Initial evaluation of the validity and reliability of the culturally adapted Spanish CaSUN (S-CaSUN)

• Published in: Journal of cancer survivorship Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 509 - 518
• Main Authors: Martinez Tyson, Dinorah, Medina-Ramirez, Patricia, Vázquez-Otero, Coralia, Gwede, Clement K., Babilonia, Margarita Bobonis, McMillan, Susan C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anxiety; Cancer; Correlation analysis; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Evaluation; Field study; Health Informatics; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Hispanic people; Measurement methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Oncology; Primary Care Medicine; Public Health; Quality of Life Research; Quantitative psychology; Reliability analysis; Reproducibility; Survival; Validity; Psychosocial oncology; Supportive care; Unmet needs; CaSUN; Hispanic/Latino; Men
• ISSN: 1932-2259; 1932-2267
• DOI: 10.1007/s11764-018-0689-5

Purpose
There is a dearth of knowledge and limited research on the needs of Hispanic male cancer survivors (HMCSs). There is a clear need for the development of culturally and linguistically adapted needs assessment tools that are valid and reliable for use among the growing HMCS population. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe the field testing and psychometric evaluation of the translated and culturally adapted Spanish Cancer Survivor Unmet Needs Measure (S-CaSUN).
Methods
Hispanic male cancer survivors (
n
 = 84) completed the Spanish CaSUN (S-CaSUN), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Population (FACT-GP). Construct validity of the S-CaSUN was assessed by correlation analysis among aforesaid measures. A test-retest procedure with 2-week delay was used to examine reproducibility with a participant subsample (
n
 = 50). Cronbach’s alpha was computed to assess internal consistency of the S-CaSUN.
Results
Construct validity of the S-CaSUN was estimated by moderate correlation with the HADS anxiety (
r
 = 0.55,
P
 < 0.001) and depression scales (
r
 = 0.60,
P
 < 0.001) and the FACT-GP (
r
 = − 0.62,
P
 < 0.001). The test-retest correlation coefficient for the S-CaSUN was 0.78. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.96. Field testing yielded a mean S-CaSUN score of 38.3 (SD = 26.2); all needs and positive change items were endorsed.
Conclusion
Findings from field testing and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the S-CaSUN provide initial evidence of validity and reliability of the measure and highlight the importance of going beyond translation when adapting measures to take culture, literacy, and language into consideration.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
Reliable, culturally, and linguistically valid instruments facilitate identification of unique unmet needs of Hispanic cancer survivors that, in turn, can be addressed with evidence-based interventions. As cancer centers continue to develop survivorship programs, the S-CaSUN may be useful for a growing group of cancer survivors.