Development of a social integration scale for cancer patients and its reliability and validity test

ObjectiveTo develop a social integration scale for cancer patients and test its reliability and validity,so as to provide a measurement tool for facilitating their successful return to society and implementing precise interventions.MethodsThe preliminary version of the scale was formulated through literature review,qualitative interviews,expert consultation, and cognitive interviews.A convenience sample of cancer patients from seven Grade A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai was surveyed between October 2024 and January 2025.The first round of surveying 250 cancer patients was used for exploratory factor analysis(EFA).The second round of surveying 235 cancer patients was used for confirmatory factor analysis(CFA).Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were applied for item selection,and the scale's reliability and validity were tested.ResultsThe developed social integration scale for cancer patients comprises three dimensions: identity adaptation(6 items),interpersonal interaction(7 items),and activity participation(7 items),totaling 20 items.The cumulative variance contribution rate was 62.90%.The total scale's Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.944.The split⁃half reliability was 0.959.The test⁃retest reliability was 0.983.The average content validity index(S⁃CVI/Ave) was 0.960.Results from the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the main evaluation indices were within acceptable ranges.ConclusionsThe development process of the social integration scale for cancer patients was scientific and rigorous.Evaluation and validation demonstrate good reliability and validity,indicating it could used as an effective tool for assessing the level of social integration among cancer patients.