Antecedents and components of burnout among Hungarian teachers in a cross-sectional study: Development of the Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Studies have focused more on the outcome than on the antecedents of burnout. We aimed to develop a new measurement tool for burnout, including the antecedents and different components drawing from theories of the developmental aspect of burnout.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study we tested the Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire on a convenience sample of teachers (n = 618, 83.9 % women; mean age 44.52 years). We used confirmatory factor analyses to test our measurement model. We examined the concurrent validity with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We also tested construct validity with depression, overcommitment, demographic characteristics and work-related factors.

RESULTS

The confirmatory factor analyses supported our measurement model with seven primary factors (need to prove oneself, overload of tasks, neglecting one's needs, conflict between values, interpersonal conflicts, passivity, and emotional drain) and three second-order factors (excessive effort, conflict, and total depletion). The covariates in the Maslach Burnout Inventory showed that emotional exhaustion had a strong relationship with the first- and second-order factors. Overcommitment showed a stronger relationship with factors at the beginning whereas depression showed a stronger relationship with factors at the end of the process. Demographic characteristics and work-related factors did not show strong associations.

CONCLUSIONS

The Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire is a promising measurement tool with good convergent validity. Future research should further validate our questionnaire for burnout research, prevention, and screening. It adds a new dimension to the measurement of burnout. The approach involving the antecedents in measuring burnout among teachers can guide future research and tailored prevention programs.

Psychometric Properties of The Five-Item Victimization of Exploitation (FIVE) Scale: A Measure of Financial Abuse of Older Adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Elder mistreatment affects at least 1 in 10 older adults. Financial abuse, or exploitation, of older adults is among the most commonly reported forms of abuse. Few validated measures exist to measure this construct. We aim to present a new psychometrically validated measure of financial abuse of older adults.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Classical test theory and item response theory (IRT) methodologies were used to examine a five-item measure of financial abuse of older adults, administered as part of the New York State Elder Mistreatment Survey.

RESULTS

Factor analysis revealed a single factor best fits the data, which we labeled as financial abuse. Moreover, IRT analyses revealed that these items discriminated well between abused and nonabused persons and provided information at high levels of the latent trait θ, as is expected in cases of abuse.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

The Five-Item Victimization of Exploitation Scale has acceptable psychometric properties and has been used successfully in large-scale survey research. We recommend this measure as an indicator of financial abuse in elder abuse, or mistreatment prevalence research studies.

Cross-validation of transtheoretical model smoking cessation measures in Chicago WIHS women smokers with and at risk for HIV

People with and at risk for HIV have high rates of smoking, increasing their morbidity and mortality. Effective cessation interventions are needed for this group. Transtheoretical model (TTM)-tailored interventions have demonstrated efficacy, but measures need cross-validation in this population. TTM cessation measures were evaluated in women smokers with and at risk for HIV (N = 111) from Chicago Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Confirmatory factor analyses evaluated measurement models. MANOVAs examined relationships between constructs and stage subgroups. For decisional balance, the two-factor uncorrelated model was best (χ2(20) = 13.96; comparative fit index [CFI], 1.0; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .00), with good (pros α = .78) and fair (cons α = .55) four-item alphas. The one-factor temptations model (α = .90) showed reasonable fit (χ2(18) = 80.22; CFI = .89; RMSEA = .177). Processes of change subscales had fair to good two-item alphas (α = .49-.77) and fit a 10-factor fully correlated model (χ2(125) = 222.72; CFI = .88; RMSEA = .084). MANOVAs by stage of change replicated expected patterns for the pros, overall temptations, and two process subscales with medium-sized effects (η2 = .06-.18). Contrary to expectations, no differences by stage were found for cons or temptation negative affect subscales. The structures of these TTM measures replicated with good internal and external validity, except for the cons, which needs refinement. Negative affect temptations was structurally sound, but did not vary by stage group potentially reflecting this sample's moderate depression levels and/or their reliance on smoking to deal with negative affect. Results support the use of most TTM measures in research and tailored interventions to increase smoking cessation among women smokers with and at risk for HIV and highlight the importance of managing negative affect in cessation materials targeting this group.

Development and validation of prescription drug risk, efficacy, and benefit perception measures in the context of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising

PURPOSE

Understanding patient perceptions of prescription drug risks and benefits is an important component of determining risk-benefit tradeoffs and helping patients make informed medication decisions. However, few validated measures exist for capturing such perceptions. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measures of perception of prescription drug risk, efficacy, and benefit.

METHODS

We conducted a mixed-methods study to develop and validate the measures, including three waves of quantitative testing (item nonresponse, criterion-related validity, and convergent validity). We conducted quantitative testing with a probability-based online consumer panel of U.S. adults (n = 7635), eliminating weaker items after each testing wave.

RESULTS

Upon completion of all testing, we identified 21 validated measures that represent 11 distinct risk/benefit constructs. The final measures demonstrated face validity, convergent validity, criterion-related validity, and scale reliability in both illness and general population samples, among patients with both symptomatic and asymptomatic health conditions, and in response to both television and print direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study produced a set of items that researchers and practitioners can use to assess patient perceptions of prescription drug risk, benefit, and efficacy and to ensure greater future comparability between studies.

Comparing recall vs. recognition measures of accident under-reporting: A two-country examination

A growing body of research suggests that national injury surveillance data significantly underestimate the true number of non-fatal occupational injuries due to employee under-reporting of workplace accidents. Given the importance of accurately measuring such under-reporting, the purpose of the current research was to examine the psychometric properties of two different techniques used to operationalize accident under-reporting, one using a free recall methodology and the other a recognition-based approach. Moreover, in order to assess the cross-cultural generalizability of these under-reporting measures, we replicated our psychometric analyses in the United States (N=440) and Italy (N=592). Across both countries, the results suggest that both measures exhibited similar patterns of relationships with known antecedents, including job insecurity, production pressure, safety compliance, and safety reporting attitudes. However, the recall measures had more severe violations of normality and were less correlated with self-report workplace injuries. Considerations, implications, and recommendations for using these different types of accident measures are discussed.