Chinese version of the Death Anxiety Beliefs and Behaviours Scale: Psychometric properties based on CTT and IRT

Abstract

Objectives

The Death Anxiety Beliefs and Behaviour Scale (DABBS) is a unique tool designed to assess the detrimental beliefs and avoidant behaviors linked to death anxiety. This study aimed to adapt the DABBS into Chinese and verify its psychometric characteristics within a community-dwelling older adult population.

Methods

This study used a cross-sectional design and translated the DABBS into Chinese. The psychometric properties of 437 community-dwelling older persons were assessed using the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT).

Results

The DABBS consisted of affect, beliefs, and behaviours, with 18 entries in 3 dimensions. The I-CVI of the DABBS ranged from 0.857 to 1.000, and the S-CVI was 0.968; Cronbach's alpha of 0.905. Rasch analysis results showed that the 3 dimensions of the scale possessed good unidimensionality, and the entries were well-fitted to the dimensions in which they were located; each entry Infit MNSQ and Outfit MNSQ were in the range of 0.50 to 1.50; the analysis of the functional differences of items in different characteristic subgroups (gender) showed that the absolute value of DIF Contrast was <0.50. The results of the Wright map showed that the ability of the participants was normally distributed, and the difficulty of the scale's entries was adapted to the average ability level of older adults.

Conclusions

The present data indicate that the revised DABBS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing affect, beliefs, and behaviors associated with death anxiety in community-dwelling older individuals.