Validation of the German Benefit Finding Scale for Youth with chronic conditions

Abstract

Background Benefit finding, defined as perceiving positive life changes resulting from adversity and negative life stressors, gains growing attention in the context of chronic illness. The study aimed at examining the psychometric properties of the Benefit Finding Scale for Children (BFSC) in a sample of German youth facing chronic conditions. Methods A sample of adolescents with various chronic conditions (N = 304; 12 – 21years) completed the 10-item BFSC along with measures of intra- and interpersonal resources, coping strategies, and health-related quality of life (hrQoL). The total sample was randomly divided into two subsamples for conducting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA). Results EFA revealed that the BFSC scores had a one-dimensional factor structure. CFA verified the one-dimensional factor structure with an acceptable fit. The BFSC exhibited acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.87 – 0.88) and construct validity. In line with our hypotheses, benefit finding was positively correlated with optimism, self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence, and support seeking. There were no correlations with avoidance, wishful thinking, emotional reaction, and hrQoL. Sex differences in benefit finding were not consistent across subsamples. Benefit finding was also positively associated with age, disease severity, and social status. Conclusions The BFSC is a psychometrically sound instrument to assess benefit finding in adolescents with chronic illness and may facilitate further research on positive adaptation processes in adolescents, irrespective of their specific diagnosis.

Predicting users’ behavior: Gender and age as interactive antecedents of students’ Facebook use for research data collection

“…The third draft of the instrument was converted into an electronic form using Google Forms and sent via email to 360 bachelor's degree holders who graduated between 2020 and 2021. The sample size of 360 respondents was chosen to ensure a ratio of 10:1 between respondents and items in the survey, following recommended practices (Boateng et al, 2018;Mundfrom et al, 2005;von Rezori et al, 2022). The pilot sample had similar demographic characteristics regarding gender, age, and institution type.…”

Students awareness, willingness and utilisation of facebook for research data collection: Multigroup analysis with age and gender as control variables

“…The third draft of the instrument was compiled into an electronic form using Google Forms and mailed to a cross-section of 360 Bachelor's degree holders who graduated between 2020 and 2021. The pilot sample of 360 respondents was decided because it is recommended to obtain a selection large enough to get a ratio of 10:1 respondents to an item in the survey (Boateng et al, 2018;von Rezori et al, 2022). Therefore, for the 33-item questionnaire of this study, a sample of 330 participants or larger is considered sufficient by the ratio rule of thumb.…”