The chinese version of the decisional balance scale: further validation.
BACKGROUND
Although the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) has been established to have sound psychometric properties, the reliability and validity of this instrument have not been evaluated in different populations.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to conduct psychometric validations for the Chinese version of the DBS (CDBS).


METHODS
This research project was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The CDBS was administered to children in Grades 5-9 (ages 11-17 years, n = 952) recruited from elementary and junior high schools in northern Taiwan. A random cluster sampling method was used.


RESULTS
The pros and cons subscales were supported by Cronbach's alpha coefficients of .88 and .85, respectively. Item-to-subtotal correlation coefficients for the subscales were above .48. The results from confirmatory factor analysis, used to assess the construct validity of the CDBS, indicated that the two-factor structure was the best fit for the CDBS when it was used with Taiwanese adolescents (comparative fit index = .96). The contrasted group approach affirmed the construct validity of the pros and the cons of the CDBS. The validity and reliability of the CDBS were supported by the psychometric test results of this study.


CONCLUSIONS
The CDBS is congruent with the culture of Taiwanese adolescents. However, to expand the usefulness of this tool across cultures, the CDBS should continue to be tested with other Chinese-speaking populations and settings.
Chen
Huey-Shys
HS
College of Health and Public Affairs, School of Nursing, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 38216-2210, USA. chuey@mail.ucf.edu
Sheu
Jiunn-Jye
JJ
Percy
Melanie S
MS
Brown
Emma J
EJ
Yang
Rea-Jane
RJ
D000293:Adolescent; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology