VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE INDEPENDENCE LEVEL SCALE FOR PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Abstract

Objectives: It is essential for their recovery processes that people with mental disorders should be able to satisfy their own requirements and become independent. In this study, it was aimed to realize the validity and reliability of the ındependence level scale for psychiatric patients. Methods: The study was designed methodologically. The sample was comprised of 270 individuals hospitalized in the psychiatry clinic of a university hospital. All the necessary permits were obtained for the study. Socrates Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 2021, Year 7, Volume 12 32 Results: Expert judgment was received for the validity of the scale. Moreover, its content validity was tested through Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. As for its reliability, the first thing to do was to consider the total score correlations for 90 items, and those items below the correlation threshold of 0,50 were excluded from the scale. The ultimate number of items included in the scale was 41. The internal consistency of the scale was analyzed through Cronbach’s alpha, which was 0,94, suggesting that the scale had an acceptable internal consistency. Two weeks after the first administration, the scale was administered again to the same group of 30 individuals so as to identify the time invariance for the scale. The test-retest correlation was significant (r=,479, p=,007). Discussion: The scale were discussed in the light of related literature. Conclusion: “The Independence Level Scale for Psychiatric Patients” is a valid and reliable scale for Turkish people.