Family Vitiligo Impact Scale

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Abstract

Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition that causes depigmentation, but its effects extend far beyond the individual patient, often placing a significant psychosocial burden on their entire family. The Family Vitiligo Impact Scale (FVIS) was originally created in India to quantify this secondary burden, capturing the emotional and social toll experienced by relatives. This study adapts and validates the FVIS for use in China, providing a culturally relevant tool for researchers and clinicians to measure how a patient's Vitiligo affects family dynamics, communication, and overall well-being.

By establishing the psychometric properties of the Chinese FVIS, the research enables a deeper understanding of the systemic impact of dermatological conditions within the family unit. The availability of this validated instrument allows healthcare providers to systematically assess the hidden struggles of Caregivers and relatives, paving the way for more comprehensive, family-centered interventions in Psychodermatology.

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Keywords
Vitiligo
Family functioning
psychometrics
Quality of life
Cross-cultural validation
Psychodermatology

📊 Psychometric Scorecard

Items Count
16
Structure
Multidimensional
Validation Country
📍 China

Authors

👤 Jian Sun
✉ [email protected]
🏛 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou Liaoning, China

👤 Linna Li
🏛 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou Liaoning, China

👤 Xue Tian
🏛 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou Liaoning, China

👤 Yuping Fu
🏛 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou Liaoning, China

Purpose

While the primary psychological effects of Vitiligo on patients are well-documented, the collateral impact on their families often goes unmeasured, particularly in non-Western populations. The Chinese adaptation of the FVIS fills a critical gap in Psychodermatology by offering a validated, culturally appropriate instrument to assess the distress and lifestyle disruptions experienced by family members in China. This is especially important given the rapid socio-economic shifts and unique family structures in modern Chinese society.

Clinicians and researchers can use this tool to identify families in need of psychosocial support, ultimately fostering a more holistic approach to managing chronic skin conditions. By quantifying the secondary burden of the disease, the scale helps justify the allocation of resources toward family counseling and support programs.

Construct

The scale measures the multidimensional psychosocial burden placed on the family members of individuals diagnosed with Vitiligo. This construct is grounded in the 'greater patient' concept, which posits that chronic diseases disrupt the equilibrium of the entire family system, affecting communication, financial stability, and emotional health.

The FVIS operationalizes this burden through three distinct but interrelated dimensions: emotional impact (capturing feelings of sadness, worry, and stress), social impact (reflecting disruptions to social life, stigma, and financial strain), and general well-being. Together, these facets provide a comprehensive picture of how caregiving responsibilities, societal stigma, and empathetic distress degrade the Quality of life for the patient's relatives.

Validity

To ensure the instrument accurately captures the intended construct within a Chinese context, the researchers conducted a rigorous validation process with a sample of 348 family members. Construct validity was evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to verify the original three-factor structure. The researchers utilized a comprehensive suite of fit indices—including the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)—to confirm that the data aligned well with the theoretical model.

Additionally, convergent validity was established by comparing FVIS scores with the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). This comparison demonstrated that the new translation effectively measures the secondary impact of dermatological diseases as intended, aligning closely with established metrics in the field of Psychodermatology.

Convergent & Discriminant Validation Correlations

Reference Instrument Correlation Coefficient (r)
Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI)

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Chinese FVIS was thoroughly evaluated using multiple psychometric indicators, including Cronbach's alpha and the Omega coefficient, ensuring that the items reliably measure the underlying construct. Split-half reliability was also calculated to further confirm the stability of the scale's internal structure.

To assess temporal stability, a randomly selected subset of 50 participants completed the questionnaire a second time after a two-week interval. This test-retest reliability analysis confirms that the scale produces consistent results over time, making it a dependable tool for longitudinal studies tracking family well-being throughout the course of a patient's treatment.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the translated scale was tested using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) via structural equation modeling. The CFA specifically aimed to validate the three-dimensional model (emotional impact, social impact, and well-being) originally proposed by the scale's developers.

By examining metrics such as the chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), and average variance extracted (AVE), the researchers ensured that the items mapped correctly onto their respective latent factors. This rigorous analytical approach guarantees that the Chinese version maintains the robust factor structure of the original instrument while remaining culturally relevant.

Subscales

Subscale Items Description
Emotional impact Measures feelings of sadness, worry, and stress experienced by family members due to the patient's condition.
Social impact Assesses disruptions to social life, feelings of embarrassment, and financial strain associated with treatments.
Well-being Evaluates the overall impact on the family member's general life satisfaction and daily functioning.

Instrument

Test Type Self-report questionnaire
Format 16 items
Language Chinese
Population Adults, Caregivers
Age Group 18-70 years

Family Vitiligo Impact Scale Items

📋 Items are currently not available

The individual items of this scale are not publicly available. Researchers interested in using this instrument should contact the original authors directly to request the scale materials.

Sample

348 adult family members of patients with Vitiligo, recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University in China. The sample included 171 males and 177 females, with a mean age of 33.6 years (SD = 11.3). Participants were primarily parents (59.8%), spouses (20.1%), and children (12.4%) of the patients.

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Cite This Paper

Jian Sun, Linna Li, Xue Tian, Yuping Fu (2025). Family Vitiligo Impact Scale. BMC public health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21439-7

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References
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Cite this article

Mohammed looti (2026). Family Vitiligo Impact Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/family-vitiligo-impact-scale/

Mohammed looti. "Family Vitiligo Impact Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 14 Aug. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/family-vitiligo-impact-scale/.

Mohammed looti. "Family Vitiligo Impact Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/family-vitiligo-impact-scale/.

Mohammed looti (2026) 'Family Vitiligo Impact Scale', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/family-vitiligo-impact-scale/.

[1] Mohammed looti, "Family Vitiligo Impact Scale," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, August, 2026.

Mohammed looti. Family Vitiligo Impact Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.

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