Investigation of the validity and reliability of the living with chronic disease scale in Turkish population

This research was conducted in two stages, methodologically and descriptively, to examine the Turkish validity and reliability of the Living with Chronic Disease Scale (Escala de Convivencia Con un Proceso Crónico) in individuals diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypertension (HT) and other chronic diseases. The first phase was methodological and the second phase was descriptive. The sample of the methodological phase of the study consisted of 500 individuals diagnosed with DM and HT who applied to the internal medicine clinic of a state hospital, and the sample of the descriptive phase consisted of 700 individuals with DM, HT and other chronic diseases. In the methodology phase, language, content, face and construct validity, convergent validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and time invariance were examined for the validity of the scale. Test-retest method was used for time invariance. 30 patients were administered the scale twice, fourteen days apart. In the descriptive stage, mean, standard deviation, number and percentage values were calculated and independent groups t test, ANOVA, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskall Wallis test were performed for intergroup comparisons. The statistical results obtained were statistically significant at 95% confidence interval and p<0.05 level. Data were collected with personal information form and Living with Chronic Disease Scale. At the methodological stage of the Living with Chronic Illness Scale, the content validity index (CVI) was 0.959. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), 5 sub-dimensional structure and 26 items were confirmed as in the original scale. According to the CFA results, the fit index values (χ²/df) were 3.91; RMSEA 0.076; SRMR 0.075; RMR 0.90; GFI 0.80; CFI 0.97; IFI 0.97; RFI 0.96; NFI 0.97; NNFI 0.97. These values are within the acceptable and perfect fit limits. In the convergent validity results, CR values ranged between 0.777-0.917 and AVE values ranged between 0.469-0.651. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.940 and the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.99. There was a statistically significant difference in the two-half reliability (t=-48.48; p=0.000). At the descriptive stage, no difference was found in the gender group (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the level of living with chronic disease according to age, marital status, education level, type of chronic disease, year of diagnosis of chronic disease and number of medications used continuously (p<0.05). Individuals aged 18-65 years had higher levels of living with chronic disease than other age groups, single individuals had higher levels than married individuals, university graduates had higher levels than other education levels, individuals with only one chronic disease had higher levels than those with more than one chronic disease, and individuals with one year of chronic disease had higher levels than those with more than one year of chronic disease (p<0.05). At the end of the study, it was determined that the Living with Chronic Disease Scale was valid and reliable for the Turkish language.