Further testing of a family nursing instrument (FAFHES)

BackgroundCardiac illness in one family member affects the well-being and health of the whole family. When a family member falls ill, life may change for the whole family in many ways. Family members expect nursing staff to provide more support when their family situation changes.ObjectivesTo describe further development and testing of a family nursing instrument for assessing the association between social support for the family of an adult cardiac patient and family functioning and perceived family health.SettingsThe study was conducted in two university hospitals and in two central hospitals in Finland.Methods and participantsQuestionnaires were given to family members of heart patients. Patients themselves defined who their closest adult relative was. Data were collected from family members of 509 heart patients.ResultsGood internal reliability in this further testing of a new instrument was demonstrated. Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was performed in each of the three total scales: family functioning, family health and social support. PCA supported the previously proposed theoretical framework. A final scale consisted of 62 items. All the total scales and subscales had acceptable validity and reliability, alpha coefficients ranged from .76 to .98.ConclusionsThe Family Functioning, Health and Social Support (FAFHES) provides a reliable and valid instrument when the investigator wishes to measure social support associated with family functioning and the health of families of heart patients.