Güler DURU AŞİRET, Nalan AKBAYRAK, Münevver ÖZCAN, Gülcan BAĞCIVAN, Beste BAŞAK ERÖKSÜZ, Nuran AKDEMİR

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric assessment of the Turkish version of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS). Materials and methods: This was a methodological study. The sample included 140 elderly individuals. Data were collected by using a questionnaire form, the VASS, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The Cronbach alpha value was calculated and test retest reliability was tested for the reliability analyses. Results: The Cronbach alpha value calculated for the VASS (12 items) was 0.819. There was no difference between test and retest mean scores of the VASS. A statistically significantly positive and strong relationship was found between the test and retest scores of the individuals. A statistically significantly positive and moderate relationship was found between the VASS and GDS scores. Factor analysis revealed that a total of four factors accounted for 63.66% of the total variance with an eigenvalue of >1. These results show that the Turkish version of the VASS is a valid and reliable scale. Conclusion: This study showed that the adoption of the translated VASS in Turkey is reliable and valid to evaluate the risk of abuse in adults over the age of 65.

PDF

___

1. Krug EG, Dahlberg LL, Mercy JA, Zwi AB, Lozano R. World Report on Violence and Health. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002.
2. World Health Organization. The Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002.
3. National Center on Elder Abuse. Elder Abuse Awareness Kit: A Resource Kit for Protecting Older People and People with Disabilities. Washington, DC, USA: National Association of Adult Protective Services Administrators; 2001.
4. Stark S. Elder abuse screening, intervention, and prevention. Nursing 2012; 42: 24-29.
5. Soares JFJ, Barros H, Torres-Gonzales F, Ioannidi-Kapolou E, Lamura G, Lindert J, de Dios Luna J, Macassa G, Melchiorre MG, Stank M. Abuse and Health Among Elderly in Europe. Kaunas, Lithuania: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Pres; 2010.
6. Keskinoglu P, Pıcakcıefe M, Bilgic N, Giray H, Karakus N, Ucku R. Elder abuse and neglect in two different socioeconomic districts in Izmir, Turkey. Int Psychogeriatr 2007; 19: 719-731.
7. Özden D, Kelleci M, Güler N. An investigation on mental status of the elderly in terms of exposure to violence and some other properties and of individuals. Turkish J Res Dev Nurs 2010; 12: 5-13 (in Turkish with abstract in English).
8. Tatara T, Kuzmeskus LB, Duckhorn E, Bivens L, Thomas C, Gertig J. National Elder Abuse Incidence Study: Final Report. Washington, DC, USA: National Center on Elder Abuse; 1998.
9. Day K. Elder abuse in context of poverty and deprivation and emergency department care. Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal 2007; 10: 169-177.
10. Bilgili N. Detection of the problems encountered by the families providing care for the elderly. PhD, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, 2000 (in Turkish with abstract in English).
11. Schofield M, Reynolds R, Mishra G, Powers J, Dobson A. Vulnerability to abuse, perceived control and psychological stress among older women: Womens Health Australia study. J Appl Gerontol 2002; 21: 24-39.
12. Neale AV, Hwalek MA, Scott RO, Sengstock MC, Stahl C. Validation of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test. J Appl Gerontol 1991; 10: 406-418.
13. American Medical Association. Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines on Elder Abuse and Neglect. Chicago, IL, USA: American Medical Association; 1992.
14. Reis M, Nahmiash D. Validation of the indicators of abuse (IOA) screen. Gerontologist 1998; 38: 471-480.
15. Buri HM, Daly JM, Jogerst GJ. Elder abuse telephone screen reliability and validity. J Elder Abuse Negl 2009; 21: 58-73.
16. Fulmer T. Elder abuse and neglect assessment. J Gerontol Nurs 2003; 29: 8-9.
17. Schofield MJ, Mishra GD. Validity of self-report screening scale for elder abuse: Womens Health Australia study. Gerontologist 2003; 43: 110-120.
18. Yesavage JA, Brink TL, Rose TL, Lum O, Huang V, Adey M, Leirer VO. Development and validation of a Geriatric Depression Screening Scale: a preliminary report. J Psychiatr Res 1983; 1: 37-49.
19. Ertan T, Eker E. Reliability, validity and factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale in Turkish elderly: are there different factor structures for different cultures? Int Psychogeriatr 2000; 12: 163-172.
20. Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine 2000; 25: 3186-3191.
21. Şencan H. Sosyal ve Davranışsal Ölçümlerde Güvenilirlik ve Geçerlilik. Ankara, Turkey: Seçkin Publishers; 2005 (in Turkish).
22. Çam M, Arabacı L. Qualitative and quantitative steps on attitude scale construction. Turkish J Res Dev Nurs 2010; 2: 65-68 (in Turkish with abstract in English).
23. Alpar R. Spor, Sağlık ve Eğitim Bilimlerinden Örneklerle Uygulamalı İstatistik ve Geçerlik-Güvenirlik. Ankara, Turkey: Detay Publisher; 2010 (in Turkish).
24. Polit DF, Beck CT. Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
25. da Silva Maia R, Maia EM. Brazilian Portuguese cross-cultural adaptation of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS) for screening of violence against the elderly. Cad Saude Publica 2014; 30: 1379-1384 (in Portuguese with abstract in English).
26. Tavşancıl E. Tutumların Ölçülmesi ve SPSS ile Veri Analizi. İstanbul, Turkey: Nobel Publisher; 2010 (in Turkish).
27. Büyüköztürk Ş. Sosyal Bilimler için Veri Analizi El Kitabı: İstatistik, Araştırma Deseni, SPSS Uygulamaları ve Yorum. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi; 2011 (in Turkish).
28. Fidanci BE, Acikel C, Fidanci K, Yildiz D, Karaman, D, Demirkaya E. Validity and reliability: to use in pediatrics. Annals of Paediatric Rheumatology 2012; 1: 147-155.
29. Dong X, Simon MA, Odwazny R, Gorbien MJ. Depression and elder abuse and neglect among community-dwelling Chinese elderly population. J Elder Abuse Negl 2008; 20: 25-41.
30. Dong XQ, Simon MA, Beck TT, Farran C, McCann JJ, Mendes de Leon CF, Laumann E, Evans DA. Elder abuse and mortality: the role of psychological and social wellbeing. Gerontology 2011; 57: 549-558.
31. Dyer CB, Pavlik VN, Murphy KP, Hyman DJ. The high prevalence of depression and dementia in elder abuse or neglect. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000; 48: 205-208.
32. Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS. Using Multivariate Statistics. New York, NY, USA: Harper Collins College Publishers; 1996.