Psychometric properties of the consideration of future consequences scale in chinese patients with Type 2 Diabetes: a cross-sectional study

The Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) scale exhibits robust psychometric properties in general adult and college student populations. However, there is limited evidence regarding its validity and reliability in Chinese patients with chronic disease. This study sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of the CFC Scale-Chinese Version in Chinese patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). CFC is a psychological construct that reflects the degree to which an individual considers both immediate and future outcomes of their present behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 329 patients. In evaluating the psychometric properties of the scale, Cronbach’s α, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, McDonald’s omega, composite reliability (CR), maximal reliability (MaxR), construct validity as well as concurrent validity were determined. Measurement invariance was tested across gender. The correlation coefficient between items and the score of subscales was ranged from 0.521 to 0.797 (p < 0.01). The critical ratio of the corresponding items between high and low score groups was −25.002 to −9.213 (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the two-factor model with 11 items fit well. The correlation analysis demonstrated that CFC-Future was positively associated with better dietary behavior, physical activity, medication adherence, and diabetes self-efficacy, and was negatively associated with delay discounting. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, McDonald’s omega, CR, and MaxR for CFC-Future were 0.703, 0.771, 0.715, 0.714, and 0.733, respectively. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability, McDonald’s omega, CR, and MaxR for CFC-Immediate were 0.849, 0.808, 0.850, 0.848, and 0.857, respectively.