Development of the self-efficacy scale in caregivers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

BACKGROUND: It is important to measure the self-efficacy knowledge of the caregiver of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients in order to overcome the problems that arise and carry out the care process in a healthy manner. OBJECTIVE: This research was carried out to develop a self-efficacy scale in caregivers of individuals with DMD. METHODS: The study was conducted with 99 volunteer DMD caregivers to evaluate the psychometric properties of the developed scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed with the SPSS 25 Package Program to determine the factors of the scale. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) analysis was performed with AMOS 23 to confirm the factors obtained by EFA. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used for the internal consistency of the DMD-CSES. RESULTS: A valid and reliable scale was obtained to measure the self-efficacy of caregivers of DMD patients. CONCLUSION: Although some scales have been developed to evaluate the care burden of family members who care for patient-centered symptoms and functional changes in patients with DMD, there is no single scale that adequately describes the conditions and resources of caregivers on a global scale. The search for a definitive scale is expected to continue until a definitive treatment for the disease is found. Developing a valid and reliable scale to identify the self-efficacy, knowledge, skills and resources of caregivers with a common perspective of physicians and health management team centred on patients with DMD will be effective in practice.