Adaptation, reliability, and validity study of the hwalek–sengstock elder abuse screening test (H-S/EAST): A Turkish version

Abstract

Background/aim: The most important issues in elder abuse and neglect are lack of awareness and difficulties in determining the situation. Our aim is to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Hwalek–Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST). Materials and methods: The H-S/EAST (15-itemed, three-dimensional: direct abuse, characteristics of vulnerability, and potentially abusive situation) was translated according to the guidelines and experts evaluated it for content validity and cultural adaptation. Participants’ (n = 252) mean age was 73.4 ± 6.4 years and 58.3% were female. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD) and the Barthel Index were used for validity. Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency, exploratory factor analysis for content validity, t-test for construct validity, and discriminant ability were used. SPSS 15.0 was used for analysis and statistical significance was P < 0.05. Results: In test–retest reliability, internal consistency coefficient values for direct abuse, characteristics of vulnerability, and potentially abusive situation were 0.88, 0.73, and 0.80, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency of the H-S/EAST was 0.741. Exploratory factor analysis obtained 5 factors, and explained variance was 61.8%. Cut-off value was 6, and sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve were 76.9%, 96.2%, and 0.938, respectively. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the H-S/EAST can be used as a reliable, valid clinical tool for the assessment of elder abuse.