Development and Validation of a Self-Efficacy Scale for Patients With Colorectal Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Self-efficacy in coping with cancer surgery is a key concept for planning and organizing nursing care. However, there is no validated measurement tool that can be used to assess self-efficacy in patients with colorectal cancer surgery. This cross-sectional study, with a multi-phase design, was conducted with 170 patients to describe the development and validation of the Self-Efficacy Scale for Patients with Colorectal Cancer Surgery (SES-CRCS). Phase 1 addressed the development procedures of the scale. In Phase 2, a 3-step validation process was conducted: (a) assessing the content validity, (b) evaluating construct validity with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and (c) assessing internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficient, test-retest, and item-total correlation methods. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a 16-item single-factor structure. The factor loadings of the 16 items were above .40, and various indices used to examine the consistency of the scale indicated a good model fit. The Cronbach's alpha value was .838, the item-total correlations for all items were positive, and there was a strong correlation between the test-retest measurements (r = .933; p < .05). As a result, the SES-CRCS was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool in assessing self-efficacy among patients with colorectal cancer surgery.