Resilience measurement scale in family caregivers of children with cancer: Multidimensional item response theory modeling

Said Jiménez; José Moral de la Rubia; Rosa María Varela-Garay; Cesar Merino-Soto; Filiberto Toledano-Toledano

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.985456

Resilience measurement scale in family caregivers of children with cancer: Multidimensional item response theory modeling

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 16:13:985456. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.985456. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Said Jiménez¹, José Moral de la Rubia², Rosa María Varela-Garay³, Cesar Merino-Soto⁴, Filiberto Toledano-Toledano^{1

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Affiliations

¹ Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Basada en Evidencias, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, National Institute of Health, Mexico City, Mexico.
² Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico.
³ Departamento de Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain.
⁴ Instituto de Investigación en Psicología, Universidad de San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru.
⁵ Unidad de Investigación Sociomédica, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Mexico City, Mexico.
⁶ Dirección de Investigación y Diseminación del Conocimiento, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias e Innovación para la Formación de Comunidad Científica, INDEHUS, Mexico City, Mexico.

Abstract

Background: Currently, information about the psychometric properties of the Resilience Measurement Scale (RESI-M) in family caregivers of children with cancer according to item response theory (IRT) is not available; this information could complement and confirm the findings available from classical test theory (CTT). The objective of this study was to test the five-factor structure of the RESI-M using a full information confirmatory multidimensional IRT graded response model and to estimate the multidimensional item-level parameters of discrimination (MDISC) and difficulty (MDIFF) from the RESI-M scale to investigate its construct validity and level of measurement error.

Methods: An observational study was carried out, which included a sample of 633 primary caregivers of children with cancer, who were recruited through nonprobabilistic sampling. The caregivers responded to a battery of tests that included a sociodemographic variables questionnaire, the RESI-M, and measures of depression, quality of life, anxiety, and caregiver burden to explore convergent and divergent validity.

Results: The main findings confirmed a five-factor structure of the RESI-M scale, with RMSEA = 0.078 (95% CI: 0.075, 0.080), TLI = 0.90, and CFI = 0.91. The estimation of the MDISC and MDIFF parameters indicated different values for each item, showing that all the items contribute differentially to the measurement of the dimensions of resilience.

Conclusion: That regardless of the measurement approach (IRT or CTT), the five-factor model of the RESI-M is valid at the theoretical, empirical, and methodological levels.

Keywords: cancer; family caregivers; item response theory; psychometric properties; resilience.

Grants and funding

This work presents some results of the research project HIM/2015/017/SSA.1207 “Effects of mindfulness training on psychological distress and quality of life of the family caregiver”, Main researcher: FT-T. The present research was funded with federal funds for health research and was approved by the Commissions of Research, Ethics and Biosafety (Comisiones de Investigación, Ética y Bioseguridad), Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, National Institute of Health. The funding agency had no control over the design of the study; the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data; or the writing of the manuscript.