Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Family Impact Scale.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Family Impact Scale (DFIS).

METHODS AND

DESIGN

The study was carried out methodologically with 121 parents who have 6-18 year-old children with type 1 diabetes (n = 121). The collected data were analyzed by conducting confirmatory factor analysis, t test, and Pearson's correlation analysis and by computing Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

RESULTS

The linguistic validity of the scale was ensured by undertaking translation and back-translation. Expert opinions were analyzed and all the content validity indices were found to be ≥0.80. The factor loadings of all the items ranged from 0.47 to 0.89, and the model fit indices were as follows: χ²/df = 1.21 and RMSEA = 0.04. Scores that were obtained across two temporally separated administrations were not significantly different (p > .05), and there was a strong correlation between the two sets of scores (ICC = 0.892; p < .001). The Cronbach's α of the scale was .881. The item-total correlation coefficients of the scale items ranged from .34 to .72.

CONCLUSIONS

Similar to the original assessment, the Turkish version of the DFIS consists of 14 items and 4 subscales. It is a valid and reliable measure that is suitable for use with Turkish samples. Researchers can use this scale to assess the effect of type 1 diabetes mellitus on the family of an affected child.