The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Short‐form Chronic Disease Self‐Efficacy Scales for older adults

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Short-form Chronic Disease Self Efficacy Scales. BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic disease is accelerating globally, advancing across every region and pervading all socioeconomic classes. Among the interventions, self-management programmes focusing on increasing self-efficacy have demonstrated significant patient outcomes, including the improvement of quality of life and functional status. The Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scales (CDSES) system developed by Lorig in 1996 has been widely used by healthcare professionals from different disciplines to measure self-efficacy for chronic disease patients due to their tested psychometric properties. The Short-form of the scales system is used today, as it takes substantially less time to administer. DESIGN: This study used psychometric testing to establish the validity and reliability of the Short-form Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scales (CDSES). METHODS: A convenience sample of 163 older patients with chronic diseases were recruited. The Chinese version of the CDSES, short-form CDSES, SF-36 and self-rated health were used to test for construct validity, concurrent validity, convergent validity and internal consistency. RESULTS: Short-form CDSES had a single-factor structure with high internal consistency (0·96) and demonstrated no floor or ceiling effects. High intraclass correlation, 0·98, was demonstrated in test-retest. Correlations with the domain scores of the CDSES were found to be r = 0·97 and 0·98. The scale also demonstrated significant moderate correlations with SF-36 and self-rated health. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the Short-form CDSES has shown statistically acceptable levels of reliability and validity for assessing self-efficacy in older patients with chronic diseases. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The scale is particularly valuable for use among older patients with chronic illness. The questionnaire can be used to assess nursing interventions focusing on increasing patients' self-efficacy or routine patient screening in carrying out daily activities.