Abstract
The purpose of this methodological study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the DeDonder Self-Disclosure Questionnaire. DeDonder's conceptual framework of patient self-disclosure was the organizing framework. A convenience sample (N = 300) of chronically ill outpatients from a private internal medicine clinic and chronically ill inpatients hospitalized at a 178 bed rural hospital in the Midwest were studied. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the DeDonder Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (DSDQ). Content validity, both expert and face, was obtained for the DSDQ prior to data collection. Construct validity for the DSDQ was analyzed by principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation and factor loading criteria set at $\geq$.40. The initial unrestricted factor analysis yielded 13 factors which accounted for 72% of the variance. Since the DSDQ was developed from three theorized subscales, the data from the 80 items were forced into a three factor solution. Factor I accounted for 44.7% of the variance with 79 of the 80 items loading on this single factor. Factor analysis, as a method to establish construct validity of the DSDQ, supported a unidimensional scale. The three factor solution showed insufficient support for the three theorized subscales on the DSDQ. Cronbach's alpha for the total DSDQ was.9836 and indicated a high internal consistency reliability. It was concluded from this study that the DeDonder Self-Disclosure Questionnaire had reliability as well as content and construct validity with chronically ill patients. Overall, it was substantiated that chronically ill patients self-disclose in a limited manner to nurses. The establishment of reliability and validity is an ongoing process and additional psychometric testing of the DSDQ, using a variety of subjects and settings, would be essential. A major nursing implication from the study was the need for continued nursing research regarding communication between the nurse and patient and the consequences of this communication for the patient.
Sigma Membership
Eta Kappa at-Large
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Chronic Illnesses, Instrument Validation, DeDonder Self-Disclosure Questionnaire
Advisors
Summers, Sharon
Degree
PhD
Degree Grantor
University of Kansas
Degree Year
1991
Recommended Citation
DeDonder, Jean M., "A methodological study of self-disclosure in chronically ill patients" (2019). Dissertations. 1657.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/1657
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2019-03-11
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 9238630; ProQuest document ID: 303928673. The author still retains copyright.