Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire in Parents of Children and Adolescents with Chronic Condition

Abstract

The support from nurses perceived by family members of children with chronic conditions has been shown to be a protective factor at different levels in a family’s health. As such, nurses need to have instruments that assess this perception to increase the quality of the care provided to those families. This methodological study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese translation of the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ) in parents of children/adolescents with chronic conditions. The ICE-FPSQ was administered to 237 parents recruited from the day hospital and outpatient services of four hospitals in Northern Portugal. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients for the Total Scale, Cognitive Support, and Emotional Support subscales were excellent (α = 0.96, α = 0.93, α = 0.96, respectively). Reasonable fit indexes were found by confirmatory factor analysis (χ2/df = 2.799; CFI = 0.960; PCFI = 0.791, and RMSEA = 0.087), indicating a good model fit to the original structure. The ICE-FPSQ is a valid and reliable instrument to measure perceived support.