title: Reliability and validity of the quality of life -family version (QOL-FV) in Turkish family caregivers of patients with cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Family caregivers (FCs) are often the primary source of social and emotional support for cancer patients and play a major role in how well they manage their illness. The aim of this study was to create an Turkish version of the Quality of Life - Family Version (QOL-FV) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample of FCs of cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out with the FCs of 218 patients with cancer. Data were collected with a Demographic Questionnaire and the QOL-FV and The Multidimentional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The QOL-FV was developed by Ferrell and Grant and is composed of 4 subdimensions. Linguistic validity, translation, back translation, and content validity were tested with expert opinions. Test-retest reliability, and internal consistency reliability were assessed. Construct validity was tested by factor analysis and with the scale of the MSPSS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The family caregivers were between the ages of 46-56 (32.6%), a great number of them being male (52.8%). The scale is made up of four subdimensions. The result of the test-retest analysis of this scale was calculated as r:0.86. As a result of the reliability analysis, six items were eliminated from the scale, factor analyses were fulfilled according to varimax transformation through the method of principal components. Four new subdimensions were restrustured at the end of the analysis. The scale of Cronbach αcoefficient was calculated as 0.90. Concurrent validity showed low correlations with the MSPSS (r=0.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The QOL-FV, adapted into Turkish, was found to have sufficient reliability and validity.
authors.affiliation: Nursing, Izmir Ataturk School of Health, 2Nursing, School of Nursing, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. figenokcin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Okcin
authors.forename: Ayfer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karadakovan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult