The objectification of women by our society can become internalized by women, resulting in negative psychological outcomes. Using Fredrickson and Roberts' (1997) objectification theory, we tested a model of the relationships between self-objectification and disordered eating and depressive symptoms in a sample of undergraduate women (n = 384). One postulate of self-objectification theory is that self-objectification can lead to a lack of internal awareness, which may mediate the relationship between self-objectification and restrictive eating, bulimic, and depressive symptoms. Results of structural equation modeling suggest that self-objectification has a direct relationship to restrictive eating, bulimic, and depressive symptoms. The mediational role of internal awareness was relevant for depressive symptoms but not for restrictive eating or bulimic symptoms. Depressive symptoms did, however, mediate the relationship between self-objectification and bulimic symptoms. The relevance of our findings to the understanding of objectification theory are discussed and future areas of research recommended.

Objectives. To describe the development and evaluation of the Pain Impact Questionnaire (PIQ-6 TM ), a six-item measure of pain severity and impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains.Participants. Two general US population samples (N = 829 and N = 7,025) and one chronic pain patient sample (N = 350) were included.Methods. The PIQ-6 TM was developed using conventional and item response theory (IRT) methods in four steps: 1) initial selection and development of items based on results from a previously developed Bodily Pain item bank; 2) final item selection based on new data and investigations of unidimensionality, differential item functioning (DIF), and IRT modeling; 3) development of scoring algorithms, population norms, and cross-calibrations; and 4) psychometric evaluation.Results. Six items on pain intensity and impact satisfied requirements of unidimensionality and lack of DIF and could be scored using IRT methods. The PIQ-6 showed good internal consistency reliability (coefficient alpha = 0.94) and good construct validity. Convergent validity was supported by strong correlations with pain severity scales (visual analog and numerical rating scales; r = 0.81-0.84); discriminant validity was suggested by correlations with the SF-8™ Health Survey Physical and Mental Component Summary measures ( r = − 0.77; r = − 0.32, respectively), significant mean score differences between chronic pain patients and the general population, and between patients differing in self-reported medical conditions ( P < 0.001).Conclusion. The PIQ-6 is a brief, precise questionnaire available in a paper-and-pencil version and a computerized version that includes scoring and feedback software. It may facilitate large-scale, inexpensive, precise, and norm-based pain assessment and monitoring in a wide variety of settings (e.g., homes, clinics, offices).

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The aim of this article is to report the development and preliminary testing of a prototype computerized adaptive test of chronic pain (CHRONIC PAIN-CAT) conducted in two stages: 1) evaluation of various item selection and stopping rules through real data simulated administrations of CHRONIC PAIN-CAT; 2) a feasibility study of the actual prototype CHRONIC PAIN-CAT assessment system conducted in a pilot sample. Item calibrations developed from a US general population sample (N=782) were used to program a pain severity and impact item bank (k=45) and real data simulations were conducted to determine a CAT stopping rule. The CHRONIC-PAIN CAT was programmed on a tablet PC using QualityMetric's Dynamic Health Assessment (DYHNA®) software and administered to a clinical sample of pain sufferers (n=100). The CAT was completed in significantly less time than the static (full item bank) assessment (p<.001). On average, 5.6 items were dynamically administered by CAT to achieve a precise score. Scores estimated from the two assessments were highly correlated (r=.89) and both assessments discriminated across pain severity levels (p<.001, RV=.95). Patients' evaluations of the CHRONIC PAIN-CAT were favourable.Perspective-This report demonstrates that the CHRONIC PAIN-CAT is feasible for administration in a clinic. The application has the potential to improve pain assessment and help clinicians manage chronic pain. KeywordsChronic Pain; Item Response Theory; Computer Adaptive Testing; Pain Assessment Chronic pain, defined as persistent or intermittent pain lasting at least three months, is common, produces substantial burden, and its treatment outcomes vary. Prevalence rates for the condition range from 2 to 40% worldwide 9,10,17,18,25,49,69 An estimated 50 million people in the US are affected by chronic pain 53 causing substantial impact on the individuals' health-related quality of life (HRQOL); 5,15,16,23,34,35,50 and a tremendous socioeconomic burden with annual US cost estimates ranging from $40 to $220 billion 1,52,59,62,66 .Pain is a uniquely subjective experience and there are no laboratory tests or external measures to assess its frequency, location, intensity, and impact. Clinicians must turn to patient reports when evaluating a pain treatment. There are a number of tools for measuring the severity and Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. may not yield scores that are precise enough to distinguish between patients at particular levels of the pain severity continuum. While practical, short forms are often limited in range due to "ceiling" and "floor" effects ...

Among the eight domains of the SF-36, physical functioning, general health, and role physical scales best captured disease burden for HD patients. The disease burden negatively impacts physical HRQOL more strongly than mental HRQOL.

Heuristic evaluation and user testing can help identify usability problems in the early stages of application development, and improve the construct validity of electronic assessments such as the HEADACHE-CAT. An improved computerized HEADACHE-CAT measure can offer headache sufferers an efficient tool to increase patient self-awareness, monitor headaches over time, aid patient-provider communications, and improve quality of life.

Single-item electronic administration of the SF-36v2 is reliable and valid for use with headache patients.

Background Qualitative research can inform the development of asthma patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures and user-friendly technologies through defining measurement constructs, identifying potential limitations in measurement and sources of response error, and evaluating usability. Objective The goal of the current study was to inform the development of a comprehensive asthma PRO assessment with input from patients and clinical experts. Method Self-reported adult asthma sufferers recruited from a 3,000 member New England-area research panel participated in either one of three focus groups (N=21) or individual cognitive item debriefing interviews (N=20) to discuss how asthma impacts their health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and provide feedback on a preliminary set of asthma impact survey items and prototype patient report. Focus groups and cognitive interviews were conducted using traditional research principles (e.g., semi-structured interview guide, probing, and think aloud techniques). An Expert Advisory Panel (N=12) including asthma clinical specialists and measurement professionals was convened to review results from the focus group and cognitive interview studies and make recommendations for final survey and report development. Results Domains of health impacted by asthma included physical (recreation, play, competitive sports, and exercise), social (activities, family relationships), emotional (anger, upset, frustration, anxiety, worry), sleep, role (recreational/leisure activities; work), and sexual functioning. Most items in the impact survey were easily understood, covered important content, and included relevant response options. Items with contradictory examples and multiple concepts were difficult to comprehend. Suggestions were made to expand survey content by including additional items on physical and sexual functioning, sleep, self-consciousness, stigma, and finances. Reports were considered useful and participants saw value in sharing the results with their doctor. Graphic presentation of scores was not always understood; participants preferred tabular presentation of score levels with associated interpretative text. Display of inverse scores for different measures (higher scores equaling better health on one scale and worse health on another) shown on a single page was confusing. The score history section of the report was seen as helpful for monitoring progress over time, particularly for those recently diagnosed with asthma. Expert panelists agreed that displaying inverse scores in a single summary report may be confusing to patients and providers. They also stressed the importance of comprehensive interpretation guidelines for patients, with an emphasis on what they should do next based on scores. Panelists made recommendations for provider and aggregate-level reports (e.g., “red flags” to indicate significant score changes or cut-points of significance; identification of subgroups that have scored poorly or recently gotten worse). Conclusion Incorporating input from patient...