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. 2022 May 18;9(9):100083.
doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2022.100083. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Translation and psychometric testing of the Thai version of cancer survivors' unmet needs measure among cancer survivors

Pichitra Lekdamrongkul  1 , Kanaungnit Pongthavornkamol  1 , Alex Molassiotis  2 , Porntip Dechpichai  3 , Pimchan Pinsuntorn  4
Affiliations

Translation and psychometric testing of the Thai version of cancer survivors' unmet needs measure among cancer survivors

Pichitra Lekdamrongkul et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Cancer Survivors' Unmet needs (CaSUN-TH) scale among Thai cancer survivors after completion of primary treatment.

Methods: Standardized translation procedures developed the Cancer Survivors' Unmet Needs into a Thai version (CaSUN-TH). Face validity was evaluated by a group of experts, and a pilot test on 10 cancer patients was conducted to evaluate its readability. A total of 236 cancer survivors who were attending follow-up visits at a cancer hospital in Thailand completed the CaSUN-TH. The internal consistency of the instrument was examined using Cronbach's α. The association of the CaSUN-TH and its subscales with physical symptoms, QoL, age, gender, and type of cancer were examined for criterion validity and known-group validity. Construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis.

Results: The CaSUN-TH showed good readability and high content validity for use as an instrument to assess unmet needs among Thai cancer survivors. Cronbach's α for the entire scale was 0.95. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the five-factor structure of the CaSUN-TH was good fit to the data (CFI ​= ​0.901, SRMR ​= ​0.074, RMSEA ​= ​0.076 [90% confidence interval, 0.066-0.085]). In terms of construct validity, CaSUN-TH scores significantly correlated to other variables hypothesized to influence the level of need, including higher physical symptoms prevalence was related to poor quality of life, and poorer QOL and younger age were associated with a higher level of unmet needs. In addition, the scale was able to differentiate scores between groups, including gender, age, and type of primary cancer, with theoretically hypothesized differences.

Conclusions: The CaSUN-TH demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties for assessing unmet needs in different cancer survivor groups in Thailand. Using the CaSUN-TH can help health professionals in targeting individual survivor needs, bridging the gap between patients' experiences and their expectations, and improving the quality of cancer survivorship care.

Keywords: Cancer survivors; Psychometric testing; Supportive care; Thai; Unmet needs.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Confirmatory factor analysis of CaSUN-TH.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlations between scores on the CaSUN-TH and its subscale with physical symptoms, QoL, and age. ∗, ∗∗, ∗∗∗ Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed), the 0.01 level (2-tailed), the 0.001 level (2-tailed), respectively. ES, Existential Survivorship; CCC, Comprehensive Cancer Care; Inf, Information; QL, Quality of Life; Rel, Relationship; CaSUN-TH, Thai version of cancer survivors’ unmet need scale; Symp, Physical symptoms; QoL, Quality of Life..
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Post hoc test between (a) unmet needs and age group, (b) unmet needs and type of primary cancer. Signif. Codes: ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01, ∗∗∗ P < 0.001, ns: nonsignificant.
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