Development and Validation of the Parent Satisfaction Scale for Child Life Services (PSS-CLS): A Pilot Study

Abstract

Child Life Services play an important role in supporting the emotional and psychosocial needs of hospitalized children and their families. However, currently there is no validated tool to measure parental satisfaction with CLS. This study describes the development and validation of a Parent Satisfaction with Child Life Services Scale (PSS-CLS).
An initial pool of 31 items was created based on the experience of child life specialists. A panel of five experts reviewed each of these items for their clarity and relevance. Content validity indices (CVI) were calculated and repetitive items were revised. The resultant 24-item scale was pilot tested with a sample of 60 parents in an Indian private hospital. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and validity was assessed using face validity and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
Expert ratings deemed a strong content validity (I-CVI = 0.80-1.00; S-CVI/Ave= 0.974; S-CVI/UA= 0.871). The scale also showed very high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α= 0.949). Face validity was supported by parental reports that the items were clear and required no modifications. EFA gave a five-factor structure that explained 70.1% of total variance. The resultant factors represented major domains of CLS: (1) parental empowerment, support, and confidence in medical care (2) emotional health and advocacy of children (3) counselling effectiveness and communication (4) engaging and individualized therapies, and (5) play-based therapies and the restoration of normalcy.
The PSS-CLS is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating the parental satisfaction with CLS.