Assessing spiritual well-being in residents of nursing homes for older people using the FACIT-Sp-12: a cognitive interviewing study

To detect any problems with completion of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12), to analyse the causes of such problems and to propose solutions to overcome them.

We audio-recorded face-to-face interviews with 17 older people living in one of three nursing homes in London, UK, while they completed FACIT-Sp-12. We used cognitive interviewing methods to explore residents’ responses. Our analysis was based on the Framework approach to qualitative analysis. We developed the framework of themes a priori. These comprised: comprehension of the question; retrieval from memory of relevant information; decision processes; and response processes.

Ten residents completed the FACIT-Sp-12 with no missing data. Most problems involved comprehension and/or selecting response options. Twelve residents had problems with comprehension of at least one question, particularly with abstract concepts (e.g. harmony, productivity), or where there were assumptions inherent in the questions (e.g. they had an illness). When residents had problems comprehending the question, they also found it difficult to select a response. Thirteen residents had difficulties selecting responses (e.g. categories did not reflect their views or were not meaningful in the context of the statement). Some chose not to respond, others responded to the question as they understood it.

The FACIT-Sp-12 could provide valuable insights into the spiritual concerns of nursing home residents; however, data may be neither valid nor reliable if they do not comprehend the questions as intended and respond appropriately. Providing clear and detailed instructions, including definitions of abstract concepts, may improve the validity of this measure for this population.