Development and initial validation of the diabetes family conflict scale (revised)‐short form in a racially and income diverse sample

Objective: The purpose of the study was to develop a short form of the revised diabetes family conflict scale (DFCS) in a racially and income diverse sample while retaining strong psychometric properties. Methods: One seventy nine youth with type 1 diabetes (ages 12–18 years) and caregivers completed the DFCS‐Revised as well as assessments of adherence, psychosocial functioning, and diabetes‐related stress. Hemoglobin A1c was also obtained. The sample was split at random into a development sample and validation sample. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses in the validation sample supported the use of a six‐item short form (DFCS‐SF) either as a total score (6‐items) or a direct (3‐item) and indirect (3‐item) score. Variations of the DFCS‐SF (three items of the 6‐item short form) also had acceptable model fit. The short‐form questionnaires had acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity (6‐item: Cronbach's a = 0.865, full scale DFCS r = 0.954; 3‐item: Cronbach's a = 0.757, full scale DFCS r = 0.912). The DFCS‐SF showed measurement invariance across both youth and caregiver respondents. Greater report of the DFCS‐SF by both youth and caregivers was significantly associated with higher HbA1c, more diabetes‐related stress, and more psychosocial concerns. Conclusions: The DFCS‐SF developed in the present study shows psychometric integrity in a diverse population of youth and can be utilized by providers to rapidly assess and potentially implement interventions to reduce diabetes family conflict, a psychosocial concern which is associated with elevated HbA1c, non‐optimal adherence, diabetes‐related stress, and psychological distress.