Development and psychometric properties of the Joy-of-Life Scale in cognitively intact nursing home patients.

Abstract

AIM\nTo develop and psychometrically test the Joy-of-Life Scale. The research question addressed evidence related to the dimensionality, reliability and construct validity, all of which considered inter-related measurement properties.\n\n\nMETHODS\nCross-sectional data were collected during 2017-2018, in 27 nursing homes representing four different Norwegian municipalities, located in Western and Mid-Norway. The total sample comprised 188 of 204 (92% response rate) long-term nursing home patients who met the inclusion criteria: (i) local authority s decision of long-term nursing home care; (ii) residential time 3\xa0months or longer; (iii) informed consent competency recognised by responsible doctor and nurse; and (iv) capable of being interviewed.\n\n\nRESULTS\nExploratory and confirmative factor analyses clearly suggested a unidimensional solution. Five of the original 18 items showed low reliability and validity; excluding these items revealed an acceptable model fit for the one-dimensional 13-item measurement model. Reliability and construct validity were acceptable, indicating good internal consistency.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nSignificant factor loadings, several goodness-of-fit indices and significant correlations in the expected directions with the selected constructs (anxiety, depression, self-transcendence, meaning-in-life, sense of coherence, nurse-patient interaction and quality of life) supported the psychometric properties of the Joy-of-Life Scale.\n\n\nIMPACT\nThe Joy-of-Life-Nursing-Home is a national strategy for promoting quality of life, meaning and quality of life among nursing home patients in Norway. Therefore, exploring the essence of the Joy-of-Life phenomenon and developing a measurement scale assessing joy-of-life in this population is important for the further development of care quality in nursing homes.