Translation and validation of the Chinese version of fear of older adult falling questionnaire-caregivers.

OBJECTIVES

To translate and culturally adapt the Fear of Older Adult Falling Questionnaire-Caregivers (FOAFQ-CG) into Chinese and verify its psychometric properties among family caregivers of older Chinese adults.

METHODS

The original FOAFQ-CG was translated into Chinese using a modified Brislin model, and the final Chinese version was named the Fear of Older Adult Falling Questionnaire for Caregivers (CFOAFQ-CG). Six experts and twenty family caregivers participated in the procedure. The psychometric properties of the CFOAFQ-CG, including its reliability and validity, were examined in 310 family caregivers of older adults.

RESULTS

The scale-level and item-level content validity of the CFOAFQ-CG reached 1.000. It exhibited strong concurrent validity with a correlation coefficient of -0.636 (P < 0.001). The result of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the unidimensional model achieved a satisfactory overall fit (χ2/df=3.700, CFI=0.961, GFI=0.961, NFI=0.947, TLI=0.934, RMSEA=0.093). Reliability was evidenced by a Cronbach's α of 0.802 and a split-half coefficient of 0.805.

CONCLUSIONS

The CFOAFQ-CG demonstrated strong psychometric properties. It may be used as a useful tool for assessing the family caregivers' fear of older adult falling in Chinese populations.