Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Lack of physicians’ knowledge regarding mental health, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could have adverse effects on affected individuals’ health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to provide construct validity for a modified questionnaire in order to det...

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Autores principales:	Mohammad H. Rahbar, Iuliana Dobrescu, Shezeen Gillani, Manouchehr Hessabi, Sori Kim, Mihaela Stancu, Florina Rad
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Construct validity, Factor analysis Competency of physicians Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Romania Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Medicine R
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/045d5089ee1c44b3ac4d2c468c170f96
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:045d5089ee1c44b3ac4d2c468c170f962021-11-21T12:42:10ZConstruct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder10.1186/s12909-021-02999-91472-6920https://doaj.org/article/045d5089ee1c44b3ac4d2c468c170f962021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02999-9https://doaj.org/toc/1472-6920Abstract Background Lack of physicians’ knowledge regarding mental health, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could have adverse effects on affected individuals’ health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to provide construct validity for a modified questionnaire in order to determine the self-reported competency for underlying sub-constructs in ASD, make inferences on perceived competence in ASD based on a sample of Romanian physicians, and identify physicians’ characteristics associated with these sub-domains of competency. Methods For this survey, we modified a questionnaire that was used in Pakistan and Turkey, and administered it to a sample of 383 practicing physicians in Romania to assess their perceived competency regarding ASD. Exploratory factor analysis on 12 knowledge questions revealed five sub-domains: stigma, potential causes, children’s behavior, misconceptions, and educational needs associated with ASD knowledge. Using General Linear Models, we determined physicians’ characteristics that predict the total competency score and various competency sub-scores. Results Seventy-five percent of the responding physicians were female and 30% had over 30 years practicing medicine. The majority (73–94%) of physicians have correctly responded to some basic questions regarding knowledge about ASD. We also found that younger physicians were more knowledgeable about potential causes of ASD than older physicians (Adjusted Mean Score (AMS): 2.90 vs. 2.18, P < 0.01), while older physicians knew more about the behavior of children with ASD (AMS: 0.64 vs. 0.37, P = 0.02). We found a significant interaction (P < 0.01) between television as source of ASD knowledge and city where the clinic is located in relation to knowledge of the physicians regarding stigma related to ASD. However, the total score was not associated with the variables associated with sub-domains. Conclusion Using factor analysis, we demonstrated construct validity of five sub-domains related to Romanian physicians’ knowledge about ASD that include stigma, potential causes, behavior in ASD children, special education needs, and misconceptions related to ASD. The lack of significant association of the knowledge of physicians on ASD neither with the Psychiatry nor the Pediatric ward rotations at medical school may support the need for improving the curriculum on ASD in Romanian medical schools.Mohammad H. RahbarIuliana DobrescuShezeen GillaniManouchehr HessabiSori KimMihaela StancuFlorina RadBMCarticleConstruct validity, Factor analysisCompetency of physiciansAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)RomaniaSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691MedicineRENBMC Medical Education, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Construct validity, Factor analysis Competency of physicians Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Romania Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Medicine R
spellingShingle	Construct validity, Factor analysis Competency of physicians Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Romania Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Medicine R Mohammad H. Rahbar Iuliana Dobrescu Shezeen Gillani Manouchehr Hessabi Sori Kim Mihaela Stancu Florina Rad Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
description	Abstract Background Lack of physicians’ knowledge regarding mental health, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could have adverse effects on affected individuals’ health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to provide construct validity for a modified questionnaire in order to determine the self-reported competency for underlying sub-constructs in ASD, make inferences on perceived competence in ASD based on a sample of Romanian physicians, and identify physicians’ characteristics associated with these sub-domains of competency. Methods For this survey, we modified a questionnaire that was used in Pakistan and Turkey, and administered it to a sample of 383 practicing physicians in Romania to assess their perceived competency regarding ASD. Exploratory factor analysis on 12 knowledge questions revealed five sub-domains: stigma, potential causes, children’s behavior, misconceptions, and educational needs associated with ASD knowledge. Using General Linear Models, we determined physicians’ characteristics that predict the total competency score and various competency sub-scores. Results Seventy-five percent of the responding physicians were female and 30% had over 30 years practicing medicine. The majority (73–94%) of physicians have correctly responded to some basic questions regarding knowledge about ASD. We also found that younger physicians were more knowledgeable about potential causes of ASD than older physicians (Adjusted Mean Score (AMS): 2.90 vs. 2.18, P < 0.01), while older physicians knew more about the behavior of children with ASD (AMS: 0.64 vs. 0.37, P = 0.02). We found a significant interaction (P < 0.01) between television as source of ASD knowledge and city where the clinic is located in relation to knowledge of the physicians regarding stigma related to ASD. However, the total score was not associated with the variables associated with sub-domains. Conclusion Using factor analysis, we demonstrated construct validity of five sub-domains related to Romanian physicians’ knowledge about ASD that include stigma, potential causes, behavior in ASD children, special education needs, and misconceptions related to ASD. The lack of significant association of the knowledge of physicians on ASD neither with the Psychiatry nor the Pediatric ward rotations at medical school may support the need for improving the curriculum on ASD in Romanian medical schools.
format	article
author	Mohammad H. Rahbar Iuliana Dobrescu Shezeen Gillani Manouchehr Hessabi Sori Kim Mihaela Stancu Florina Rad
author_facet	Mohammad H. Rahbar Iuliana Dobrescu Shezeen Gillani Manouchehr Hessabi Sori Kim Mihaela Stancu Florina Rad
author_sort	Mohammad H. Rahbar
title	Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
title_short	Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
title_full	Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
title_fullStr	Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
title_full_unstemmed	Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
title_sort	construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/045d5089ee1c44b3ac4d2c468c170f96
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Construct validity for the self-reported competency and sub-construct associated characteristics of Romanian physicians in autism spectrum disorder

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