant and Walker method of concept analysis, the author explores what shapes nurse-patient interaction; the defining attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. In addition, cases are provided that illustrate various types of nurse-patient interaction. The author also discusses the concept of nurse-patient interaction in light of current nursing research trends and priorities, adding to the base of nursing knowledge that will facilitate the highest quality nursing care and patient satisfaction.