Validation of the Diabetes Family Impact Scale: a new measure of diabetes‐specific family impact

Abstract

Aims To develop and validate the Diabetes Family Impact Scale, a scale to measure the impact of diabetes on families. Methods The Diabetes Family Impact Scale was developed by an iterative process, with input from multidisciplinary diabetes providers and parents of children with Type 1 diabetes. The psychometric properties of the Diabetes Family Impact Scale were assessed in parents of children with Type 1 diabetes. This assessment included internal consistency, convergent validity and exploratory factor analysis. Results Parents (n=148) of children (mean ±SD age 12.9±3.3 years) with Type 1 diabetes (mean ±SD duration 6.2±3.6 years) completed the 15-item Diabetes Family Impact Scale. After eliminating one item, the 14-item measure demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.84). Correlations between the Diabetes Family Impact Scale and measures of parent diabetes burden (r=0.48, P<0.0001), stressful life events (r=0.28, P=0.0007), and child's quality of life (r=−0.52 and −0.54, P<0.0001 for generic and diabetes-specific quality of life, respectively) supported the convergent validity of the instrument. Factor analysis identified four factors corresponding to the four survey domains (school, work, finances and family well-being). Conclusions The Diabetes Family Impact Scale measures diabetes-specific family impacts with good internal consistency and convergent validity and may be a useful tool in clinical and research settings.

Strengths-Based Behavioral Intervention for Parents of Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Using an mHealth App (Type 1 Doing Well): Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…To assess the process of intervention impact, parents complete the PedsQL Family Impact Module (36 items) [ 46 ] and the Diabetes Family Impact Scale (14 items) [ 47 ], which measure the impact of diabetes on family activities and relationships and parent QOL. Diabetes-specific burden will be assessed via the Problem Areas in Diabetes measures for adolescents (26 items) [ 48 ] and parents (18 items) [ 49 ], both of which demonstrate good psychometric properties.…”

RETRACTED: Management and Family Burdens Endorsed by Parents of Youth <7 Years Old With Type 1 Diabetes

“…The Family Impact Survey (FIS) 17 measures a different kind of burden, how often diabetes impacted family life in the past year. Parents were asked to rate how often diabetes negatively affected areas such as school, work, finances, and well-being using a 0 (almost never) to 3 (almost always) Likert scale, which was scored for each participant as the mean of all nonmissing responses multiplied by 33.3 for a total score out of 100.…”

Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Family Impact Scale

“…This form was developed based on a review of the literature (Emre et al, 2016; Gül & Bayat, 2005; Katz et al, 2015; Kobos & Imiela, 2014; Tari & Kitiş, 2016). It consists of nine questions, which assesses certain characteristics of the child (e.g., age, sex, disease duration, most recently measured HbA1c level) and his or her family (e.g., participating parent: mother or father, mother's age, father's age, family structure, economic status).…”

“…Parents should acquire new knowledge and skills to manage their children's illness (Jönsson, Lundqvist, Tiberg, & Hallström, 2014). Type 1 DM can adversely affect school attendance and academic achievement (Katz, Volkening, Dougher, & Laffel, 2015). Although some studies have investigated the effects of type 1 DM on the family (Geffken et al, 2008; Wennick et al, 2009), the number of assessments that measure the effects of type 1 DM on the family is limited (Geffken et al, 2008; Katz et al, 2015; Wennick et al, 2009).…”

“…Type 1 DM can adversely affect school attendance and academic achievement (Katz, Volkening, Dougher, & Laffel, 2015). Although some studies have investigated the effects of type 1 DM on the family (Geffken et al, 2008; Wennick et al, 2009), the number of assessments that measure the effects of type 1 DM on the family is limited (Geffken et al, 2008; Katz et al, 2015; Wennick et al, 2009). Similarly, within the Turkish context, past studies have examined the effects of type 1 DM on children with diabetes mellitus (Şahin, Öztop, Yılmaz, & Altun, 2015) and their siblings (Gül & Bayat, 2005) as well as their school life (Emre et al, 2016; Tarı & Kitiş, 2016), financial situation, and family relationships (Akbaş, Karabekiroğlu, Özgen, Böke, & Aydın, 2008).…”