Review: Validation of a new concept: Aptitudes of psychiatric nurses caring for depressed patients

Abstract

Comments on an article by Marc Haspeslagh et al. (see record 2012-22761-004). This paper reports on the validation of a questionnaire capable of measuring at an ordinal level the aptitude of psychiatric nurses caring for depressed patients. It outlines the significance of knowledge, skills and aptitude—and how the latter is integral to developing therapeutic relations. There is significant interest in the mental health profession in the assessment of these requisites, and in reducing unhelpful variations in the quality and effectiveness of interactions. The authors describe the complexity of conceptualizing, developing and validating such a tool. Particular attention is paid to the different types of validity and their influence on developing the measures. A mixed methods approach including expert panels, experimentation and statistical analysis was used to develop the questionnaire and assess its validity. The authors suggest how these methods are able to overcome the absence of existing theory, and the research report offers a coherent framework that can be followed in replication. The discussion acknowledges how issues such as language, culture and job context would influence the use of the questionnaire in a wider population—aspects which are worthy of onward consideration. The authors introduce discussion about the validity of translated questionnaires and types of equivalence. This paper serves as a framework for others to use in their consideration prior to questionnaire development, with a method proposed to support such an endeavor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)