Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Sibling Cancer Needs Instrument (SCNI)

The sibling cancer needs instrument (SCNI) is the first developed specifically for assessing psychosocial unmet needs of adolescents having a sibling with cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of its Persian version. METHODS: For this methodological study, the SCNI was translated into Persian using back-translation and revised according to the comments of the developer of the instrument. Then face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and the stability of the Persian version of the instrument were measure, by examining a population of 180 adolescents having a sibling with cancer in six hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and EQS version 6.1. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis approved the construct validity of the instrument and its seven domains. Cronbach’s alpha was measured as 0.97 for the total instrument and 0.80- 0.92 for its seven domains. In order to evaluate ttest-retest reliability, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was also calculated (0.94). CONCLUSIONS: The Persian version of SCNI has acceptable psychometric properties. It can be used for measuring the unmet psychosocial needs in adolescents who have a sibling with cancer in the Persian-speaking population.