Development of the Chinese, Malay and Tamil translations of the Positive Mental Health Instrument: Cross-cultural adaptation, validity and internal consistency

The Malay version of the caregiver assessment of function and upset instrument (Malay-CAFU): a translation and validation study among informal stroke caregivers

BACKGROUND

Post-stroke complications affect the informal caregivers equally as the stroke survivors, especially those who have a moderate to worst prognosis in functional capacity recovery. Caregiver Assessment of Function and Upset (CAFU) is one of the common tools used in both research and clinical practice to measure the patient's dependency level and the stroke caregivers' upset level.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to translate and validate the CAFU instrument into the Malay language and test the validity and reliability of the CAFU among informal stroke caregivers in Malaysia.

METHODS

A standard forward-backward translation method was employed to translate CAFU. Subsequently, 10 expert panels were included in the validation process, and thereafter reliability testing was conducted among 51 stroke caregivers. The validation of the instrument was determined by computing the content validity indices (CVIs), and we used the Cronbach's alpha method to explore the internal consistency of the overall score and subscales scores of the Malay-CAFU. Finally, the explanatory factor analysis used principal component extraction and a varimax rotation to examine construct validity.

RESULTS

All items of the Malay-CAFU had satisfactory item-level CVI (I-CVI), with values greater than 0.80, and the scale-level CVI (S-CVI) was 0.95. These results indicate that the Malay-CAFU had good relevancy. The internal consistency for the reliability test showed a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.95 for the overall score. The eigenvalues and scree plot supported a two-factor structural model of the instrument. From the explanatory factor analysis, the factor loadings ranged from 0.82 to 0.90 and 0.56 to 0.83, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The Malay-CAFU questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the dependence level of stroke survivors and the upset level of informal stroke caregivers in Malaysia.

Predictors of positive mental health in higher education students. A cross-sectional predictive study

PURPOSE

To describe positive mental health (PMH) psychological vulnerability (PV) and identify predictors of PMH in higher education students (HES).

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional, predictive study was performed with a convenience sample of 3322 students, using an online questionnaire with sociodemographic information, the PMH Questionnaire, and the PV Scale.

FINDINGS

The majority scored a flourishing level, and 67.7% of the participants scored high levels of PV. The Regression Model found a significant predictive variable for PMH.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Gender, age, regular exercise, healthy diet, number of meals per day, and leisure activities are significant positive predictors of PMH. PV is the sole significant negative predictor. Therefore, improving mental health literacy can be a strategy to support HES.

Development and Validation of the Thai Mental Well-being Scale

Mental well-being is a state of positive mental health, but there is currently no valid tool for assessing mental well-being in the Thai population. The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a mental well-being scale for Thai people. Data from 2000 Thai citizens were analyzed to explore the structural components of mental well-being. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 1000) was conducted and determined a mental well-being factor structure consisting of three factors: 1) positive emotion and thinking, 2) positive relationship and 3) positive functioning. Confirmatory factor analysis of a validation group (n = 1000) identified 10 items within these three factors of mental well-being. Psychometric analyses supported internal consistency reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the scale. The findings suggest that the construction of this new mental well-being scale for Thai people is reliable and valid. This scale will be a useful tool for addressing and identifying mental health problems among the Thai population.