Psychometric evaluation of the Epilepsy-related Fears in Parents Questionnaire

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the article was to examine the psychometric properties of the Epilepsy-related Fears in Parents Questionnaire (EFPQ).

Method: Internal consistency, factor structure, and construct validity were analyzed based on data from 291 parents participating in the baseline assessment of a quasi-experimental study on the efficacy of the FAMOSES (modulares Schulungsprogramm Epilepsie für Familien) parents' program. The control group of this study was used to calculate the test-retest reliability, while the responsiveness of the questionnaire was evaluated by comparing matched groups of FAMOSES participants and control parents.

Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors of epilepsy-related fears, "Fears about short-term consequences of the child's epilepsy" (8 items) and "Fears about the future development of the child and the child's epilepsy" (9 items). Both showed good reliability (Cronbach's α=.89 and .91, resp.; test-retest reliability: ICC=.77 and .80, resp.), and construct validity was confirmed by correlations with epilepsy-related variables and psychosocial outcomes, e.g., with the Impact on Family Scale (r=.48 and .61, resp.). The FAMOSES parents' program significantly reduced epilepsy-related fears (p<.05 for both subscales).

Conclusion: The EFPQ proved to be a reliable, valid, and responsive instrument for the assessment of parental fears about their child's epilepsy and can be recommended for use in future studies.

Keywords: Epilepsy; Epilepsy-related fears; Parents; Validation.