The Moorong Self Efficacy Scale: translation, cultural adaptation, and validation in Italian; cross sectional study, in people with spinal cord injury

Study design: Psychometric study, transverse study. Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Moorong Self Efficacy Scale (MSES) in the Italian population with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). Participants: 65 people with SCI. Setting: The Italian version of the MSES (MSES-IT) was administered to the participants recruited by two Italian Spinal Units. Methods: MSES assesses confidence in the performance of daily activities. The original scale was translated from English into Italian using international guidelines. MSES-IT’s internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were examined through the Cronbach alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. Its concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients with the Italian version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure-Self Reported (SCIM-SR) and the Italian version of the Quality-of-Life Assessment Questionnaire (SF-36). Results: The MSES-IT was administered to 65 subjects. Cronbach’s alpha for the MSES-IT was 0.87, and the test-retest reliability (ICC) was 0.99 (95% Confidence Interval). The validity analysis showed significant moderate correlations (0.30 < ρ < 0.44) between the MSES-IT and the following components of SF-36: Role limitations physical health; Role limitations emotional problems; Emotional well-being; General health. However, no correlations emerged between MSES-IT and SCIM-SR. Conclusions: This study showed strong values of Cronbach’s alpha and ICC of MSES-IT that make it a useful clinical and research tool. Rehabilitation can improve quality of life by targeting low-efficacy factors in people with spinal cord injury, which is possible because an individual’s self-efficacy related to SCI can help determine participation in daily activities and social activities, work, and other life events.