This article examines the definition, importance, conceptual basis, and functional nature of content validity, with an emphasis on psychological assessment in clinical situations. The conditional and dynamic nature of content validity is discussed, and multiple elements of content validity along with quantitative and qualitative methods of content validation are reviewed. Finally, several recommendations for reporting and interpreting content validation evidence are offered.Correspondence may be addressed to Stephen N. Haynes, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822. Electronic mail may be sent to sneil@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu Received: April 10, 1995 Revised: April 12, 1995 Accepted: April 14, 1995 Psychological assessment 1 has an important impact on many clinical judgments. It provides data for the development of causal models for behavior disorders, for the design of intervention programs, for the prediction of future behavior, and for the evaluation of treatment effects. Clinical judgments are strongly influenced by the construct validity of the assessment instruments that provide the data on which the judgments are based ( Haynes, 1994 ;Korchin, 1976 ;Weiner, 1976 ). This article addresses one component of construct validity-content validity.We will examine the definition, importance, conceptual basis, and functional nature of content validity in psychological assessment, with an emphasis on the application of psychological assessment in clinical judgment situations. The relevance of content validity for all assessment methods and its conditional file:///Dave/Desktop%20Folder/Haynes_1995 nature will also be emphasized. We will present an array of elements that are appropriate targets of content validation and stress both quantitative and qualitative methods. Finally, we will offer recommendations for reporting and interpreting content validation evidence. Introduction to Content Validity Definition and Components of Content ValidityMany definitions of content validity have been published (e.g., Standards for educational and psychological testing, 1985 ;Anastasi, 1988 ;Messick, 1993 ;Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994 ;Suen, 1990 ;Walsh, 1995 ). 2 Although worded differently, most of these definitions encompass concepts embodied in the following definition: Content validity is the degree to which elements of an assessment instrument are relevant to and representative of the targeted construct for a particular assessment purpose.Several components of this definition need to be defined and are also addressed in greater detail in subsequent sections of this article. The term assessment instrument is meant to reflect the applicability of content validity for all assessment methods (see footnote 1 ).The term elements, of an assessment instrument, are all the aspects of the measurement process that can affect the obtained data. For example, the elements of questionnaires include individual items, response formats, and instructions. The elements of behavioral observation ...

This article describes the development and preliminary validation of a brief questionnaire that assesses exposure to a broad range of potentially traumatic events. Items were generated from multiple sources of information. Events were described in behaviorally descriptive terms. consistent with Diagnostic ami Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV posttraumatic stress disorder stressor criterion A I. When events were endorsed, respondents were asked if they experienced intense fear, helplessness, or horror (stressor criterion A2). In separate studies with college students. Vietnam veterans. battered women. and residents of a substance abuse program. most items possessed adequate to excellent temporal stability. In a study comparing questionnaire and structured-interview inquiries of trauma history. the 2 formats yielded similar rates of disclosure. Preliminary data on positive predictive power are also presented. Traumatic events, such as exposure to warfare, disasters, serious accidents. sudden deaths of loved ones, and physical and sexual abuse, are commonplace. Epidemiological research suggests that at least two-thirds of American adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in the course of their lives (Norris, 1992;

The article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Trauma-Related Guilt Inventory {TRGI). An initial questionnaire was constructed from multiple sources of information. Three factor analytic studies were conducted to refine the TRGI and determine its factor structure, which consists of a Distress factor and three cognitive factors, Hindsight-Bias/Responsibility, Wrongdoing, and Lack of Justification. The TRGI has high internal consistency and adequate temporal stability. In validity studies with Vietnam veterans and battered women, TRGI scales and subscales were significantly correlated with other measures of guilt and with measures of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and other indexes of adjustment. Findings support the conceptualization of trauma-related guilt as a multidimensional construct and highlight the role of cognitions in the experience of guilt and posttrauma psychopathology.Survivors of traumatic events often experience guilt' that relates to the trauma in some way. Trauma-related guilt has been identified as a frequent symptom among survivors of childhood sexual abuse (e.g., Spaccarelli, 1994): rape victims (e.g., Resick & Schnicke, 1993); battered women (e.g., Cascardi & O'Leary, 1992); victims of serious accidents and burns (e.g., Janoff-Bulman & Wortman, 1977); combat veterans (e.g., Kubany, 1994); survivors of technological disasters (e.g., Miles & Demi,

This article describes a second treatment-outcome study of cognitive trauma therapy for battered women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; CTT-BW). CTT-BW includes trauma history exploration: PTSD education; stress management; exposure to abuse and abuser reminders; self-monitoring of negative self-talk; cognitive therapy for guilt; and modules on self-advocacy, assertiveness, and how to identify perpetrators. One hundred twenty-five ethnically diverse women were randomly assigned to immediate or delayed CTT-BW. PTSD remitted in 87% of women who completed CTT-BW, with large reductions in depression and guilt and substantial increases in self-esteem. White and ethnic minority women benefited equally from CTT-BW. Similar treatment outcomes were obtained by male and female therapists and by therapists with different levels of education and training. Gains were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

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