Care dependency of children in Egypt

Aims.  This study aimed to modify the Care Dependency Scale so that it could be used for children, to apply its Arabic version to Egyptian children to test the reliability and validity of the modified scale and to compare the care dependency of disabled and non‐disabled Egyptian children. Background.  A higher dependence of children in their daily tasks undoubtedly places a greater burden on their caregivers. To estimate the extent of the problem of care dependency, data from different countries and proper standard instruments are required. Method.  The Care Dependency Scale was modified for children by Delphi technique. This study assessed the care dependency of non‐disabled children compared with children with physical and mental disabilities using the modified version of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics. The total sample included 260 Egyptian school‐age children (50·8% of whom were disabled and 49·2% were non‐disabled). Results.  Reliability was examined in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha (0·91). Inter‐rater reliability revealed moderate to very good Kappa statistics between 0·57–0·89. Content validity and criterion validity were evaluated. Differences regarding care dependency were found between disabled and non‐disabled children. Conclusion.  The psychometric properties of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics support its usefulness in measuring the care dependency of children in Egypt. This study provides an Arabic version of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics that is easy to administer and may be useful to measure the care dependency in various Arabic countries. Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings raise concerns regarding the extent to which disabled and also non‐disabled school‐age children are care dependent leading to an increased burden of care on nurses or on caregivers in general. The Care Dependency Scale for Paediatrics can help nurses conduct an appropriate assessment of children's care dependency so that any nursing care can be planned according to the children's needs.