Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

The factorial validity and gender invariance of the Beck Depression Inventory -- Second Edition (BDI-II) and the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) were examined in large samples of women and men with chronic pain. These measures are commonly employed in the assessment of individuals with chronic pain. Moreover, the BDI and the MPI Interference subscale are recommended by the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) committee for use in pain research. In Article I, four competing models of the BDI-II factor structure were examined and confirmatory factor analysis supported the conceptualization of depression as a singular latent construct, within a hierarchical factor structure consisting of three first-order factors -- Negative Attitude, Performance Difficulty, and Somatic Elements. Factor structure, item-total correlations, and correlations between subscale means and subjective pain experience, support the inclusion of somatic items despite concerns regarding their overlap with pain symptoms. Given partial measurement gender invariance, an examination of mean gender differences was warranted. The scores of women and men were similar. In Article II, models of the MPI factor structure [Kerns et al., 1985 with admendments by Rudy, 1989 and Deisinger et al., 2001] were examined. The Interference factor was cross-validated except for one problematic item, and is gender invariant. When configured according to the Deisinger Model, the Punishing Responses and Pain Severity factors provide valid, gender equivalent, information. The Support, Solicitous and Distracting Responses factors operated differently by gender. Although neither model is optimal for Section III, the Kerns Model is best. The Activities Away From Home and Social Activities factors are gender invariant, but Outdoor Work and Household Chores are not. Revisions to Sections II and III are recommended. With its focus on construct validity and gender equivalence, this dissertation complements recent calls for empirically supported measurement and is consistent with gender-fair research initiatives. Results impact chronic pain clinicians and researchers.

No description available.

No description available.

The objective of this study was to design a weight loss self-efficacy questionnaire which was multidimensional, with each dimension representing a specific type of relapse situation. The instrument developed contained 41 specific situations or emotional states which were considered to be high-risk for precipitating diet relapse. Two hundred thirty-six usable questionnaires were completed by individuals who attended a weight reduction class at one of eleven Air Force bases in the continental United States. Exploratory principal component analysis using the varimax, rotation method was employed to test for the presence of distinct dimensions of self-efficacy. Three distinct dimensions emerged, Negative Emotional, Urges and Temptations, and Party Situations, which accounted for approximately 56 percent of variance. Reliability coefficients ranged from.96 to.84 indicating that the sampling attributes for the three domains were adequate and there was homogeneity of items constituting each dimension. An instrument of this type has the potential for improving effectiveness of weight reduction therapies by facilitating the targeting of intervention to the situations identified as being high-risk for a specific person.

This research used middle managers as subjects to examine the relationships among sets of personal variables, leadership style predisposition in terms of task orientation and relationship orientation, and leaders' performance. A new model called the idiographic leadership model, that relates these variables, was introduced and tested in two parts In Study One the personal variables were conceptualized as personality traits. Ninety eight male police sergeants completed the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid, and a self evaluation of leadership effectiveness. Each subject's performance was also evaluated by his supervisor. Task orientation and relationship orientation were found to be meaningful measures of leadership style predisposition. Using backwards elimination, regression equations of order and succorance on task orientation and deference and nurturance on relationship orientation were developed. Leaders with a task orientation performed better on tasks involving structure and objective goals than did leaders with a relationship orientation and the latter performed better on tasks involving personal contacts and orientation, but the differences were not statistically significant. The differences in performance between leaders with a congruent personality and leadership style and leaders for whom personality and leadership style were not congruent were not significant Exploratory Study Two employed 24 educational administrators as subjects. In this study the personal variables were measured as life stress and negative affects. Partially because of the small sample size, many of the relationships that were discovered were not statistically significant, but several themes for future research were developed. Life stress, as measured by Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale, was related to elevated negative affects (anxiety, depression, and hostility), as measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist, but the relationships were not significant. Both life stress and negative affects seemed to be related to task orientation, relationship orientation, and leader effectiveness, but only the correlations to effectiveness were significant / acase@tulane.edu