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Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Social Comfort Questionnaire for Brazilian adult survivors of burns

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Abstract

Purpose

Burn patients may encounter social barriers and stigmatization. The objectives of this study were to adapt the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ) into Brazilian Portuguese and to assess the psychometric properties of the adapted version.

Methods

Cross-cultural adaptation of the 8 items of the SCQ followed international guidelines. We interviewed 240 burn patients and verified the SCQ internal consistency, test–retest reliability and construct validity, correlating the scores with depression [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)], affect/body image and interpersonal relationships [Burns Specific Health Scale-Revised (BSHS-R)] and self-esteem [Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES)]. We also performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results

The cross-cultural adaptation resulted in minor semantic modifications to the original SCQ version. After CFA, a reduced 6-item version showed satisfactory fit to the one-factor model (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99). Cronbach alpha’s was 0.80, and test–retest intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.86. The final version presented a strong negative correlation with depression (BDI), and strong positive correlations with affect/body image (BSHS-R), interpersonal relationships (BSHS-R) and self-esteem (RSES) (all p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results showed that the SCQ Brazilian Portuguese adapted version complies with the validity and reliability criteria required for an instrument assessing social comfort in Brazilian burn patients. The Brazilian version yields a single score that is easy to interpret and well understood by patients.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq-n. 140461/2012-4) for research support and doctoral scholarship in Brazil to Noélle O. Freitas; the State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP-n. 2010/10006-8) for the research support and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES-process BEX 4305/14-0) for the scholarship to Noélle O. Freitas in the sandwich program doctorate at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM). Also, this work was supported by Grants from DIUE of Generalitat de Catalunya (2014 SGR 748).

Funding

This work was funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq-n. 140461/2012-4); the State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP-n. 2010/10006-8); the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES-process BEX 4305/14-0); and the DIUE of Generalitat de Catalunya (2014 SGR 748).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inter-institutions Doctoral Program in Nursing, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, EERP (Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto), Avenida dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Campus Universitário – Bairro Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, SP, CEP 14040-902, Brazil

    N. O. Freitas

  2. Health Services Research Unit, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain

    N. O. Freitas, C. G. Forero & J. Alonso

  3. University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    N. O. Freitas, M. P. Caltran, R. A. S. Dantas & L. A. Rossi

  4. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    C. G. Forero & J. Alonso

  5. Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

    J. Alonso

  6. General and Specialized Nursing Department, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    R. A. S. Dantas & L. A. Rossi

  7. Head of the Division of Plastic Surgery and the Burn Unit at Hospital das Clínicas-HCFMRP-USP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    J. A. Farina Jr.

Authors
  1. N. O. Freitas
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  2. C. G. Forero
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  3. J. Alonso
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  4. M. P. Caltran
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  5. R. A. S. Dantas
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  6. J. A. Farina Jr.
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  7. L. A. Rossi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. O. Freitas.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study (involving human participants) were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institution.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Freitas, N.O., Forero, C.G., Alonso, J. et al. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Social Comfort Questionnaire for Brazilian adult survivors of burns. Qual Life Res 26, 205–211 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1327-1

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