Psychometric evaluation of the Korean version of the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale among South Korean older adults with type 2 diabetes

Aims and objectives To evaluate the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the Korean version of the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale among South Korean older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Background Self‐efficacy has been reported to be a key component of enhancing diabetes self‐management, and many healthcare providers have paid attention to the instruments to accurately measure self‐efficacy as related to diabetes self‐management. Design A psychometric test of an instrument measuring self‐efficacy as related to diabetes self‐management. Methods A total of 278 Korean older adults with type 2 diabetes were recruited in one senior centre in Seoul, South Korea. The instrument included the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale and the summary of the Diabetes Self‐care Activities. Item analyses, reliability including internal consistency and stability, and validity including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and hypothesised relationships test were used to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale. Results The item‐total correlation coefficients of all items were >0·30 and ranged from 0·47–0·73. The coefficient alpha for the internal consistency was 0·89, and the intraclass correlation coefficient for the stability was 0·90. Two factors were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis (factor 1, self‐efficacy for diet‐related self‐management behaviours; factor 2, self‐efficacy for diabetes self‐management behaviours except diet), and the two‐factor model for the confirmatory factor analysis had good fitness indices. The diabetes self‐efficacy scores were positively correlated with the level of diabetes self‐management. Conclusions The findings supported that the Korean version of the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale was reliable and valid in measuring self‐efficacy as related to diabetes self‐management in Korean older adults with type 2 diabetes. Relevance to clinical practice The Korean version of the Diabetes Self‐efficacy Scale can allow healthcare providers to effectively measure self‐efficacy related to diabetes self‐management so that they can provide the appropriate and adequate nursing care to Korean older adults with type 2 diabetes.