title: Development of the Vulnerability Scale.
abstract: Developing a new data collection scale is a time- and labor-intensive process. Initially, the items may be developed from a review of the appropriate literature, clinical expertise of the developer, in-depth interviewing of potential subjects, or any combination of these techniques. Next, evidence of the validity (content-related, construct-related, and criterion-related), internal consistency reliability, and reliability of the scale must be established. The new scale may be administered to one or two small samples (pilot studies) before it is ready for use with a larger group. Gathering evidence regarding the scale's validity and reliability with different groups and consequent revision are ongoing processes. In this article, the authors describe how this process was followed in developing the Vulnerability Scale.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Family Health, Indianapolis 46202-5107, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ellett
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*