Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Stroke Social Network Scale in a Chinese population

Abstract

Objectives: Scientific evidence showed that social networks and support are important for stroke rehabilitation. The Stroke Social Network Scale was developed for people with stroke but is not available in Cantonese. This study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Cantonese scale (C-SSNS). Design: A validation study. Setting: Community settings. Subjects: One hundred people with stroke with a mean post-stroke duration of 6.76 years. Main measures: Participants completed the C-SSNS, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Geriatric Depression Scale, Fatigue Assessment Scale, and Community Integration Measure. The psychometric properties of the C-SSNS were evaluated. Results: The C-SSNS had a Cronbach's α of 0.67–0.82 and ICC of 0.78–0.97. The standard error of measurement was 3.65–7.16. The minimal detectable change was 10.11–19.85. Floor effects were only found in the ‘relatives’ and ‘groups’ subscales. The item- and scale-level content validity indices were 1.0. In assessing construct validity, all subscores correlated with the overall score (rs = 0.44–0.75). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 5-factor model. For concurrent validity, the overall score correlated with perceived social support (rs = 0.42, p < 0.001). Social network correlated with motor impairment (rs = 0.32, p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (rs = −0.37, p < 0.001), fatigue (rs = −0.24, p = 0.015), and community integration (rs = 0.38, p < 0.001). Known group differences were demonstrated between stroke participants with moderate-to-severe impairment and those with no-to-mild impairment, and those with and without depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings revealed that the C-SSNS can capture meaningful data concerning social networks for evaluating interventions. This study supports its applicability in research and clinical practice.