Homogeneity, dimensionality, convergent and nomological validity of the family APGAR among primary care users in Bucaramanga, Colombia

To conduct confirmatory factor analysis and examine the convergent and nomological validity of the family APGAR among primary care users in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Methods: A diagnostic technology study evaluated the performance of a health measurement scale without using a reference criterion, following the recommendations of the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) statement. A total of 243 Primary Care users aged >18 years from Colombia participated in the study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and convergent and nomological validity tests were performed by comparing the family APGAR scores with the PHQ-9, PHQ-2, and HADS-A scores. Results: Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were between 0.89 and 0.91, and McDonald’s omega coefficients between 0.89 and 0.91, with adequate correlations (>0.70) for the items. APGAR presented a single factor with excellent goodness-of-fit indicators: x² = 7.90, df = 5, p =.16, RMSEA = 0.04, TLI = 0.99, CFI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.01, and normalized chi-square = 1.58. The analysis of the convergent validity of the APGAR with the HADS-A, PHQ-9, and PHQ-2 scales presented inverse and moderate correlations with adequate indicators of nomological validity with depressive symptomatology. Conclusion:The Family APGAR instrument shows robust unidimensional structure, adequate nomological validity, high internal consistency, and acceptable convergent validity.