Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the supportive care needs survey for caregivers of children with Paediatric cancer (SCNS-C-Ped-C)

Abstract

Aim: To revise the Supportive Care Needs Survey for Partners and Caregivers of Cancer Patients (SCNS-P&C) and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese Version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey for Caregivers of Children with Paediatric Cancer (SCNS-C-Ped-C) in caregivers of children with paediatric cancer. Design: A cross sectional design was used. Methods: In this methodological research, the reliability and validity of the SCNS-C-Ped-C were measured by a questionnaire survey among 336 caregivers of children with paediatric cancer in China. The construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency was examined by Cronbach's alpha, split-half reliability, and corrected item-to-total correlation coefficients. Results: The exploratory factor analysis revealed six factors consist of: Healthcare and Informational Needs, Daily Care and Communication Needs, Psychological and Spiritual Needs, Medical Service Needs, Economic Needs, and Emotional Needs, explaining 65.615% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.968 at full scale and 0.603–0.952 on the six domains. The split-half reliability coefficient was 0.883 at full scale and 0.659–0.931 on the six domains. Conclusions: The SCNS-C-Ped-C demonstrated both reliability and validity. It can be used to evaluate multi-dimensional supportive care needs for caregivers of children with paediatric cancer in China.