Translation and validation of the Danish version of the brief family assessment measure III in a sample of acutely admitted elderly medical patients

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.

Family Functioning Assessment Instruments in Adults with a Non-Psychiatric Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review

There is little information on the evaluation of family functioning in adult patients with chronic non-psychiatric illness. The objective of this systematic review was to identify family functioning assessment instruments of known validity and reliability that have been used in health research on patients with a chronic non-psychiatric illness. We conducted a search in three biomedical databases (PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science), for original articles available in English or Spanish published between 2000 and 2019. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Fourteen articles were included in the review. The instruments Family Assessment Device, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, Family Functioning Health and Social Support, Family APGAR, Assessment of Strategies in Families-Effectiveness, Iceland Expressive Family Functioning, Brief Family Assessment Measure-III, and Family Relationship Index were identified. All of them are reliable instruments to evaluate family functioning in chronic patients and could be very valuable to help nurses identify families in need of a psychosocial intervention. The availability and clinical application of these instruments will allow nurses to generate knowledge on family health and care for non-psychiatric chronic conditions, and will eventually contribute to the health and wellbeing of adults with a non-psychiatric chronic disease and their families.

Dyadic effects of perceived social support on family health and family functioning in patients with heart failure and their nearest relatives: Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model

Background

Social support, family functioning and family health are essential elements in the treatment of heart failure, yet most heart failure studies focus on the pharmacological interventions. This study aimed to examine whether perceived social support from nurses is associated with better family functioning of patients with heart failure and their nearest relatives and to examine whether family health mediates this relationship.

Methods and findings

A sample of 312 patients with heart failure and 312 of their nearest relatives were included in the study. The Family Functioning, Health and Social Support questionnaire was used to collect the data. Dyadic data were analysed by the Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model with distinguishable dyads using structural equation modelling. Patients and nearest relatives who perceived more social support had a higher level of family health and functioned better within the family. One partner effect was found, indicating that the higher the level of family health of the nearest relative, the better the family functioning of the patient (p <0.001). Family health partially (in the patient) and completely (in the nearest relative) mediated the association between social support and family functioning.

Conclusion

This study indicated that patients with heart failure and their nearest relatives who perceived more social support from nurses were more likely to have high level of family health and function better within the family. The interdependent relationships found in our study highlight a dyadic and family-oriented approach to improve family functioning in patients with heart failure.