The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale for type 2 diabetes patients

Aims: An appropriate questionnaire for measurement of the psychological burden of self-management or behavior modification in type-2 diabetes patients has yet to be developed in Japan. This study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS). Methods: The study enrolled 346 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: 200 men and 146 women who were 63.2 +/- 10.1 and 62.2 +/- 11.9 years of age and had HbA1c levels of 6.9 +/- 1.2% and 7.3 +/- 1.9%, respectively. Results: The questionnaire was divided into three components: "Psychological impact of diabetes", "Sense of self-control", and "Efforts for symptom management". Cronbach's alpha was 0.746-0.628. Significant correlations were observed between "Sense of self-control" and self-managed dietary and exercise behaviors and HbA1c levels; between "Psychological impact of diabetes" and various treatments, symptoms causing anxiety, and HbA1c levels; and between "Efforts for symptom management" and dietary and nutritional behaviors. The questionnaire showed better evidence of internal consistency, test-retest reliability and validity. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the Japanese version of ADS may be a useful tool for the quick assessment of common anxieties and motivation toward treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.