THE DIABETES HEALTH PROFILE (DHP) - A NEW INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL PROFILE OF INSULIN-REQUIRING PATIENTS - DEVELOPMENT ANDPSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION
K. Meadows et al., THE DIABETES HEALTH PROFILE (DHP) - A NEW INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL PROFILE OF INSULIN-REQUIRING PATIENTS - DEVELOPMENT ANDPSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION, Quality of life research, 5(2), 1996, pp. 242-254
The aim of the studies was to evaluate the psychometric properties and
construct validity of the Diabetes Health Profile (DHP-1). Content fo
r the DHP-1 was derived following in-depth interviews with 25 insulin
dependent and insulin requiring patients, a review of the literature a
nd discussions with health care professionals. Initial analysis of the
factor structure of the DHP-1 was carried out on the responses of 239
insulin dependent and insulin requiring patients, with a mean age of
40.85 years (SD=13.0), resulting in a 43 item three factor solution. T
he 43 item version of the DHP-1 was completed by 2,239 insulin depende
nt/requiring patients (mean age=39.8, SD=10) years. Fifty-one per cent
were men. A forced three factor Principal Factoring Analysis with var
imax rotation was carried out. Eleven items were excluded with item fa
ctor cross loadings >0.30 or item factor loadings <0.30. PAF analysis
of the 32 items resulted in a three factor solution accounting for 33%
of the total explained variance. The three factors were interpreted a
s Psychological Distress, Barriers to Activity and Disinhibited Eating
. Factor congruence between subsamples were: Psychological distress (0
.93), Barriers to Activity (0.93) and Disinhibited Eating (0.99). Coef
ficients of congruence between men and women were 0.94, 0.92 and 0.99
for Psychological Distress, Barriers to Activity and Disinhibited Eati
ng respectively. Internal consistency of the three factors (Cronbach's
alpha) were: Psychological Distress (0.86), Barriers to Activity (0.8
2), and Disinhibited Eating (0.77). Construct-convergent validity was
investigated on a sample of 233 insulin dependent and insulin requirin
g patients (mean age=51.46 years). Psychological Distress and Barriers
to Activity subscales correlated with the Hospital Depression and Anx
iety Scale=0.50 to 0.62, p<0.01) and subscales of the SF-36 (range: r=
-0.17 to -0.62, p<0.01). These findings lend support to the construct
validity and reliability of the DHP-1 and that it is suitable for furt
her development.