Testing reliability and validity of Lorensen's Self-care Capability Scale (LSCS) among older home-living, care-dependent individuals in Norway

Background. The assessment of self-care capability among older people living at home is essential for maintaining independence for as long as possible. Aim and objective. The aim of this study was to test reliability and validity of the Lorensen's Self-Care Capability Scale (LSCS). Method. The study sample consisted of 242 home nursing patients who were 75 + years old and living at home. The responsible home nurses documented their answers. In addition to the LSCS, help dependency, subjective health and demographic characteristics were recorded. Various statistical analyses were used to assess reliability and validity of the LSCS. Results. Reliability of the LSCS was supported by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.97. Regarding validity, six factors extracted in the factor analysis explained 69.8% of the variance in the group. The extracted factors supported the underlying theoretical assumptions of the instrument. Construct validity was supported by significant differences between groups with expected low and expected high LSCS scores, respectively. Concurrent validity was established by a significant correlation between LSCS and Barthel's ADL Index. Conclusion and implications for practice. This study has shown that LSCS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing self-care capability in older people living at home.