Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 11;10(7):100241.
doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2023.100241. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Development and psychometric properties of the social adjustment scale for youth cancer survivors in South Korea

Sumi Oh  1 , Hyejung Lee  2 , Sue Kim  2 , Sanghee Kim  2 , Chuhl Joo Lyu  3 , Chang Gi Park  4 , Hyoung Jin Kang  5
Affiliations

Development and psychometric properties of the social adjustment scale for youth cancer survivors in South Korea

Sumi Oh et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. .

Abstract

Objective: We developed a new scale-the Social Adjustment Scale for Youth Cancer Survivors-and examined its psychometric properties.

Methods: In the scale's development stage, preliminary items were constructed based on the results of a concept analysis of the hybrid model, literature review, and interviews. These items were then reviewed through content validity and cognitive interviews. In the validation stage, 136 survivors were recruited from two children's cancer centers in Seoul, South Korea. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify a set of constructs, and validity and reliability were tested.

Results: Starting with 70 items constructed through literature review and interviews with youth survivors, the final scale comprised 32 items. The exploratory factor analysis identified four domains-namely, role achievement in one's present position, harmony in relationships, disclosure and acceptance of cancer history, and preparation and expectation for future roles. Correlations with quality of life indicated good convergent validity (r ​= ​0.82, P ​< ​0.001). The Cronbach's α of the overall scale was 0.95, indicating excellent internal consistency; and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.94 (P ​< ​0.001), suggesting high test-retest reliability.

Conclusions: The Social Adjustment Scale for Youth Cancer Survivors exhibited acceptable psychometric properties in measuring the social adjustment of youth cancer survivors. It can be used to identify youths facing difficulty in adjusting to society after treatment and to investigate the effect of interventions implemented to promote social adjustment among youth cancer survivors. Future research is needed to examine the applicability of the scale in patients across diverse cultural backgrounds and healthcare systems.

Keywords: Adolescent; Cancer survivor; Oncology nursing; Scale development; Social adjustment; Young adult.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Summary of the two phases. YCS, youth cancer survivors; CVI, content validity index; EFA, exploratory factor analysis; ICC, intraclass correlation coefficient.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Parallel analysis results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Cancer Society Key statistics for childhood cancers. 2022. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-in-children/key-statistics.html
    1. National Cancer Institute Care for childhood cancer survivors. 2021. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/survivorship/child-care
    1. Howard A.F., Tan de Bibiana J., Smillie K., et al. Trajectories of social isolation in adult survivors of childhood cancer. J Cancer Surviv. 2014;8:80–93. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0321-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sedmak M., Bogdanić A., Grubić M. Correlates of quality of life in pediatric Cancer survivors. Psychiatr Danub. 2020;32:533–539. - PubMed
    1. Cavell T.A. Social adjustment, social performance, and social skills: a tri-component model of social competence. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 1990;19:111–122. doi: 10.1207/s15374424jccp1902_2. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources