Validity and reliability study of Diabetes Fatalism Scale inTurkish patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Background. Turkey is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes in Europe, with about one in every seven adults diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. By 2035, Turkey will have the highest number of people with type 2 diabetes in Europe, at almost 12 million. Mortality rates have increased with the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, especially in the younger population, such that half of the deaths come from those under sixty. The beliefs and mental state of patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes can affect disease outcomes and the patients’ self-management. Self-care and diabetes medications are important components in improving the disease outcome, though many studies have shown that these activities can be negatively related to fatalism about the disease state. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Fatalism Scale (DFS), which was developed by Dr. Leonard Egede. Materials and methods. This was a methodological study. The scales were administered to a total of 139 patients with type 2 diabetes. The content and construct validity of the scale were assessed. The construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, and the reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency. Results. In terms of the population tested, 54.7% of the participants were men, 73.4% were married, 54% had one additional disease other than diabetes, 18% were high school graduates, the mean age was 50.20±16.82 years, the average duration of diabetes was 19.31±14.25 years, and mean glycated hemoglobin level was 7.06±0.65%. It was found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling-size adequacy was 0.770, indicating an adequate size, and the chi-square value was 1078.402. When the fifth item was excluded from the study and the analysis was repeated, the KMO coefficient was 0.802 and the chi-square value was 1020.244, p=0.000. The Cronbach’s alpha value reached 0.806, indicating a good internal consistency. The Cronbach’s alpha values of the other subscales also seemed to be at a very good level. Conclusions. Our study showed that the DFS is a valid and reliable scale for the Turkish society. DFS-T is a suitable scale for health professionals to use to assess diabetes fatalism in adults with diabetes in Turkey.