Construct Validity of the Condensed Spiritual Distress Scale: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

Ku, Ya Lie

Thursday, 25 July 2013: 8:30 AM

Ya Lie Ku, MSN, RN
Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan
Chin Tang Tu, PhD
Center for Teacher Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the process of condensing a scale through a Confirmatory factor analysis approach.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to realize that the 11-item condensed spiritual distress scale was a validated and supported model for cancer patients.

Purpose: From 2003-2004, a spiritual framework involving the relationships of 20 cancer patients with themselves, others, God, and their feelings towards death was constructed using a qualitative study. Following the establishment of the four domains, a scale evaluating 30 spiritual distress items was tested on 85 cancer patients between 2004 and 2005. However, a 30-item spiritual distress scale was too long for practical applicability in a cancer unit. The aim of this study was to condense and validate the 30-item spiritual distress scale.

Methods: A quantitative measurement study was to condense and validate the spiritual distress scale used a confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 6.0.

Results: The findings identified that a condensed spiritual distress scale consisting 11- item were resulted in normally distributed. In addition, the scale was a best fit on the basis of the preliminary criteria. The reliability of each item among the four factors in the relationship with themselves, others, God, and their feelings towards death was above .5. The composite reliabilities were over .6, providing a good convergent validity, and the structure coefficient for all 11-item in the spiritual distress scale was over .4. On the basis of the assessment of the preliminary fit criteria, overall model fit, and fit of the internal structure of the model, the 11-item condensed spiritual distress scale was a validated and supported model for cancer patients.

Conclusion: A scale consisting of 30 spiritual distress items might be too long to apply in a cancer unit. Hence, condensing the original length of the scale would make it more practical to use in such settings.

See more of: Global Initiatives in Spirituality
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