Lixin Song1,2, Xianming Tan3,4, Jason Bredle5, Antonia V Bennett3,4, Laurel Northouse6. 1. School of Nursing, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Carrington Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7460, USA. lsong@unc.edu. 2. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. lsong@unc.edu. 3. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 4. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 5. FACIT.org, 151 Bay Cove Drive, Ponte Vedra, FL, USA. 6. School of Nursing, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine psychometric properties of a caregiver version of the well-established Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale (FACT-G) after conducting focus groups and obtaining expert input. METHODS: We made minor wording modifications to the Patient FACT-G to enable caregivers to report how the illness affected their overall quality of life (QOL) and well-being on four subscales (physical, social, emotional, functional). We tested the acceptability, precision, factor structure, reliability and validity of the Caregiver FACT-G among partners of prostate cancer patients (N = 263) and caregivers (spouses, siblings, adult children) of patients with advanced cancer (breast, lung, colorectal, prostate) (N = 484) using data from two Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs). RESULTS: With a factor structure similar to the Patient FACT-G, Caregiver FACT-G was acceptable and precise in measuring caregiver QOL, with high inter-factor correlations and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alphas 0.81-0.91). The Caregiver FACT-G had strong convergent validity demonstrated by significant positive correlations with caregiver self-efficacy (0.25-0.63), dyadic communication (0.18-0.51), and social support (0.18-0.54) in both samples. It also had strong discriminant validity evidenced by significant inverse correlations with negative appraisal of caregiving (- 0.37 to - 0.69), uncertainty (- 0.28 to - 0.53), hopelessness (- 0.25 to - 0.60), and avoidant coping (- 0.26 to - 0.58) in both samples. Caregivers' baseline FACT-G scores were significantly associated with their physical (0.23) and mental well-being (0.54; 4-month follow-up) and their depression (- 0.69; 3-month follow-up), indicating strong predictive validity. CONCLUSION: This is the first study evaluating the psychometric properties of the Caregiver FACT-G. More psychometric testing is warranted, especially among caregivers of diverse sociocultural backgrounds.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine psychometric properties of a caregiver version of the well-established Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale (FACT-G) after conducting focus groups and obtaining expert input. METHODS: We made minor wording modifications to the Patient FACT-G to enable caregivers to report how the illness affected their overall quality of life (QOL) and well-being on four subscales (physical, social, emotional, functional). We tested the acceptability, precision, factor structure, reliability and validity of the Caregiver FACT-G among partners of prostate cancerpatients (N = 263) and caregivers (spouses, siblings, adult children) of patients with advanced cancer (breast, lung, colorectal, prostate) (N = 484) using data from two Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs). RESULTS: With a factor structure similar to the Patient FACT-G, Caregiver FACT-G was acceptable and precise in measuring caregiver QOL, with high inter-factor correlations and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alphas 0.81-0.91). The Caregiver FACT-G had strong convergent validity demonstrated by significant positive correlations with caregiver self-efficacy (0.25-0.63), dyadic communication (0.18-0.51), and social support (0.18-0.54) in both samples. It also had strong discriminant validity evidenced by significant inverse correlations with negative appraisal of caregiving (- 0.37 to - 0.69), uncertainty (- 0.28 to - 0.53), hopelessness (- 0.25 to - 0.60), and avoidant coping (- 0.26 to - 0.58) in both samples. Caregivers' baseline FACT-G scores were significantly associated with their physical (0.23) and mental well-being (0.54; 4-month follow-up) and their depression (- 0.69; 3-month follow-up), indicating strong predictive validity. CONCLUSION: This is the first study evaluating the psychometric properties of the Caregiver FACT-G. More psychometric testing is warranted, especially among caregivers of diverse sociocultural backgrounds.
Entities:
Keywords:
Cancer; Caregiver; Psychometric properties; Quality of life; Reliability; Validity
Authors: Lixin Song; Matthew E Nielsen; Ronald C Chen; Christine Rini; Thomas C Keyserling; Eno Idiagbonya; Gail P Fuller; Laurel Northouse; Mary H Palmer; Xianming Tan Journal: Trials Date: 2022-01-04 Impact factor: 2.279