Psychometric testing of the Family-Carer Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale

Development and psychometric testing of the family caregiver self-efficacy scale for patients in the early post-coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Family caregiver self-efficacy plays an important role in improving the health and quality of life of patients in the early post-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, there is a lack of targeted self-efficacy assessment tool for caregivers of patients. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a Family Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale for patients in the early post-CABG (FCSES-EPCABG) and to test its reliability and validity.

METHODS

Based on self-efficacy theory, the initial scale was formed by the literature review, semi-structured interviews, Delphi expert consultation, and pre-survey. Through the convenience sampling method, 133 caregivers who met the selection criteria were chosen for the questionnaire survey at Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital from January 2024 to May 2024. The aim was to test the reliability and validity of the scale.

RESULTS

The final scale contained five dimensions of wound care, medication management, cardiac rehabilitation management, social support, and self-care, with a total of 22 items. The item-level content validity index ranged from 0.889 to 1.000, the scale-level content validity index/average was 0.985, and the content validity ratio ranged from 0.778 to 1.000. The exploratory factor analysis showed that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the five dimensions was 69.433%. In the criterion-related validity analysis, the total score of the FCSES-EPCABG was positively correlated with the total score of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (r = 0.762, P<0.001). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.919, the half reliability was 0.779, and the test-retest reliability was 0.936.

CONCLUSION

The FCSES-EPCABG has satisfactory reliability and validity, which is suitable for evaluating the self-efficacy of family caregivers of patients in the early post-CABG.

Quality of life among Indonesian family caregivers caring for dependent older persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the community: A cross-sectional, correlational study

Background

The global prevalence of older adults with diabetes has increased, and family caregivers in Indonesia play a critical role in managing diabetes and providing personal care. However, caregiving can be complex and challenging, often negatively affecting caregivers' quality of life (QoL).

Objective

This study aimed to develop and test a hypothesized causal model of QoL among Indonesian family caregivers who care for dependent older persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in 2024.

Methods

A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 270 family caregivers recruited from five Community Health Centers. Data were collected using various scales: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Zarit Burden Interview, the Duke University Religion Index, the Perceived Knowledge on T2DM Care Scale, the Family-Carer Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Quality-of-Life Index. Descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used for analysis.

Results

The final model explained 89.1% of the variance in the quality of life (QoL) of family caregivers (R2 = 0.893, Adjusted R2 = 0.891), with 66% predictive relevance. Depression symptoms had the strongest negative direct effect on QoL, followed by caregiver burden. Self-efficacy and perceived knowledge had positive direct effects, while social support showed no significant direct effect. Indirect effects revealed that social support and self-efficacy positively influenced QoL through depression symptoms. The total effect (TE) analysis confirmed that depression symptoms had the strongest negative effect on QoL (TE = -0.744, p <0.001), while social support (TE = 0.443, p <0.001) and self-efficacy (TE = 0.413, p <0.001) had positive effects.

Conclusion

Reducing depression symptoms and caregiver burden, strengthening social support, and promoting self-efficacy could significantly improve the QoL of family caregivers who care for older persons with T2DM. Nursing practice should address caregivers' physical and emotional needs, provide education, foster social support, and support caregiver mental health.

A Couple-Based Intervention for Chinese Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Spousal involvement in diabetes care is recommended theoretically, but effectiveness in clinical settings and among diverse populations is unclear.

Objective

To test the effect of a couple-based intervention among Chinese older patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This multicenter randomized clinical trial comprised 2 arms: a couple-based intervention arm and an individual-based control. The trial was conducted across 14 community health care centers in Guangzhou, China, between September 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, and included patients with confirmed type 2 diabetes aged 55 years or older. Eligible partners were married to or cohabitated with the patients. Patients who previously participated in type 2 diabetes education courses were excluded, as were couples who both had diabetes, to make a clear distinction between patients and spouses. The data were analyzed between January 2023 and April 2024.

Interventions

The interventions consisted of 4 weekly group education sessions followed by behavior change booster telephone calls over 2 months that targeted either patients and spouses (ie, intervention arm) or patients alone (ie, control arm). Follow-up assessments were conducted at 6 and 12 months post intervention.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels for patients and quality of life for their spouses. Collective efficacy and behaviors were secondary outcomes for both patients and spouses. Group comparisons were conducted using multilevel models based on an intention-to-treat approach, with outcome measures assessed for both patients and their spouses.

Results

A total of 207 couples were included in the study, with 106 randomized to the intervention arm and 101 to the control arm. The mean (SD) age of patients was 66.0 (6.5) years, with 105 (50.7%) being men; spouses had similar demographics. Patients' HbA1c levels decreased in both arms over the 12-month follow-up, with no significant between-arm differences (β = -0.08; 95% CI, -0.57 to 0.42). Collective efficacy and collective behavior for patients increased after intervention but with a similar magnitude between arms. None of these measures showed between-arm differences among spouses in either arm. In subgroup analysis, decreases in HbA1c levels were constant and lasting in patients with high baseline HbA1c levels (≥8.0%) with a statistically significant difference.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings show that the overall treatment effect of the couple-based intervention was weak. However, the couple-based intervention benefited patients with poor glucose control. Patients' glucose levels, spouses' availability to provide support, and couples' collaborative preferences for mutual or individual diabetes management should be considered in tailoring treatment strategies among older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR1900027137.

How dyadic appraisal moderate the association between dyadic coping and diabetes management efficacy

To explore the moderating role of dyadic appraisal in the association between dyadic coping and diabetes management efficacy. Two hundred seventy six middle-aged and older couple pairs with one spouse who had diabetes were recruited from 14 community healthcare centers across Guangzhou. The moderating role of dyadic appraisal was investigated using the actor-partner interdependence moderation model. When both couples considered diabetes to be a shared condition, statistically-significant associations were found between patients' negative (β = -22.7, p = 0.008) and neutral behaviors (β = 13.6, p = 0.017), plus spouses' positive behaviors (β = 22.8, p = 0.009) on their own diabetes management efficacy, respectively (i.e. actor effects); as well as between spouses' positive (β = 16.8, p = 0.028), negative (β = -28.5, p  <  0.001), and neutral behaviors (β = 16.9, p = 0.006) on patient's diabetes management efficacy (i.e. partner effects). Dyadic appraisal moderates the association between dyadic coping and diabetes management efficacy.

The role of family support in diabetes self-management among rural adult patients

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the role of the family in supporting diabetes self-management and explore the possible mechanisms between family and diabetes self-management among rural patients in China.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is growing rapidly in rural areas of China, where healthcare resources remain relatively poor and family members play an important role in chronic disease self-management.

DESIGN

This was a multicentre cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 276 adults with T2DM were recruited from nine county hospitals in China. Diabetes self-management, family support, family function, and family self-efficacy were evaluated using the mature scales. A theoretical model was built based on the social learning family model and previous studies and then verified using a structural equation model. The STROBE statement was used to standardise the study procedure.

RESULTS

Family support and general family factors, including family function and self-efficacy, were positively correlated with diabetes self-management. Family support fully mediates the relationship between family function and diabetes self-management and partially mediates the relationship between family self-efficacy and diabetes self-management. The model explained 41% of the variability in diabetes self-management and had a good model fit.

CONCLUSION

General family factors can explain nearly half of the change in diabetes self-management in rural areas of China, while family support is a mediator between general family factors and diabetes self-management. Family self-efficacy, a potential intervention point of family based diabetes self-management education, can be improved by building special lessons for family members.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study emphasises the role of family in diabetes self-management and proposes suggestions for diabetes self-management intervention among patients with T2DM in rural areas of China.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Patients and their family members completed the questionnaire which was used for data collection.

The effects of education on foot care behaviors and self-efficacy in type 2 diabetes patients

Background

Diabetic foot significantly affects the quality of life of patients with diabetes. It leads to loss of labor force, psychosocial trauma, and high treatment costs due to serious morbidity and mortality. Nurses have an important responsibility to improve the metabolic status of individuals with diabetes, to protect them from foot complications, and to teach patients foot care skills.

Aim

This study investigated the effects of education on type 2 diabetes patients regarding diabetic foot care and self-efficacy.

Materials and Methods

This quasi-experimental study was conducted from February to July 2016 in hospitals located in the city of Balıkesir in Turkey with type 2 diabetes patients who were admitted to the internal medicine clinic and monitored by the endocrinology and internal medicine outpatient clinics. G*power 3.1.9.2 software was used to calculate the sample size of 94 people with a 5% type 1 error, and 90% power. The study was carried out with stratified randomization, and a questionnaire was administered to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received training, and both groups' scores on the Diabetic Foot Behavior Questionnaire [Appendix 1] and the Diabetic Foot Care Self-Efficacy Scale [Appendix 2] were compared after three months. The t-test, the paired t-test, and the Chi-square test were used.

Results

While the self-efficacy and the foot care behavior scores of the control group did not show any differences (P > 0.05), the experimental group's scores were significantly higher (P < 0.05). The control group's self-efficacy and foot care behavior scores on the pre-test and final test were similar, while the experimental group's scores increased (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Starting from the diagnosis of diabetes, it is advisable to carry out foot assessments and to follow up with diabetics who received foot care education to increase their self-efficacy, to make foot care a habit, and to re-evaluate missing or incorrect practices during check-ups.

Diabetes Mellitus Family Assessment Instruments: A Systematic Review of Measurement Properties

Although many instruments are used to assess the families of people with diabetes, their measurement properties have not been systematically reviewed. We aimed to identify and evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments used to assess family functioning in adults with diabetes.

METHODS

A systematic literature review, according to the JBI systematic reviews of measurement properties, was conducted using different databases, including gray literature. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021239733. Two independent reviewers searched, screened, and assessed the risk of bias among the articles according to the COSMIN methodology. The quality of each included instrument was assessed using the updated criteria for good measurement properties.

RESULTS

Eighty-one studies were included, and thirty-one eligible instruments were identified. The psychometric properties frequently assessed were structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS

Although 31 instruments were included, none of their psychometric properties were scored as "very good". From the instruments scored as adequate on development and content validity, five stood out for their quality appraisal.. The development of new instruments is not recommended. More studies should be conducted on the existing instruments to assess the less commonly evaluated psychometric properties. Using valid instruments to develop and evaluate interventions is essential to promote health literacy and the effectiveness of diabetes management.

Translation and psychometric validation of the Arabic Gestational Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (GDMSES)

INTRODUCTION

The assessment of self-efficacy for adherence to healthy behaviours among women with gestational diabetes (GDM) is undermined by the unavailability of validated tools. Therefore, this study aimed at translating, culturally adapting and assessing the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of Gestational Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (GDMSES).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This methodological study was conducted in the Antenatal Clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Oman between October 2016 and January 2017. A total of 90 forms of the Arabic GDMSES tool were completed by Omani pregnant women with gestational diabetes. The study has a multiphase design: (1) cultural and linguistic validation; (2) content and face validity; (3) construct validity; (4) internal validity.

RESULTS

The Arabic GDMSES showed satisfactory content validity (CVI between .8 and 1), acceptable overall scale internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.85) and stability overtime (Pearson correlation coefficient>.6). Four factors emerged for construct validity using exploratory factor analysis: nutrition and body weight, adaptation to healthy eating, physical activity and treatment and blood sugar. Our sample size of 90 was considered adequate in determining these factors (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=.78).

CONCLUSIONS

GDMSES is a valid and reliable tool, thus providing a quick and easy self-efficacy assessment tool for antenatal nurses dealing with pregnant women with GDM.

Couple-based collaborative management model of type 2 diabetes mellitus for community-dwelling older adults in China: protocol for a hybrid type 1 randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

China's limited health care resources cannot meet the needs of chronic disease treatment and management of its rapid growing ageing population. The improvement and maintenance of patient's self-management is essential to disease management. Given disease management mainly occurs in the context of family, this study proposes to validate a Couple-based Collaborative Management Model of chronic diseases that integrates health professionals and family supporters; such as to empower the couples with disease management knowledge and skills, and to improve the couples' health and quality of life.

METHODS

The proposed study will validate a couple-based collaborative management model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in a community-based multicenter, two-arm, randomized controlled trial of block design in Guangzhou, China. Specifically, 194 T2DM patients aged ≥55 and their partners recruited from community health care centers will be randomized at the patient level for each center at a 1:1 ratio into the couple-based intervention arm and the individual-based control arm. For the intervention arm, both the patients and their spouses will receive four-weekly structured group education & training sessions and 2 months of weekly tailored behavior change boosters; while these interventions will be only provided to the patients in the control group. Behavior change incentives will be targeted at the couples or only at the patient respectively. Treatment effects on patients' hemoglobin, spouses' quality of life, alongside couples' behavior outcomes will be compared between arms. Study implementation will be evaluated considering its Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance following the RE-AIM framework.

DISCUSSION

This study will generate a model of effective collaboration between community health professionals and patients' family, which will shield light on chronic disease management strategy for the increasing ageing population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900027137, Registered 1st Nov. 2019.