Development and Psychometric Assessment of the Benefit Finding Scale for Chinese Older Adults With Chronic Diseases

Abstract

The current study sought to develop an instrument for measuring benefit finding in Chinese older adults with chronic diseases and establish its psychometric characteristics. Scale items were drafted based on a literature review, theoretical learning, the Benefit Finding Scale (BFS), the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, and results of interviews with 24 older adults with chronic diseases. The preliminary scale draft was constructed by performing a Delphi expert consultation and pretest with a small sample. Using the first draft of the scale, we surveyed 380 older adults with chronic diseases. The BFS for older adults with chronic diseases comprised 26 items. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified six common factors that explained 66.86% of the variance. Item content validity index ranged from 0.818 to 1.000 and scale content validity index was 0.91. Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.924 and test–retest reliability was 0.902. The BFS for older adults with chronic diseases showed good validity and reliability and can be used as a measurement tool for benefit finding in the aforementioned population. [ Research in Gerontological Nursing, 16 (1), 44–52.]