Translation and Validation of the Korean Version of Family Scale

Background: Familism is an important and complex clinical issue because of its significant impact on family caregiving of elders. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Korean-translated version of the Family Scale (FS-K) among Korean adults. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was used. Methods: A panel of experts completed the initial translation into Korean and back-translated the FS. Upon establishment of the content and translation equivalence between English and Korean versions of the FS, psychometric properties were evaluated for reliability and construct validity with a sample of 577 adults. Results: The internal consistency of FS-K was found to be acceptable, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .75. For construct validity, the mean scores of the FS-K were significantly different for gender and marital status (p < .05). For the FS-K, six components were extracted, accounting for 53.9% of the variance. Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that the FS-K can be used as a reliable and valid measure of familism among Korean adults. The FS-K will contribute to the understanding of familism for family caregivers caring for elders in both research and clinical practices.