Abstract

Objectives: To adapt and validate the Latin-Spanish version of the Self-Efficacy to Manage Chronic Disease (SEMCD-S) for the Chilean popu- lation. Material and Methods: Twenty-one individual cognitive interviews were conducted with adults with diagnosed chronic diseases, comparing the understanding of the SEMCD-S with the Chilean adaptation (SEMCD-S-Ch) using paraphrasing and follow-up probes. Then, 144 adults with diagnosed chronic diseases under control were recruited in three family health centers in La Florida and La Pintana. These participants were administered the SEMCD- S-Ch at recruitment, at six weeks, and four months later. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted, the internal consistency of the instrument was calculated, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to validate the EFA findings. Main results: The adaptation process incorporated changes in the writing style and some terms used in the SEMCD-S, improving the understanding of the instrument. In the psychometric testing of the SEMCD- S-Ch, the AFE identified a single-factor solution, the internal consistency in each of the administrations was very good (α between 0.849 to 0.878), and the CFA confirmed the unidimensional structure of the instrument relatively well. Conclusions: The SEMCD-S-Ch is understandable, reliable, and useful for a brief and competent assessment of self-efficacy in people with chronic diseases under control in primary health care.