The Revised Index for Social Engagement in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Psychometric Study.

BACKGROUND: Social engagement is known to be an important factor that affects the quality of life and the psychological well-being of residents in long-term care settings. Few studies have examined social engagement in long-term care facilities in non-Western countries.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the revised index for social engagement (RISE), which was derived from the Korean version of the interRAI Long Term Care Facilities instrument.

METHODS: Three hundred fourteen older adults from 10 nursing homes in Korea were included in the study. Convergent and discriminant validities were tested using correlation analysis and t tests, respectively. Factor analysis was adopted to examine the factor structure. The reliability of the RISE was tested using Cronbach's alpha values for internal consistency, and interrater reliability was tested using item kappa values and intraclass correlation coefficients.

RESULTS: The RISE showed excellent convergent validity with the average time involved in activities (r = .58). The known-group comparison showed a significant difference in the means of RISE between the group with cognitive impairment and the group without cognitive impairment, indicating satisfactory discriminant validity. Factor analysis showed a good model fit for two factors in the RISE: group involvement and interaction with others. The RISE showed satisfactory internal consistency (α ≥ .70) and adequate interrater reliability (≥.40).

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The RISE is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the social engagement of nursing home residents in Korea. Furthermore, this tool may be a useful instrument for assessing older ethnic Korean residents who reside in nursing homes that are located outside Korea.