Validation of a Scale to Measure the Care-giving Ability of Caregivers

Abstract

Objective: Determine the face validity and content validity of a proposed semantic modification in the scale created by Barrera to measure the care-giving ability of family members who care for chronically ill persons. Materials and methods: The study featured a methodological design and was conducted in three phases: semantic adequacy, determining the degree of comprehensibility, and face validity and content validity of the proposed amendment to the scale. Results: The items were checked one by one to determine semantic adequacy, based on discussion of the terms used in the scale formulated initially. Three hundred eighty-five (385) formats designed by the researcher were applied to determine the degree of comprehensibility. In all, five items were found with low comprehensibility and ten with medium comprehensibility; they were subject to changes in light of theory and the observations made by the subjects. Face validity and content validity were determined by a panel of experts, using Fleiss's kappa coefficient of concordance. As for face validity, it was found that most of the items were accepted; in terms of content validity, it was concluded the semantically modified scale measures the care-giving ability of family members who care for persons with chronic illnesses.