VALIDAÇÃO DA ESCALA DE AVALIAÇÃO SOCIOFAMILIAR EM IDOSOS (VERSÃO BRASILEIRA)

Abstract

The assessment of the social aspects of the older person's life requires a valid and reliable tool to enhance multidisciplinary interventions. For this purpose, the Social-Family Assessment Scale for the Elderly was identified, also known as the Gijón Scale, built, and validated in Spain and cross-culturally adapted to the context of the older person living in Brazil. This study aimed to validate the construct of the Socio-Family Assessment Scale for the Elderly (Brazilian Version) – EASFI-BR – in terms of its psychometric properties and to elaborate and approve a Guide containing its operational definitions. The three stages of the research were carried out in Campo Grande - MS. The first stage of the work consisted of the construction and content validation of the EASFI-BR Operational Guide. For validation, 21 social workers participated. The analysis showed a high level of understanding (89.3%) of the scale items before the suggested adjustments. Content validation by the Content Validity Index resulted in values between 0.95 and 1, higher than the reference value of 0.90. In the second stage, evaluation of the reproducibility (reliability) of the EASFI-BR, 3 interviewers conducted data collection with 45 elderly people interviewed in three services, a basic health unit, a hospital, and a referral center for social assistance. The results of the inter-rater evaluations (social worker and researcher) were submitted to the Kappa test, which determined the almost perfect agreement between the evaluators when comparing the different samples (primary care, specialized health care, and social assistance), with values greater than 0.80, confirming a very strong reproducibility capability of the EASFI-BR's. For the stability attribute, the approaches took place in community locations (religious institutions and local commerce) with a 10-day interval for reapplication of the Scale. Stability was measured by the ICC in a sample of 50 older people, which guaranteed repeatability with results ranging from very strong (between 0.90 and 1) to perfect (equal to 1). Internal consistency was the last attribute tested and showed that the EASFI-BR has adequate consistency and measures what it proposes to measure; Cronbach's alpha value (0.66) reaffirms the substantial consistency obtained in the cross-cultural adaptation study. In the third stage, the EASFI-BR factor structure was validated based on a sample of 245 older people interviewed. Supported by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the unifactorial structure with 5 evaluative domains was confirmed. The assessment of factor loadings was conducted in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approaching two groups of distinct domains: the first group conceptually dedicated to the individual's family and social relationships (Family situation; Social relationships; Social support), and the second group focused on evaluating the material conditions experienced by the target audience (Economic situation; Housing situation). With excellent fit indices, the AFC results demonstrate that the tested model (or EASFI-BR final model) is suitable for use with the elderly population living in Brazil. The use of the EASFI-BR validated for the context of the elderly population living in Brazil shall contribute to the apprehension of the social aspects of this group's life, promoting the organization and service offering in different public policies, including the global health attention.