Coping with Health Injuries and Problems: Psychometric Evaluation of an Iranian Scale for Behavioral Rehabilitation Strategies in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

 The numerous psychophysical problems caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) decrease quality of life (QOL) and individual and social performance. Finding solutions to these problems and investigating them using reliable tools are crucial. This study was conducted with the aim to examine the psychometric properties of an Iranian scale for behavioral rehabilitation strategies in patients with MS.

 A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was conducted in 206 patients with MS at neurology clinics in Isfahan, Iran, in 2021-2022. The patients responded to the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems (CHIP) questionnaire. The content validity of the scale was assessed using Lawshe’s content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI), and exploratory factor analysis, and face and content validity and reliability were used to identify the factors in this population. SPSS software was used to analyze the collected data.

 The CVI and CVR were calculated for each item without eliminating or changing the items. ‎The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated (ICC: 0.093 [95%CI: -0.539-0.65]; P = 0.39). The 5 factors of the model comprised palliative coping, instrumental coping, task-oriented coping, detachment coping, and cognitive avoidance coping. Saturation was reached with 26 items and 54% of the total variance was explained. With an acceptable Cronbach’s alpha of 0.69, the CHIP scale can be used for Iranian patients with MS to determine their treatment plan. Palliative coping and instrumental coping were available in the original tool, and the present study identified task-oriented coping, detachment coping, and cognitive avoidance coping.

 This validation demonstrated the compatibility of the CHIP scale with the specific characteristics of Iranian patients with MS.