title: Development of a short version of the Aging Males' Symptoms scale: Mokken scaling analysis and Rasch analysis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound short version of the 17-item Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale using Mokken scale analysis (MSA) and Rasch analysis. We recruited a convenient sample of 1787 men (age: mean (SD) = 43.8 (11.5) years) who visited a men's health polyclinic in Taiwan and completed the AMS scale. The scale was first assessed using MSA. The remaining items were assessed using Rasch analysis. We used a stepwise approach to remove items with χ(2) item statistics and mean square values while monitoring unidimensionality. The item reduction process resulted in a 6-item version of the AMS scale (AMS-6). The AMS-6 scale included a 5-item psychosomatic subscale (original items 1, 4, 5, 8, and 9) and a 1-item sexual subscale (original item 16). Analyses confirmed that the 5-item psychosomatic subscale was a Rasch scale. The AMS-6 correlated well with the AMS scales: the 5-item psychosomatic subscale correlated with the AMS scale (r between 0.50 and 0.92); the 1-item sexual subscale correlated with the sexual subscale of the AMS scale (r = 0.81). A 6-item short form of the AMS scale had satisfactory measurement properties. This version may be useful for estimating psychosomatic and sexual symptoms as well as health-related quality of life with a minimal burden on respondents.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Linkou , Taiwan .|d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|e School of Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .
authors.forename: Chin-Pang
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: b Department of Urology , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Linkou , Taiwan .|d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|e School of Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: c Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|f School of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .
authors.forename: Kun-Hao
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|e School of Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|g Department of Psychiatry , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan , and.
authors.forename: Chun-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Linkou , Taiwan .|d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|e School of Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .
authors.forename: Yu-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: c Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|f School of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .
authors.forename: Jiun-Liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: d Men's Health Center , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|e School of Medicine , Chang Gung University , Taoyuan , Taiwan .|h Department of Psychiatry , Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Keelung , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging Males’ Symptom scale; Health-related quality of life; Mokken scale analysis; Rasch analysis; psychometrics