Jane K. Dixon, PhD

About

Jane Dixon, PhD has taught research method and conducted research at Yale University School of Nursing since 1975. Her research has focused on behavioral factors in promotion of health, and management of illness, across various populations. Dr. Dixon’s current scholarship includes two major thrusts.

Careful measurement is at the core of science. One thrust of Dr. Dixon’s scholarship is the development and modification of measures, based on psychometric principles. She has led or collaborated in projects to develop various measures, including the Environmental Health Engagement Profile (EHEP), as well as several measures of self and/or family management. She is currently working on a book concerning methods for modifying measures – including language translation, developing short versions, and other forms of modification.

Dr. Dixon’s current substantive focus is environment health, especially engagement of people in promoting healthy environment - i.e., people’s concerns about environmental hazards which may affect health, and responses to hazards by those who are most affected. A foundation for this work is the formulation of an integrated model which identifies four domains of environmental health knowledge (Dixon & Dixon, 2002 – cited below). The model is intended to unify biological and behavioral factors in environmental health research, and it has served as basis for study of environmental health hazards by Dr. Dixon and by others.

Dr. Dixon was honored to receive the Annie Goodrich Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006. She feels privileged to teach and collaborate with nurses of Yale, in support of YSN’s mission of “better health for all people.” She is especially pleased to have opportunity to collaborate with doctoral students and recent graduates in their early career publication of their work.

Research Interests

Dr. Dixon’s research interests include instrument development and modification as well as environmental health – especially what people think and do about effects of environment on health.

Selected Publications/Presentations

Publications

Christensen, A.V., Dixon, J.K., Knud, J., Ekholm, O., Rasmussen, T.B., Borregaard, B., Mols, R.E., Thrysoe, l., Thorup, C.B., & Berg, S.K. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Danish Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with cardiac disease: Results from the DenHeart survey. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 18:9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-019-1264-0

Nicholson, N., Feinn, R., Casey, E.A., & Dixon, J. (2019). Psychometric evaluation of the Social Isolation Scale in older adults. The Gerontologist.doi:10.1093/geront/gnz083

Jeon, S., Schulman-Green, D.M., McCorkle, R. & Dixon, J.K. (2019). Four approaches for determining composite scores for the Measurement of Transitions in Cancer Scale. Nursing Research, 68 (1),58-64.

Schulman-Green, D., Jeon, S., McCorkle, R., & Dixon, J. (2017). The Measurement of Transitions in Cancer Scale. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 25,103-120.

Rasmussen, T.B., Konradsen, H. Dixon, J., Moons, P. & Berg, S.K. (2016). Validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory in patients treated for infective endocarditis. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. DOI: 10.1111/scs.12318.

Bai, M. & Dixon, J. (2014). Exploratory factor analysis of the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spritiual Well-being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12) in people newly diagnosed with advanced cancer. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 22,404-420.

Dixon, J.K., Hendrickson, J.C., Ercolano, E. Quackenbush, R. & Dixon, J.P. (2009). The Environmental Health Engagement Profile (EHEP): What people think and do about environmental health. Public Health Nursing, 26,460-473.

Schilling, L.S., Knafl, K.A., Grey, M., Lynn, M.R., Murphy, K., Dumser, S. & Dixon, J.K. (2009). A new self-report measure of self-management of Type 1 Diabetes for adolescents. Nursing Research, 58,228-236.

Schilling, L.S., Dixon, J.K., Knafl, K.A., Grey, M., Ives, B. & Lynn, M.R. (2007). Determining content validity of a self-report instrument for adolescents using a heterogeneous expert panel, Nursing Research, 56,361-366.

Hackley, B., Feinstein, A. & Dixon, J. (2007). Air pollution: Its impact on maternal and perinatal health. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, 52,435-443 (Best Article Award, JMWH, 2008).

Dixon, J.K., Dixon, J.P., Ercolano, E., Hendrickson, K.C. & Harrison, T.W. (2006). A vision of nurses and doctors as critical links between good science and community action for environmental health solutions. Harvard Health Policy Review, 7, 39-47.

Maneesriwongul, W. & Dixon, J.K. (2004). Instrument translation process: A methods review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 48(2), 175-185.

Dixon, J.K. & Dixon, J.P. (2002). An integrative model for environmental health research. Advances in Nursing Science, 24,43-56.

Dixon, J.K. (2002). “Kids need clean air”: Air pollution and children’s health. Family and Community Health, 24,9-26.

Dixon, J.P., Dixon, J.K. & Spinner, J.C. (1991). Tensions between career and interpersonal commitments as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease among women. Women and Health, 17,33-57.