Development and validation of Adaptability to Return-to-Work Scale (ARTWS) for cancer patients

Abstract

Objective: To develop the Adaptability to Return-to-Work Scale (ARTWS) for cancer patients and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: In stage 1, the items of the initial scale were compiled based on the theoretical model, interview coding topics, and literature review results. Afterward, through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation and a pilot survey, the initial scale was further checked and revised. In stage 2, the psychometric properties of the ARTWS were assessed. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability evaluation. Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the construct validity. Moreover, the content validity was evaluated by the scale level content validity index (S-CVI). Results: The final ARTWS for cancer Patients consisted of 24 items. EFA extracted "Focusing on rehabilitation", "Rebuilding Self- efficiency", and "Adjusting plans" as common factors in determing adaptability of cancer patients to return-to-work, and the cumulative variance contribution rate for these three factors was 66.6%. The S-CVI of the total scale was 0.979. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.937. The 2-week test-retest reliability was 0.814. CFA showed that after model modification, the fitting of the model was within the acceptable range. Conclusion: The developed ARTWS for adult cancer patients has good reliability and validity, which can be used as a tool to measure the adaptability of cancer patients' return-to-work.