Psychometric Properties of and Measurement Invariance in the Questionnaire of Stereotypes Toward Older Adulthood in Health Care College Students and Health Professionals of Colombia: Psychometric Study.

BACKGROUND: In health professionals, negative stereotypes toward older adulthood have been associated with the difficulty in recognizing pathological processes and the refusal to care for older patients because of assuming that communication with them will be uncomfortable and frustrating. For these reasons, research on stereotypes in these groups has acquired growing importance. The usual strategy to identify and evaluate agist stereotypes is to use scales and questionnaires. Although multiple scales are currently used, in Latin America, the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Negative Stereotypes Toward Older Adulthood (Cuestionario de Estereotipos Negativos sobre la Vejez [CENVE]), developed in Spain, is widely used but without evidence of construct validity in our context. In addition, although in the original version, a factorial structure of 3 factors was found, in later studies, a unifactorial structure was obtained. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to study the construct validity of the CENVE in a sample of Colombian health personnel to clarify its factorial structure and concurrent validity. Likewise, the measurement invariance according to gender and age was studied. METHODS: A nonprobabilistic sample of 877 Colombian health professionals and intern health students was obtained. The data were collected online using the LimeSurvey tool. To study the factor structure of the CENVE, 2 confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models were carried out, one to test a single factor and the other to test the 3-related-factor structure. The factor measurement reliability was evaluated with the composite reliability index (CRI) and the average variance extracted (AVE). The measurement invariance was studied according to gender (men and women) and age (emerging adults, 18-29 years old, and adults, 30 years old or older). Using a structural equation model, the relationship between age and the latent CENVE total score was studied to obtain evidence of concurrent validity, since studies indicate that the younger the age, the greater the number of stereotypes. RESULTS: The 1-factor structure was confirmed. The reliability results indicated that both indices show adequate values. Likewise, the existence of a strong invariance in measurement by gender and age group was verified. After contrasting the means of the groups, the results showed that men show more negative stereotypes toward old age than women. Likewise, emerging adults also showed more stereotypes than adults. We also verified that age is inversely related to the latent score of the questionnaire, such that the younger the age, the greater the stereotype. These results are in agreement with those obtained by other authors. CONCLUSIONS: The CENVE shows good construct and concurrent validity, as well as good reliability, and it can be used to assess stereotypes toward older adulthood in Colombian health professionals and health sciences college students. This will allow us to better understand the effect of stereotypes on agism.

The needs, barriers, and opportunities perceived by health professionals for an online competency-based interprofessional course to enhance the care of older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

BACKGROUND: It is recommended that continued education in pain should be supported using information and communication technologies (ICTs), but there are gaps about the previous competencies of health professionals, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study characterized the competencies of professionals in the Colombian Caribbean, the circumstances that favor and hinder the development of appropriate care, as well as the preferences, expectations and attitudes toward an educational intervention supported by ICTs. METHODS: We used a qualitative, phenomenological approach, combining documentary review and data obtained through observation, an online survey and two focus groups involving 55 healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses and psychologists) of varying experience. For the analysis and integration of results, the Capacity, Opportunity, Motivation and Behavior model and the Theoretical Domains Framework were used as references. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist guided the reporting of this study. RESULTS: Competency deficits were found regardless of the profession and experience, which are related to inadequacies in undergraduate and post-graduate training. Structural problems in Colombian society and healthcare service organization were also discovered, which were considered unmodifiable barriers and have been aggravated by the social, economic and health effects of the pandemic. The main modifiable barriers found were as follows: pain underestimation and under-treatment of older adults, as well as stereotypes regarding old age and pain, lack of knowledge of the psychosocial determinants of pain and of techniques for its assessment and treatment, overestimation of pharmacological treatment and failure to update pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for the design of the educational intervention were established as follows: favoring non-synchronous resources, facilitating synchronous activities of short duration, facilitating permanent access to information and resources and generating incentives for continuing education, such as certification, institutional recognition and encouraging popular recognition.

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX) in a Spanish sample.

In these times of pandemic, the acceptance or rejection of vaccines has become increasingly clear, with a considerable rise in the anti-vaccine movement in Spain. It is important to understand the attitudes that lead a person to refuse vaccination in order to develop more effective public health campaigns. The objective of this study has been to study the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale in a Spanish sample. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling have been used to study the psychometric properties of the VAX. Likewise, the measurement invariance by gender and educational level has been studied. The structure of four related factors for VAX is confirmed, as well as its predictive value, since the factor "trust in the benefit of the vaccine" clearly predicts the choice to be vaccinated. The strong measurement invariance by gender and educational level is also confirmed. The comparison of latent means between groups indicates that there are no differences by gender in any factor. However, people with a high educational level present higher scores in factors "concern about unforeseen future effects", "concern about commercial effects and speculation" and "preference for natural immunity". The VAX is presented as a reliable and valid tool to assess four different factors related to attitudes towards vaccines in Spain. Future studies of its cross-cultural invariance may help to determine the main factors that lead people not to be vaccinated in order to develop more effective public health campaigns.

Evidence of Validity and Measurement Invariance by Gender of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale in Colombian University Students.

BACKGROUND: Having a valid tool to assess attitudes toward vaccination and identify the concerns that drive vaccine refusal can facilitate population studies and help guide public health interventions. The objective of this study has been to adapt the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale in Colombian university students and to study its psychometric properties in a non-probabilistic sample of 1074 Colombian university students. METHODS: A confirmatory factor analysis was used to study the factorial structure. A structural equation model was tested to study concurrent validity and to check whether the factors predicted having received the coronavirus vaccine. Gender-based measurement invariance was also studied for the best model. RESULTS: The results support the structure of four related factors. The composite reliability index was good for all the factors, but the average variance extracted was not as good for the second factor. There was strong measurement invariance by gender, and two factors are good predictors of being vaccinated or not. CONCLUSIONS: The VAX has shown construct and concurrent validity and is a reliable tool for evaluating attitudes towards vaccines in university students in Colombia. It may help guide the implementation of actions for the National Vaccination Plan and institutional policies.

Family care prior to the admission of the elderly in a nursing home and continuity in family care: A comparative study of Colombia and Spain.

This study examined the background before admission to a nursing home and the conditions for the continuity of care, of the relatives of older adults of Colombia and Spain. The study sample comprised 546 participants: 278 and 268 from Colombia and Spain, respectively. Structured interviews were conducted with the older adults' relatives. Sociodemographic similarities predominated, although in the Colombian sample there were significantly more unrelated people. Similarities in previous and current care conditions also predominated too. Cluster 1 included all the cases of Colombian low-resource nursing homes, and Cluster 2 included all the relatives of Colombian high-resource nursing homes and all the Spanish centers. The type of nursing home was the variable more important to identify the abovementioned clusters. Conclusions: Family members from Colombia and Spain continue to care for the elderly admitted to geriatric homes. The type of geriatric center is what establishes the differences in the users.

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance by Gender of the Abbreviated Three-Item Version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in a Colombian Sample.

(1) Background: The need to offer brief scales with items that can be answered with few response options is increasingly important in order to be able to access a broad range of the population. The three-item version of Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale has recently been proposed. The objective of this study is to study the psychometric properties of the three-item version of this Scale with five response options, as well as the measurement invariance by gender, in a Colombian sample; (2) Methods: A confirmatory factor model of the three items of the scale together with the Flourishing Scale has been tested, and the measurement invariance by gender of the model has been studied. The results offer a very satisfactory fit of the model, showing good evidence of construct and criterion validity, good indicators of reliability and measurement invariance by gender; (4) Conclusions: The three-item version of the Life Satisfaction Scale, previously adapted to the Colombian population with five response options, is presented as a valid and reliable measurement tool. In future studies, it would be convenient to study the test-retest reliability, as well as its psychometric properties in different samples and at a cross-cultural level.

Measurement Invariance of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience Across 13 Countries.

The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) is widely used to measure emotional experiences, but not much is known about its cross-cultural utility. The present study evaluated the measurement invariance of the SPANE across adult samples (N = 12,635; age range = 18-85 years; 58.2% female) from 13 countries (China, Colombia, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, and the United States). Configural and partial scalar invariance of the SPANE were supported. Three items capturing specific negative emotions (sad, afraid, and angry) were found to be culturally noninvariant. Our findings suggest that the SPANE's positive emotion terms and general negative emotion terms (e.g., negative and unpleasant) might be more suitable for cross-cultural studies on emotions and well-being, whereas caution is needed when comparing countries using the SPANE's specific negative emotion items.

Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) in the General Colombian Population.

(1) Background: Diener's Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences (SPANE) assesses the presence and intensity of positive and negative affects, since these are considered basic aspects of the study of well-being. This article studies its psychometric properties in the general Colombian population. (2) We conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample of 1255 Colombians and we used structural equation modeling to confirm the bifactor structure. Additionally, we studied invariance by gender, and convergent and concurrent validity. (3) We found acceptable fit indicators for the bifactor model (CFI = 0.889, RMSEA = 0.046, SRMR = 0.059) as well as for the convergent (CFI = 0.909, RMSEA = 0.050, SRMR = 0.063) and concurrent (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.036, SRMR = 0.041) validity models. We did not confirm total invariance across gender, although we found configural and metric invariance, so percentiles by sex were provided. (4) Conclusions: The SPANE is a valid and reliable measure to assess well-being among the Colombian population, although we alert researchers to the risk of comparing affectivity average scores between sexes.

Adaptation and Measurement Invariance by Gender of the Flourishing Scale in a Colombian Sample.

There is increasing interest in the study of flourishing as an indicator of subjective wellbeing. The objective herein was to adapt and study the psychometric properties of Diener's Flourishing Scale (FS) among the Colombian population. Accordingly, a cross-sectional study was conducted with a non-probability sample of 1255 Colombian adults. The scale's structure, invariance by gender, and convergent and concurrent validity were studied from a confirmatory perspective using structural equation models. The confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent fit indicators for the one-dimensional structure (CFI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.039, SRMR = 0.020) as well as for the convergent (CFI = 0.909, RMSEA = 0.050, SRMR = 0.063) and concurrent (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.036, SRMR = 0.041) validity models. The correlations calculated among flourishing with positive and negative effects (PANAS), satisfaction with life (SWL), and optimism and pessimism (LOT) were statistically significant and as expected. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender was confirmed. Percentiles were provided for the total score. The FS scale was a valid and reliable measure to assess high levels of wellbeing among the Colombian population.

Psychometric Properties of the Diener Satisfaction With Life Scale With Five Response Options Applied to the Colombian Population.

Introduction: The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin in 1985, comprises five items with seven response options in terms of agreement-disagreement. Recently, there has been a suggestion to reduce the response options of the SWLS to optimize its applicability in different cultural contexts. Objective: The study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the SWLS with five response options in the Colombian population. Specifically, we studied the dimensionality, invariance by gender and age (among a group of adolescents and emerging adults under 25 years and a group of adults of intermediate age and established adulthood under 59 years), convergent validity (with optimism), and divergent (with pessimism) and concurrent validity with other measures of well-being (flourishing, positive, and negative affects). Methodology: This project was a cross-sectional study using a non-probabilistic sample of the general population. Participants were included if they identified themselves as Colombian and were at least 18 years of age. The final sample comprised 1,255 participants. The average age was 25.62 years (SD = 8.60) ranging from 18 to 67 years of age, and 35.8% of the participants were men. In addition to SWLS, we used the Flourishing Scale (FS), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), and Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.842), composite reliability (0.851), and average variance extracted (0.537) showed very good values. CFA was conducted to test the one-dimensional structure of FS, showing excellent goodness of fit [ χ(5)2 = 15.774, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.992, TLI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.042, 90% RMSEA CI (0.020, 0.066), and SRMR = 0.016]. The correlations calculated among life satisfaction (SWLS) with flourishing (FS), positive and negative affects (SPANE), optimism, and pessimism (LOT-R) were statistically significant and as expected. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender and age were confirmed. Percentiles were provided for the total score and for age. Conclusions: The SWLS with five response options has adequate psychometric properties in the Colombian population, and the use of this version (with 5 response options) is recommended due to its greater applicability.

Exploring the Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire on Family Members Adapting to an Older Adult's Admission to a Nursing Home (CAFIAR-15) in a Colombian Sample.

Institutionalization to a nursing home can be one of the most significant and traumatic events in a senior's life, and for their family. For this reason, it is especially important to have validated instruments that evaluate the family member's adaptation to admitting the senior to a nursing home. The study included 139 family members recruited equally in two types of institutions (low-income nursing home (LINH) vs. high-income nursing home (HINH)). A sociodemographic questionnaire with questions to study antecedents and conditions for care and the Questionnaire for Admitting an Older Adult to a Nursing Home (CAFIAR-15) were used. Examining the communalities indicated that four of the five items in factor 3 presented communalities lower than 0.30 and differences in the factorial structure of the CAFIAR-15 were found. There were differences in the antecedents and conditions for care between the relatives of the older adults at LINH and HINH. Cultural differences and differences between LINH and HINH may be the basis for flaws in the conceptual validity of the CAFIAR-15 in the Colombian sample.

Development and Exploration of Psychometric Properties of the Family Adjustment Questionnaire for Admitting an Older Adult to a Nursing Home (CAFIAR).

Background: Admitting an older adult to a nursing home involves significant adjustment efforts by the family. Our goal was to prepare an assessment instrument for this, given that there was none to date. Method: Participants-134 relatives from different nursing homes in the region of Murcia. Instruments-structured interview for socio-demographic information, satisfaction with the nursing home, well-being and health self-assessment, Radloff's Depression Questionnaire (CES-D), and the first version of CAFIAR. Results: A 15-item instrument with three factors was obtained: Factor 1 (Unease due to admitting an older adult to a nursing home), Factor 2 (Relief), and Factor 3 (Nostalgia and concern for the older adult), in addition to a general adjustment index, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.74. The general adjustment index and the subscales that demonstrate poor adjustment were significantly correlated with depression and a worse health self-assessment, while the Relief subscale, which indicates better adjustment, was significantly correlated with well-being and a positive health self-assessment. Conclusions: The family adjustment in admitting an older adult to a nursing home questionnaire (CAFIAR) has adequate psychometric properties to assess family adaptation in admitting an older adult to an institution.

Estructura factorial del Cuestionario de Apoyo Social MOS en ancianos colombianos con dolor crónico / Factorial structure of the MOS Social Support Survey among senior and elder Colombian population diagnosed with chronic pain

Resumen El Cuestionario de Apoyo Social MOS es uno de los instrumentos que más se utilizan en la investigación y en la práctica gerontológica, pero no hay estudios acerca de su validez para la evaluación de ancianos colombianos. El objetivo de esta investigación fue valorar si la estructura de 4 factores descrita en otras poblaciones es válida, estudiar la fiabilidad y determinar diferencias atribuibles a género y convivencia con una pareja. Se trabajó con una muestra intencional de 463 mayores, de diversas regiones de Colombia. El análisis estadístico de los ítems evidenció ausencia de normalidad y altas correlaciones inter ítems e ítemescala (superiores a .60), por lo que se seleccionó el método de Mínimos Cuadrados no Ponderados (ULS) para el análisis factorial confirmatorio, con el que se evaluaron tres modelos (de un factor, de tres y de cuatro factores correlacionados) siendo el de 4 factores el que obtuvo mejores índices (NFI=.997; AGFI=.996; RMR=.056; NFI=.996). Los coeficientes alfa de las subescalas estaban entre .86 y .98. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en apoyo social percibido atribuibles al género y a tener pareja. Los resultados sustentan la validez del cuestionario MOS para la evaluación del apoyo social percibido por adultos mayores colombianos con dolor crónico.

Abstract Perceived social support refers to one's confidence that social support or resources are available if needed. It is related to health and quality of life in elderly, so it is recommended to be evaluated. The Social Support Survey MOS have been used but there is no evidence about its validity in Colombian ancient people with chronic pain. The aim of this study was to assess the factorial structure and reliability for the Social Support Survey MOS among a group of elderly people with chronic muskuloesqueletal pain; furthermore, differences between gender and married were investigated. 463 old people of different regions of Colombia were assessed with MOS and with a sociodemographic interview. Cronbach ranged between .86 y .98. Item correlations were higher than .60. The model of 4 correlated factors showed good fit (NFI= .997, AGFI= .996, RMR= .056 y GFI= .996), as shown by similar studies in other populations. Differences in social support perceived by gender and marital status were found. The results support the validity for the MOS to evaluate social support in ancient Colombian people with chronic muskuloesqueletal pain.

Autonomía en ancianos institucionalizados: relación con el género, la escolaridad y el tiempo de institucionalización / Autonomy in elderly people living in residences: relationship with gender, education level and time of institutionalization

Objetivo: El envejecimiento patológico se asocia con la pérdida de autonomía, por lo que se investigaron las relaciones entre variables sociodemográficas y de la institucionalización con autonomía funcional, dependencia y deterioro cognitivo en ancianos institucionalizados. Metodología: Los participantes fueron 78 ancianos de tres centros en dos ciudades de Colombia (Bucaramanga y Santa Marta). Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Mini-Examen de Estado Mental, el índice de Barthel y la escala de valoración de la autonomía funcional (EVA). Resultados: Aunque se encontraron más ancianos con baja dependencia y buena autonomía general, se halló que el 56% presentaba deterioro cognitivo, con afectación de las actividades instrumentales y las funciones mentales. Se encontró significativamente más deterioro cognitivo (χ2 = 6,69 [gl = 1], p = 0,010) y dependencia (χ2 = 0,9,22 [gl = 2], p =0,010) en las mujeres. Las personas con mayor nivel de estudios tuvieron más autonomía general (prueba de KruskalWallis: χ2 = 6,79 [gl = 1], p = 0,009). Se halló que, a mayor tiempo de institucionalización, menor autonomía (Rho de Spearman = -0,346, p = 0,003). Conclusiones: El género se relacionó significativamente con la dependencia y el deterioro cognitivo, mientras que la autonomía, especialmente en las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria, se relacionó con el nivel de estudios, así como con el tiempo de institucionalización, lo que debe tenerse en cuenta en la planificación y organización de las intervenciones

Purpose: Pathological aging is associated with the loss of autonomy, so the relationships between sociodemographic variables and institutionalization with functional autonomy, dependence and cognitive deterioration in institutionalized elderly were investigated. Method: Participants were 75 old persons from three centers in two cities of Colombia (Bucaragamanga and Santa Marta). The instruments used were Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Barthel Index, and the Functional Autonomy Rating Scale (EVA). Results: Although more elderly people were found with low dependency and good autonomy, 56% had cognitive impairment. The major problems were in the instrumentals activities and mental functions. Women had significative more cognitive impairment (χ2=6.69 [gl=1], p=.010) and dependence (χ2=,9.22 [gl=2], p=.010) than men. People with high educational level had better general autonomy (Prueba de Kruskal-Wallis: χ2=6.79 [gl=1], p=.009) Time of institutionalization was correlationated with low autonomy in daily instrumental activities. Conclusions: The autonomy were related with institutionalization and education, while dependence and cognitive impairment were related with gender, so is important design appropiate organization of the activities for elderly who is living in a geriatric home for a long time

Funcionamiento cognitivo, autonomía e independencia del adulto mayor institucionalizado / Cognitive function, and independence of autonomy elderly institutionalized

RESUMEN Introducción: En el envejecimiento se puede producir un deterioro de las capacidades físicas y mentales que conduzcan a dependencia y minusvalía; y esto suele ser más frecuente en el anciano institucionalizado. Objetivo: Determinar funcionamiento cognitivo, autonomía e independencia del adulto mayor institucionalizado. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo cuantitativo de corte trasversal, realizado en el Asilo Sagrado Corazón de Jesús entre los meses de septiembre a noviembre del 2015. El universo está constituido por 62 adultos mayores institucionalizados, la muestra de 37 que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Instrumentos utilizados Minimental State Examination, Escala de Valoración de la Autonomía para el Autocuidado y Escala de Autonomía para las actividades básicas de la vida diaria -Barthel. Se procesó la información mediante estadística descriptiva. Resultados: El 51,20 por ciento fueron mujeres, 48,80 por ciento hombres. 88,23 por ciento entre 71 a 90 años. 32,40 por ciento presentaron deterioro cognitivo grave, 24,20 por ciento deterioro moderado y 27,00 por ciento sin deterioro. En la realización de actividades de la vida diaria 76,70 por ciento tenían autonomía total, 5,10 por ciento eran dependientes. 40,50 por ciento fueron independientes, 2,70 por ciento presentó dependencia leve y 13,50 por ciento entre dependencia severa y total. Conclusiones: Los adultos mayores en su mayoría son autónomos e independientes en las actividades básicas de la vida diaria, no siendo así la funcionalidad cognitiva que presento mayor deterioro(AU)

ABSTRACT Introduction: In the aging there is a deterioration of the capabilities physical and mental that lead to dependency and disability This problems tends to be more frequent in the elderly institutionalized. Objective: To determine the cognitive functions, autonomy and independence of the institutionalized elderly. Methods: A descriptive study of quantitative crosscut, held at the Asilo Sagrado Corazon de Jesus between the months of September and November of 2015. The sample group consist of 62 institutionalized elderly, of which 37 meet the self-reliance requirement. Among the tools used to evaluate and the Minimental State Examination, Rating Scale for Self-Care Autonomy, and Autonomy Scale for basic activities of daily living -Barthel. This information was processed using descriptive statistics. Results: 51.20 percent were women, 48.80 percent men. 88.23 percent between 71-90 years. 32.40 percent had severe cognitive impairment, 24.20 percent had moderate impairment and 27.00 percent had no deterioration. In carrying out daily activities, 76.70 percent had full autonomy, 5.10 percent were dependent, 40.50 percent had been independent, 2.70 percent had mild dependence and 13.50 percent between severe and total dependence. Conclusions: Older adults are mostly self-reliant and independent in basic activities of daily life since cognitive functioning is not mostly affected(AU)