The persian version of the scale of "information and support needs of the primary relatives of individuals with breast cancer"

Breast cancer is the most frequently seen cancer type in Iranian women as well as worldwide. Due to its genetic transition and fatal consequences, the Primary Relatives of Individuals with Breast Cancer are in need of information and support. This thesis study was carried out to determine the Persian version of "Information and Support Needs of the Primary Relatives of Individuals with Breast Cancer" which was developed by Chalmers & Thomson as a methodological scale, and to contribute to studies to be planned for Iranian women. After Ethical Committee's approval was obtained, study was carried out in Noor Nejat Hospital's Breast Polyclinic and Radiation Oncology Department between 14 February 2014 and 01 June 2015. In validity and reliability study, five-fold of participants compared to 29 items included in Information and Support Requirements Scale were enrolled and totally 145 women who had immediate relatives with breast cancer were reached. During validity studies of the scale, language, content, construct validity; and during reliability studies of the scale, test-retest and internal consistency analyses were performed. Of the women participated in study, 60 % were the mothers of women with breast cancer, 29.7 % were their sisters and 10.3 % were their daughters. The language validity of the scale was determined by taking expert opinion and performing back-translation. In content validity overall expert opinion validity index was found as 0,97 and through construct validity it was determined to be valid for Iranian women. In reliability analysis, the test-retest was established through applying it to 30 women. In internal consistency analysis the Cronbach Alpha value was 0,863 for Information part and 0,925 for support part. Consequently, the Persian form of "Information and Support Requirements Scale" was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool for Iranian women. It is recommended to be applied in training and consultancy programs developed for the immediate relatives of women with breast cancer in Iran. Key Words: Breast self examination, early diagnose, primary relatives