Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Heart Failure Somatic Perception Scale (HFSPS) in an Omani Sample

Background The Heart Failure Somatic Perception Scale (HFSPS) is a brief instrument designed to assess the perceived burden of common symptoms of heart failure (HF). Aim To investigate the psychometrics of the Arabic HFSPS. Methods This methodological study investigated the construct validity of the HFSPS among 180 Omani patients with HF through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated through correlations with the symptom frequency dimension of Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 12-item (KCCQ-12), Control Attitudes Scale-Revised Five-Items (CAS-R 5), and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). Results EFA revealed three factors with eigenvalues >1, which explained 56.1% of the variance. Out of seven competing models, a five-factor structure comprising a new factor “weight gain,” which comprised correlated items “11 and 14” in other models, expressed the best fit. It was invariant across gender and marital status with adequate convergent and discriminant validity as indicated by average variance extracted >0.50, strong subscale–total correlations, and acceptable heterotrait–monotrait ratios. Criterion validity was evidenced by significant associations with KCCQ-12 symptom frequency, PHQ-2, and CAS-R 5, and HFSPS reliability was excellent (ω = .93). Conclusion Weight gain seems a distinct dimension that deciphers error correlations previously found in the HFSPS. It may relate to patients’ physical activity, nutritional habits, and metabolic dysregulations, necessitating integrating weight control measures in the routine care of patients with HF.