Reliability and Validity of the Quality of Life –Family Version (QOL-FV) in Turkish Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer

Objectives: Family caregivers (FCs) are often the primary source of social and emotional support for cancerpatients and play a major role in how well they manage their illness. The aim of this study was to create an Turkishversion of the Quality of Life - Family Version (QOL-FV) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in a sampleof FCs of cancer patients. Materials and
Methods: This study was carried out with the FCs of 218 patients withcancer. Data were collected with a Demographic Questionnaire and the QOL-FV and The Multidimentional Scaleof Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The QOL-FV was developed by Ferrell and Grant and is composed of 4subdimensions. Linguistic validity, translation, back translation, and content validity were tested with expertopinions. Test-retest reliability, and internal consistency reliability were assessed. Construct validity was testedby factor analysis and with the scale of the MSPSS.
Results: The family caregivers were between the ages of46-56 (32.6%), a great number of them being male (52.8%). The scale is made up of four subdimensions. Theresult of the test-retest analysis of this scale was calculated as r:0.86. As a result of the reliability analysis, sixitems were eliminated from the scale, factor analyses were fulfilled according to varimax transformation throughthe method of principal components. Four new subdimensions were restrustured at the end of the analysis. Thescale of Cronbach α coefficient was calculated as 0.90. Concurrent validity showed low correlations with theMSPSS (r=0.29).
Conclusions: The QOL-FV, adapted into Turkish, was found to have sufficient reliability andvalidity.