Development of a valid and reliable seven emotions impairment questionnaire and assessment of its predictability for phlegm and blood stasis.

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a Seven Emotions Impairment questionnaire (SEIQ), to define an optimum cut-off point for the SEIQ, and to examine whether SEI was predictive of Phlegm and Blood Stasis (BS).

METHODS

Two hundred outpatients and 75 college students were asked to complete the SEIQ, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Phlegm Pattern Questionnaire (PPQ), and BS Questionnaire (BSQ). Twelve clinicians determined whether the outpatients exhibited SEI. SEIQ data were used to examine the internal consistency and determine validity for the outpatients. SEIQ, POMS, PPQ, and BSQ data were used to examine concurrent validity and predictability of SEI for Phlegm and BS in the college students. Total SEIQ scores and the clinicians' diagnoses of the outpatients were considered to define an optimum cut-off score for the SEIQ.

RESULTS

The 18-item SEIQ had satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.905) and concurrent validity. In the construct validity test, four factors (chest-anxiety, fatigue-depression, working-family-troubles, and sleep-memory) were identified. In the receiver operator characteristic curve curve analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of the SEIQ were 67.2%, 72.1%, and 73%, respectively. The optimum cut-off score was defined as nine points. SEIQ scores were strongly predictive of Phlegm and BS (β = 0.862 and 0.673, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Based on our results, we concluded that the SEIQ is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating SEI, and is strongly predictive of Phlegm and BS.