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Health measurement scales. A practical guide to their development and use
Book Reviews
294
the interactionist position on personality. Instead, a rather dated view of personality as ‘traits’ is adopted rather uncritically throughout. The second, more important deficit concerns the epistemology of establishing cause. The book is part of a series on Health Psychology, and there is no understanding of the importance of epidemiology in trying to establish causes of disease. The authors are addressing an epidemiological question: does personality increase the risk of disease? There is therefore a dearth of reference to the epidemiological literature and the book as a whole seems light on empiricism and overburdened with lengthy and verbose discussion. The exception is a clear and well argued chapter by Stone and Costa who take apart the suggestion that neuroticism is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. By marshalling some of the well conducted epidemiological studies in the area they illustrate that sound epidemiological evidence is needed to inform debate in this area and is absent in its support for the notion that neuroticism is bad for health. They conclude that neuroticism leads to increased reporting and consultation for episodes of ill-health. For particular attack is an article by none other than H.S. Friedman which used meta-analytic methods claiming that it supported the existence of a disease prone personality. Stone and Costa take this article apart though Friedman still quotes this paper approvingly in his introductory chapter. This editorial strategy may be a refreshingly frank encouragement of debate. The most ‘brilliant’ contribution to this book is a thorough hatchet job on the editor’s own work! GLYN
Section
Health Measurement
of Epidemiology
LEWIS
Hon. Senior Lecturer and General Practice Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London, SE5 8AF
Scales. A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use. DAVID L STREINER Oxford University Press, (HB) 1989. (PB) 1990. Price 515.00 (PB).
and GEOFFREYR NORMAN. Oxford:
175 pp. THE DEVELOPMENTof’ measurement scales, be they in self report or interview format, has expanded enormously in the health and social sciences. As quality of life has assumed greater importance in valuation than mere quantity of life, measurement has become accordingly more complex and more subtle. This book is intended as an introduction to concepts of measurement in the health sciences. It is a pragmatic guide to the construction of new instruments or the appraisal of existing forms. As the authors state in their introduction, it is not intended as a textbook, but as a guide which emphasises concepts underlying current approaches to measurement, rather than the complicated mathematics which underpin them. The book proceeds through the steps involved in the construction of new scales in a logical fashion placing concepts of validity, reliability, generalizability and measurement of change in clear perspective. The result is an intelligible guide to the principles of measurement and to my mind is superior to any other format I have seen. It is well written and treats the reader as astute but not necessarily statistically fluent. My only negative criticism would be of its rather superficial treatment of translation and the difficulties of cross cultural measurement, perhaps a subject for a book in its own right. For anyone attempting to measure health status, be it physical, psychological or social, or for those who want to take a more critical view of the literature on measurement, I cannot recommend this small book highly enough. MICHAEL KING
Book Review Editor Royal Free Hospita! London NW3 2QG
Gays, Lesbians and Their Therapists. Edited by CHARLES SILVERSTEIN.New York: & Company, 1991. Price $34.95. 274 pp. THERE.are two principal
themes to is the distinctiveness of this client imperfection of the therapist in any both the history of discrimination
W. W. Norton
this book on therapy with homosexual men and women. The first group and their therapists and the second concerns the emotional psychotherapeutic encounter. The introduction by the editor traces against homosexuals (patients and therapists) and the gulf which
294
the interactionist position on personality. Instead, a rather dated view of personality as ‘traits’ is adopted rather uncritically throughout. The second, more important deficit concerns the epistemology of establishing cause. The book is part of a series on Health Psychology, and there is no understanding of the importance of epidemiology in trying to establish causes of disease. The authors are addressing an epidemiological question: does personality increase the risk of disease? There is therefore a dearth of reference to the epidemiological literature and the book as a whole seems light on empiricism and overburdened with lengthy and verbose discussion. The exception is a clear and well argued chapter by Stone and Costa who take apart the suggestion that neuroticism is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. By marshalling some of the well conducted epidemiological studies in the area they illustrate that sound epidemiological evidence is needed to inform debate in this area and is absent in its support for the notion that neuroticism is bad for health. They conclude that neuroticism leads to increased reporting and consultation for episodes of ill-health. For particular attack is an article by none other than H.S. Friedman which used meta-analytic methods claiming that it supported the existence of a disease prone personality. Stone and Costa take this article apart though Friedman still quotes this paper approvingly in his introductory chapter. This editorial strategy may be a refreshingly frank encouragement of debate. The most ‘brilliant’ contribution to this book is a thorough hatchet job on the editor’s own work! GLYN
Section
Health Measurement
of Epidemiology
LEWIS
Hon. Senior Lecturer and General Practice Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London, SE5 8AF
Scales. A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use. DAVID L STREINER Oxford University Press, (HB) 1989. (PB) 1990. Price 515.00 (PB).
and GEOFFREYR NORMAN. Oxford:
175 pp. THE DEVELOPMENTof’ measurement scales, be they in self report or interview format, has expanded enormously in the health and social sciences. As quality of life has assumed greater importance in valuation than mere quantity of life, measurement has become accordingly more complex and more subtle. This book is intended as an introduction to concepts of measurement in the health sciences. It is a pragmatic guide to the construction of new instruments or the appraisal of existing forms. As the authors state in their introduction, it is not intended as a textbook, but as a guide which emphasises concepts underlying current approaches to measurement, rather than the complicated mathematics which underpin them. The book proceeds through the steps involved in the construction of new scales in a logical fashion placing concepts of validity, reliability, generalizability and measurement of change in clear perspective. The result is an intelligible guide to the principles of measurement and to my mind is superior to any other format I have seen. It is well written and treats the reader as astute but not necessarily statistically fluent. My only negative criticism would be of its rather superficial treatment of translation and the difficulties of cross cultural measurement, perhaps a subject for a book in its own right. For anyone attempting to measure health status, be it physical, psychological or social, or for those who want to take a more critical view of the literature on measurement, I cannot recommend this small book highly enough. MICHAEL KING
Book Review Editor Royal Free Hospita! London NW3 2QG
Gays, Lesbians and Their Therapists. Edited by CHARLES SILVERSTEIN.New York: & Company, 1991. Price $34.95. 274 pp. THERE.are two principal
themes to is the distinctiveness of this client imperfection of the therapist in any both the history of discrimination
W. W. Norton
this book on therapy with homosexual men and women. The first group and their therapists and the second concerns the emotional psychotherapeutic encounter. The introduction by the editor traces against homosexuals (patients and therapists) and the gulf which