Objective: To validate and evaluate the reproducibility of a self-efficacy (SE) scale for adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS, taking into account the perspective of parents/guardians.
Methods: The study was carried out at the Hospital-Dia, Centro de Referência e Treinamento em DST/AIDS (CRT/SP), in São Paulo, Brazil. The parents/guardians of 54 children and adolescents aged 6 months to 20 years were interviewed during routine consultations at our service. Data on SE were collected using the Self-Efficacy for Following Anti-Retroviral Prescription Scale, and SE scores were calculated in two different ways: factor analysis and a predefined formula. The scale's internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity was tested by comparing the mean scores of a group of patients who did adhere to antiretroviral treatment with those of a group that did not (Mann-Whitney test) and by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient for agreement between scores and clinical parameters. Reproducibility was verified using the Wilcoxon test, intraclass correlation coefficients (r(icc)) and Bland-Altman plots.
Results: The SE scale demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = 0.87) and good reproducibility (r(icc) = 0.69 and r(icc) = 0.75). In terms of validity, the SE scale was capable of differentiating adherent patients from those who did not adhere to their antiretroviral treatment (p = 0.002) and exhibited a significant correlation with CD4 counts (r = 0.28; p = 0.04).
Conclusions: The SE scale can be used to assess adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS, taking into account the perspective of parents/carers.