Development and Validation of the Stroke Symptom Cluster Scale Among Korean Stroke Survivors: Mixed-Methods Design.

PURPOSE This study aimed to develop and validate the Stroke Symptom Cluster Scale for Korean Adults (SSCS-K) for stroke survivors. DESIGN An exploratory sequential study with a mixed-methods design was performed. METHODS In the development stage, a qualitative study with in-depth interviews was conducted with 27 stroke patients. The validation stage involved analyzing the psychometric properties from 288 stroke patients. FINDINGS The SSCS-K comprising 65 items in six dimensions (mobility, cognition, sensory, mood, communication, and swallowing difficulty) demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92-.94). Confirmatory factor analyses with a six-factor solution showed that it explained 62% of the variance in stroke symptoms. The concurrent validity was confirmed with the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (r = .38-.83, p < .001). CONCLUSION The SSCS-K has strong psychometric properties as a measure to assess clustered symptoms in stroke survivors during their long-term rehabilitation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Rehabilitation nurses may consider the SSCS-K as a useful tool for assessing symptoms of stroke survivors.