Psychometric evaluation of the Shona version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS–Shona) in adult informal caregivers of patients with cancer in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Background Providing care for a patient with cancer can negatively affect the health and psychosocial well-being of informal caregivers. However, social support has been enlisted as an essential buffer to stressful life events. There is now a greater call to routinely measure and provide support for caregivers and this is only feasible through use of validated outcome measures. The multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) is one of the most commonly used social support outcome measure. Consequently, the MSPSS has been translated into several languages and validated across several populations. The aim of the present study was to translate the MPSS to Shona (Zimbabwean native language) and validate it in caregivers of patients with cancer. Methods The MSPSS was translated to Shona using a backward-forward translation method, pretested on a group of caregivers (n = 10) before being administered to large sample (N = 126) at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to assess the structural validity of the MSPSS-Shona version. Reliability was assessed using the Cronbach's alpha. Results Data for 120 caregivers were analysed. Most were females (69.2%), had attained at least secondary education (81.7%) and married (75%). There was moderate evidence for structural validity for the 2-factor model and excellent evidence for internal consistency as the scale yielded α = 0.905. Conclusions Despite moderate evidence for structural validity, the translation of MSPSS into native languages (e.g. MSPSS-Shona) in low resource settings can be deemed as “steps in the right direction” for evidence based practise in management of cancer. There is also need for further psychometric evaluation of the MSPSS-Shona.

The impact of social support on the health-related quality of life of adult patients with tuberculosis in Harare, Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional survey

“…The MSPSS is a 12-item outcome which measures the amount of SS received from family, friends and significant other [ 14 ]. The MPSSS-Shona version is rated on a five-point Likert scale with responses ranging from strongly disagree = 1 to strongly agree = 5, and the scores are interpreted, the higher the score, the more significant the SS [ 15 ]. The EQ-5D is a generic HRQoL measuring participant’ perceived HRQoL in the following five-domains: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain, and anxiety/depression [ 16 ].…”

Profiling the mental health of diabetic patients: a cross-sectional survey of Zimbabwean patients

“…Many of the participants were married and therefore presumably received support from their spouses, and this may partially explain the discrepancies in sources of social support. However, there were subtle differences between support received from the family and significant other; which may be attributed to the Zimbabwean culture whereby it may be difficult for participants to succinctly distinguish between significant others and family as the two terms are often used interchangeably [ 29 ]. Further, patients who had more substantial financial resources reported of greater social support as having a stable source of income has been shown to be associated with the more considerable social network size [ 30 ].…”

“…Participants also rate their health on a visual analogue scale which ranges from zero (worst imaginable health state) to 100 (the best possible health state) [ 26 , 27 ]. All study instruments have been previously validated in in the Zimbabwean context [ 24 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Correlates of social support on report of probable common mental disorders in Zimbabwean informal caregivers of patients with stroke: a cross-sectional survey

“…Responses on the MSPSS-Shona version are rated on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (‘strongly disagree’) to 5 (‘strongly agree’). The scores are interpreted as, the higher scores indicate higher levels of social support [22, 24].…”