Korean J Adult Nurs.  2022 Dec;34(6):523-536. 10.7475/kjan.2022.34.6.523.

The Development of a Specific Quality of Life Scale for Hypertensive Patients: Methodological Study

• Kim HJ
• Song GS

• KMID: 2537641
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2022.34.6.523

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop and verify a Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) specifically for hypertensive patients.
Methods
In the development phase of the QOLS, initial items were derived based on literature review and content analysis through in-depth interviews. After verifying the content validity of the expert group, preliminary questions composed of 94 items were created and confirmed by conducting preliminary research on hypertensive patients. During the verification phase, the preliminary QOLS was administered to 392 hypertensive patients from general hospitals, medical clinics, and public health centers in Busan. Data were analyzed using item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion validity, and Cronbach’s ⍺.
Results
The final scale consisted of 30 items derived from 5 factors. Five factors (negative emotion, acceptance of disease, self-reinforcement, social support, self-regulation) were extracted from the factor analysis, which explained 68.0% of the total variance. The convergent validity showed a positive correlation (r=.51, p<.001), discriminant validity showed an inverse correlation (r=-.60, p<.001), and criterion validity showed a positive correlation (r=.35~.64, p<.001). The Cronbach’s ⍺ was .94 and reliability of the subscales was .78~.92.
Conclusion
The specific Quality of Life Scale for hypertensive patients (QOLS_HP) was composed of 30 items using a 5-point Likert scale. The scale demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability.

Keyword

Hypertension; Quality of life; Instrumentation; Validation study