Family Worries Scale of Head Trauma Patients: Development and Validation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Healthcare
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Traumatic events can induce psychological distress and worry in family members of patients.
• Assessing family member worry is crucial for comprehensive patient care.
• Existing measures may not adequately capture the nuances of family worries related to trauma patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel Family Worries Scale.
• To provide a reliable and valid instrument for assessing family worries in the context of trauma patient care.
• To identify key domains of worry experienced by families of trauma patients.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed for scale development and validation.
• Item generation involved content analysis, expert review (n=15), and cognitive interviews.
• Psychometric properties were assessed through principal component analysis (n=200), convergent/discriminant validity testing, and reliability analyses (Cronbach's alpha, ICC).

Main Results:

• A 40-item Family Worries Scale with five dimensions was finalized: patient-related, family member-related, trauma ward-related, healthcare provider-related, and treatment-related worries.
• The scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including a scale-level content validity index of .91.
• High reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .94) and acceptable convergent (.78) and discriminant (.86) validity were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The Family Worries Scale is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring family worries.
• This scale can be effectively utilized to assess the psychological distress experienced by families during a trauma patient's admission.
• The validated scale offers a valuable tool for clinicians and researchers in trauma care settings.