Development and validation of a quantitative tool for assessment of sense of grip on disease among PL-HIV: a confirmatory factor analysis

Background: Every chronic illness involves specific physical, social, and psychological care. Patients must comprehend their diagnosis (sense) and gain control over the ailment (grip on the disease). The sense of grip on disease (SoGoD) of a person living with chronic disease can be explored using narrative interviews which are lengthy, and often subjective. Thus, there is a need for an objective quantitative tool to assess SoGoD status. Oour objective was to develop a quantitative tool for the assessment of a sense of grip on disease based on the SoGoD model. Methods: This institution-based tool development study was conducted among 120 PL-HIV visiting the ART center of a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata in 2023. Based on the deductive approach and literature review, a five-construct SoGoD tool was made, subsequently validated by three domain experts, pre-tested, and revised. Revised version used for data collection. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis were performed for the tool validation. Results: A 15-item tool well mounted on five theoretical constructs of SoGoD was confirmed. Each item responded to a five-point Likert scale of one to five, considering the imposed weight, the global SoGoD score ranges from 3 to 15. A higher score indicates a higher sense of grip. The cut-off value was found to be seven. The tool was internally consistent with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.883. Conclusions: Sense of grip on disease is a relatively simple, easy-to-apply tool but the cut-off needs to be contextualized based on setting and population.