Development and Psychometric Testing of the Social Participation Scale for Pediatric Cancer Patients

Social participation plays a key role in the rehabilitation process, improving mental health, reducing isolation, and enhancing quality of life. Despite its importance, existing tools for assessing social participation in pediatric cancer patients are limited in comprehensiveness and specificity. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Social Participation Scale for Pediatric Cancer Patients (SPS-PC).

Items were created after an extensive literature review and evaluated through expert consultation and a pilot study. A convenience sampling approach was employed to recruit 420 pediatric cancer patients from pediatric departments of three tertiary grade-A hospitals in Zhengzhou for psychometric testing of the scale. Item selection was based on item analysis, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to extract factors, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess structural validity.

The final version of the SPS-PC includes 16 items across four dimensions: school participation, family participation, peer participation, and health management participation. The scale demonstrated excellent content and construct validity, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.900) and strong reliability (test-retest reliability = 0.820). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a robust four-factor structure.

The SPS-PC is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing social participation in pediatric cancer patients. The scale's comprehensive approach makes it an essential tool for clinical practice and research in pediatric oncology, contributing to the social reintegration of these children.