Development of the RoBE self-efficacy scale for people with breathing pattern disorders

This pilot study developed the Rowley Breathing Self-Efficacy scale (RoBE scale) to assess people’s self-efficacy regarding their ability to control symptoms of their Breathing Pattern Disorders (BPD). The participants were 16 patients attending physiotherapy clinics for treatment of BPD, and 10 control participants. Participants completed a Nijmegen questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale, and the RoBE scale, and repeated this four days later. Reliability of the RoBE scale was supported in the intraclass correlation value of 0.69 for the BPD population, and Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.84 and 0.80 for the two data completions. The Mann-Whitney U analysis supported a statistically significant difference between the scores of the BPD and control populations, which was also seen in the median scores in first and second completions (BPD population 54/90 and 53/90, control population 89/90 and 90/90 respectively). When a cut-off score of 75/90 was applied, based on the distribution of the scores of the control group, this discriminated between the control and the BPD groups in 15/16 cases. The Spearman’s analysis did not show statistical significance comparing RoBE scores with the other questionnaires. The raw data showed a clear differentiation, however, therefore the lack of statistical significance may be due to the study being underpowered for such analysis. This study indicates the RoBE scale shows potential for assessing self-efficacy in the population of people with BPD, and further research is required to confirm this