Content Validity of Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS:PICU)

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) nursing
• Parental mental health
• Psychometric validation

Background:

• High rates of parental post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occur after pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission.
• Understanding parental stress factors early in PICU admission is crucial for preventing stress-related morbidity.
• The existing Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS:PICU) has not been updated in over 30 years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the content validity and descriptive statistics of the PSS:PICU.
• To propose initial refinements for the PSS:PICU based on mixed methods analysis.
• To identify threats to the validity of the PSS:PICU measure.

Main Methods:

• Convergent parallel mixed methods design.
• Quantitative analysis of scale statistics.
• Qualitative interviews with parents.

Main Results:

• Three primary threats to PSS:PICU validity were identified: construct underrepresentation, construct-irrelevant variance, and item redundancy.
• Suggested refinements include deleting 17 items, revising 7 items, retaining 15 items, and adding 16 new items.
• The study provides a foundation for future testing of a refined PSS:PICU.

Conclusions:

• The PSS:PICU requires significant refinement to accurately assess parental stress in the PICU setting.
• A revised scale is needed to improve the understanding and management of parental stress.
• Addressing validity threats is essential for developing effective interventions.