A Factorial Validation of the Enugu Somatization Scale
Abstract:
Somatization of emotional distress, the manifestation of psychological problems in somatic form, is widespread in Nigeria and there are shortcomings in the use of foreign methods to assess this and other psychological disorders in Nigeria (Ebigbo & Ihezue, 1981). In an attempt to bridge this gap, Ebigbo developed the Enugu Somatization Scale (ESS) in 1982 from the protocols of patients attending a psychiatric clinic although this scale has been standardized; there was need for a factorial examination of the items to determine clusters or factors of complaints that are independent of one another and to extract ambiguous items. 1204 participants with ages between 10 – 79 years with mean age of 29.83 years and a standard deviation of 11.44 of which 635 are stressed normal participants and 569 are abnormal participants were selected using the ESS which has 65 items. The data was subjected to the Statistical product Service Solutions statistical package using Principal Component Analysis and Oblim Rotation. One valid factor with 51 items emerged from the analysis, making the Enugu Somatization Scale a one-dimensional (unidimentional) scale which measures somatization only. The reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.932, a Split- half coefficient of 0.832 for the 65 – item scale and a standardized item alpha of 0.936 estimated its internal consistency. Also, an intrinsic validity of 0.9654 was observed. This study reduced the items on the ESS from 65 to 51 valid items and established the reliability and construct validity of the ESS ORDER COMPLETE MATERIAL FROM CHAPTER 1-5
