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Efforts to assess the effects of a variety of stressors to which older adults are exposed will be no more successful than measuring instruments are valid and appropriately sensitive to change. Research springing from the trait-state distinction has led to some important clarifications regarding properties of measuring instruments, ways of conceptualizing among-persons variation, and the multidimensionality of individuals' response patterns. To examine the suitability of several extant state measures for use with the elderly, 111 older (age 60+) adults were measured, then remeasured two weeks later, with a battery covering five state dimensions. Data are analyzed to test their hypothesized factor structure of the measures and, from a construct validity perspective, to evaluate the short-term stability (test-retest coefficients) of both scales and underlying factors. Results support the factorial validity of instruments developed for the measurement of anxiety and fatigue states when used in older adult populations.
Nesselroade et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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