Development and pshychometric properties of self-directed and other-directed ageism scale in care settings

Ageism and ageist behaviors can significantly affect health care. Medical professionals should offer health care to all patients equally and patients should not be discriminated under any positions based on sex, nationality, sexual identity, or age.This study aimed to investigate the development and psychometric properties of self-directed and other-directed ageism scale in care settings.

This research is an exploratory sequential mixed method study.This study was carried out from 2018 to 2020. The qualitative phase of the research was conducted using directed content analysis based on Sao Jose's theory. 20 hospital caregivers were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using Hesie and Shannon content analysis method. The quantitative stage of the study was conducted for instrument psychometric. Psychometric properties of the scale also investigated using face validity and content validity, construct validity and reliability by internal consistency and consistency.

95 items were obtained from the analysis of qualitative section .  After calculating the item impact index, 23 items were removed.  In the assessing of content validity ratio and content validity index 27 and in the initial analysis by loop method two items were removed.The result of exploratory factor analysis was two factors: "self-directed ageism" and "other-directed ageism". Which all togheter could explaian 41.373 of the variance. The final scale after the psychometric measures had a content validity ratio of 0.62, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.90 and intra-class correlation of 0.98.

 The analysis of research data showed that the designed scale has acceptable validity and reliability. Therefore this scale can be used to measure ageism in care settings and lead to the development of knowledge in relation to this phenomenon.