ABSTRACT
Structural equation models were used to examine the relationship of blood, injection, and injury (BII) fears, disgust sensitivity, and trait anxiety to having experienced fainting-related symptoms in 722 university students. The latent variable representing BII fears was highly positively related to faint symptoms whereas that relating to disgust experiences was inversely related to fainting. A second disgust sensitivity variable was not directly related to fainting. Trait anxiety added nothing directly to the model, although it was related to BII latent variable. Additional analyses included a gender-related cross-validation which showed that models developed on one gender group did not fit well when applied to the other gender group. Blood drawings were the most common faint eliciting situations and were found to be reportedly more likely to elicit faint symptoms than were injections.
Subject(s)
Affect , Blood , Fear , Injections , Syncope/psychology , Adult , Anxiety/psychology , Female , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Psychological TestsABSTRACT
The Medical Fear Survey (MFS) and its companion scale, the Medical Avoidance Survey (MAS) were factor analyzed and the factor analysis was cross validated in sample of 934 participants. Seven reliable factors were derived from the MFS which cover the domain of blood, injury, and injection fears and phobias. These factors were entered into a discriminate analysis to predict blood injury-related fainting. The single factor, "fear of injections and blood draws" accounted for the majority of the MFS prediction of fainting, correctly classifying 72% of the fainters and 47% of non-fainters. The factors were examined in composite and individually in relation to gender and fainting. Overall, females and fainters scored significantly higher on the MFS although there was some variability. Implications for assessment and conceptualization of blood, injury, injection fears and phobias are discussed.
Subject(s)
Blood , Injections , Phobic Disorders/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires , Wounds and Injuries , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The stability of the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility factors of the WAIS-R and WISC-III was tested using cross-validation of covariance structure models, a methodology that employs unrestricted and restricted factor analyses. Stability was indicated if the goodness of fit of restricted models generated from unrestricted factor patterns did not degrade when applied to other age groups. If goodness of fit degraded inconsistently, the factor structure of one or both instruments was unreliable. If goodness of fit changed in some systematic fashion, an argument for true intellectual changes could be made. Results indicated consistency across age groups. Therefore, it was concluded that the three-factor structure is robust and reliable across age groups and instruments.
Subject(s)
Aging/psychology , Wechsler Scales/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Attention , Child , Humans , Intelligence , Middle Aged , Problem Solving , Psychometrics , Psychomotor Performance , Reference Values , Reproducibility of Results , Verbal LearningABSTRACT
The Mutilation Questionnaire, (MQ) was examined in terms of its psychometric characteristics, its relation to Fear Survey Schedule-II Blood/Injury items, its ability to predict B/I-related fainting, a response common to many B I fearful persons, and its factor structure. In two separate samples of college subjects, females reported greater B/I fear than males, the distributions were positively skewed and negatively kurototic but internal consistency was adequate in both. The MQ correlated 0.75 with five B/I items taken from the FSS-II. While these two scales were comparable in assessing self-reported B/I fear, the MQ was more predictive of fainting. Discriminant analyses of the 30 MQ items in relation to prediction of subjects' faint histories resulted in 77% correct classification of faint history. However, responses to a single question concerning subjects' self assessment of B/I fear was equally as capable of classifying fainting status as the full MQ scale. Responses to the single fear question correlated 0.55 with faint history while MQ scores correlated only 0.45. Factor analyses of the MQ revealed two factors described as 'revulsion of B/I stimuli', accounting for 19% of item variance and 'fear of bodily damage', accounting for 7%. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of the FSS-II, the MQ and alternative means of B/I fear assessment.
Subject(s)
Blood , Fear , Personality Tests , Phobic Disorders/psychology , Syncope/psychology , Wounds and Injuries/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Arousal , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phobic Disorders/diagnosisABSTRACT
Two scales used to assess repression-sensitization (R-S) and three standard measures of anxiety were administered to 105 clients. Multiple correlation analysis showed Byrne's R-S scale to correlate .90 with the composite of STAI-Trait and the EPI Neuroticism scale. It was concluded that the R-S scale is essentially a measure of trait anxiety.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/diagnosis , Repression-Sensitization , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Factor analysis of the Dental Fear Survey disclosed three stable and reliable factors. The first factor related to patterns of dental avoidance and anticipatory anxiety. The second factor related to fear associated with specific dental stimuli and procedures. Factor three concerned felt physiologic arousal during dental treatment. Cross validation showed these three factors to be consistent across four demographically and geographically diverse groups.
Subject(s)
Dental Care/psychology , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Fear , Psychological Tests , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Animals , Anxiety/diagnosis , Anxiety/etiology , Arousal , Escape Reaction , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Three potential applications of stepwise procedures in canonical analysis and several alternative stepping decision rules are described. A stepdown procedure using smallest interest multiple correlation as the stepping criterion was applied to data on the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire and the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory for two random halves of a group of 500 males in a double cross-validation design. Results indicated that up to 75 percent of variables could be dropped from either set with little drop in the R[SUBc]. Cross-validation coefficients were usually higher after dropping several variables than for the full sets.
ABSTRACT
This paper addresses theoretical and practical issues in the use of canonical analysis for prediction. A major objection to canonical prediction has been that the variates that are predicted are of low utility and do not reflect practical concerns. This problem may be overcome by a stepwise approach to the selection of predictor variables such that those predictors which predict the desired criterion are retained. In addition, canonical analysis may provide a solution to the problem of multidimensional criteria.
ABSTRACT
In their Monte Carlo study of canonical analysis, Barcikowski and Stevens evaluated the relative stability of canionical weights and loadings. This paper identifies some weaknesses in their study, suggests directions for future research in this area, and discusses interpretation of canonical analysis both in development and in cross-validation.
