Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation
Psychiatric, psychological, and behavioral sciences scales provide quantitative representations of phenomena such as emotions, beliefs, functioning, and social role perceptions. Methodologists and researchers have criticized current scale development practices, emphasizing that inaccurate measuremen...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1494261/full |
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| author | Alberto Stefana Stefano Damiani Umberto Granziol Umberto Provenzani Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli |
| author_facet | Alberto Stefana Stefano Damiani Umberto Granziol Umberto Provenzani Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli |
| author_sort | Alberto Stefana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Psychiatric, psychological, and behavioral sciences scales provide quantitative representations of phenomena such as emotions, beliefs, functioning, and social role perceptions. Methodologists and researchers have criticized current scale development practices, emphasizing that inaccurate measurements can derail theory development and clinical decisions, thereby impeding progress in mental health research and practice. These shortcomings often stem from a lack of understanding of appropriate scale development techniques. This article presents a guide to scope, organize, and clarify the process of scale development and validation for psychological and psychiatric use by integrating current methodological literature with the authors’ real-world experience. The process is divided into five phases comprising 18 steps. In the Preliminary Phase, the need for a new scale is assessed, including a review of existing measures. In the Item Development Phase, the construct is defined, and an initial pool of items is generated, incorporating literature reviews, expert feedback, and target population evaluation to ensure item relevance and clarity. During the Scale Construction Phase, the scale is finalized through the administration of surveys to a large sample, followed by parallel analysis, exploratory factor, and item descriptive statistics to identify functional items. In the Scale Evaluation Phase, the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the scale are rigorously tested using both classical and modern psychometric techniques. Finally, in the Finalization Phase, the optimal item sequence is decided, and a comprehensive inventory manual is prepared. In sum, this structured approach provides researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive methodology for developing reliable, valid, and user-friendly psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5db905094718408f8b6cf09e737dc93b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-5db905094718408f8b6cf09e737dc93b2025-01-23T04:11:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-01-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14942611494261Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validationAlberto Stefana0Stefano Damiani1Umberto Granziol2Umberto Provenzani3Marco Solmi4Marco Solmi5Marco Solmi6Marco Solmi7Marco Solmi8Eric A. Youngstrom9Eric A. Youngstrom10Eric A. Youngstrom11Paolo Fusar-Poli12Paolo Fusar-Poli13Paolo Fusar-Poli14Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, ItalyDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalySCIENCES Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Mental Health, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, CanadaClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaFaculty of Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, GermanyDivision of Child and Family Psychiatry, Institute for Mental and Behavioral Health Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States0Helping Give Away Psychological Science, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy1OASIS Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom2Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United KingdomPsychiatric, psychological, and behavioral sciences scales provide quantitative representations of phenomena such as emotions, beliefs, functioning, and social role perceptions. Methodologists and researchers have criticized current scale development practices, emphasizing that inaccurate measurements can derail theory development and clinical decisions, thereby impeding progress in mental health research and practice. These shortcomings often stem from a lack of understanding of appropriate scale development techniques. This article presents a guide to scope, organize, and clarify the process of scale development and validation for psychological and psychiatric use by integrating current methodological literature with the authors’ real-world experience. The process is divided into five phases comprising 18 steps. In the Preliminary Phase, the need for a new scale is assessed, including a review of existing measures. In the Item Development Phase, the construct is defined, and an initial pool of items is generated, incorporating literature reviews, expert feedback, and target population evaluation to ensure item relevance and clarity. During the Scale Construction Phase, the scale is finalized through the administration of surveys to a large sample, followed by parallel analysis, exploratory factor, and item descriptive statistics to identify functional items. In the Scale Evaluation Phase, the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the scale are rigorously tested using both classical and modern psychometric techniques. Finally, in the Finalization Phase, the optimal item sequence is decided, and a comprehensive inventory manual is prepared. In sum, this structured approach provides researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive methodology for developing reliable, valid, and user-friendly psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1494261/fullscale developmentscale validationevidence-based assessmentpsychological measurementpsychiatric measurement |
| spellingShingle | Alberto Stefana Stefano Damiani Umberto Granziol Umberto Provenzani Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Marco Solmi Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Eric A. Youngstrom Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli Paolo Fusar-Poli Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation Frontiers in Psychology scale development scale validation evidence-based assessment psychological measurement psychiatric measurement |
| title | Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| title_full | Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| title_fullStr | Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| title_short | Psychological, psychiatric, and behavioral sciences measurement scales: best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| title_sort | psychological psychiatric and behavioral sciences measurement scales best practice guidelines for their development and validation |
| topic | scale development scale validation evidence-based assessment psychological measurement psychiatric measurement |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1494261/full |
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