Reliability and Validity of the Suffering Scale of Family of Patients with Terminal Cancer.
10.5388/jkon.2011.11.1.49
- Author:
Kyung Ah KANG
1
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea. kangka@syu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Neoplasms;
Family;
Stress;
Psychological;
Instrumentation
- MeSH:
Humans;
Palliative Care;
Reproducibility of Results;
Stress, Psychological
- From:Journal of Korean Oncology Nursing
2011;11(1):49-57
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an instrument to measure suffering of family of patients with terminal cancer. METHODS: This research was a methodological study processed as follows: 1) The preliminary 32 items were developed based a conceptual framework of suffering for patients with cancer. 2) The content was validated by an expert panel (n=24) and the family of patients with terminal cancers (n=33). 3) The instrument was validated by survey (n=92). Finally, 29 items were selected in developing final version of the scale. RESULTS: Seven factors were extracted through factor analysis: 'economical distress', 'loss of meaning in life', 'feeling of social isolation', 'emotional distress', 'burnout', 'guilty feeling', and 'physical discomfort'. These factors explained 66.94% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha and Guttman Split-half coefficient of the 29 items were .93 and .92. respectively. CONCLUSION: This scale identified as a valid and reliable tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. It can be effectively utilized to assess the degree of suffering of family in palliative care settings.
