Paper: Development of an Instrument Measuring the Internet Cancer Support Groups Usage (Sigma Theta Tau International's 21st International Nursing Research Congress)

Wednesday, 14 July 2010: 11:00 AM

Eun-Ok Im, RN, MPH, PhD, CNS, FAAN
School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Bokim Lee, PhD, MPH, RN
Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Wonshik Chee, PhD
Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Young Ko, PhD, RN
School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Learning Objective 1: To understand the development process of a new instrument called the Questions on the Use of Internet Cancer Support Groups (QUICSG).

Learning Objective 2: To understand psychometric properties of the new instrument.

Purpose: Despite an increasing number of Internet cancer support groups (ICSGs), there is still little information available on cancer patients' usage of ICSGs, which may be partially due to a lack of instruments measuring cancer patients' usage of ICSGs. Indeed, most studies on cancer patients' usage of ICSGs are qualitative in nature, and virtually no instrument measuring cancer patients' usage of ICSGs exists. The purpose of the study was to test psychometric properties of a newly developed instrument measuring the usage of ICSGs. Methods: This was a psychometric test among 117 people living with cancer recruited through the Internet using a convenience sampling method. The instruments included a new instrument, the Questions on the Use of Internet Cancer Support Groups (QUICSG), questions on sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported ethnic identity and disease status, the Support Care Needs Survey-34 Short Form (SCNS-34SF), the HINTS subscale, and the QUICSG. The data were collected only through the Internet. The data were analyzed using internal consistency reliability testing, split-half reliability testing, item analysis, criterion validity, convergent validity and face validity. Results: The K-R 20 (0.69) and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability coefficient (0.77) of the QUICSG indicated that the QUICSG was a reliable instrument. The QUICSG scores of those who actually used the ICSGs were higher than those who did not, which was statistically significantly different (t-value=-15.66, p<.00). Correlation coefficients between the QUICSG scores and the HINTS subscale scores and the SCNS-SF34 score were respectively 0.50 (p<.00) and 0.27 (P=.02), indicating moderate correlations between the measurements. Conclusion: The QUICSG needs to be further tested and refined in studies among diverse groups by age, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Also, the theoretical construct of the instrument needs to be further refined.

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