Abstract
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and distressing side-effect of cancer treatment. The present study developed a brief
version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) for assessing patients’ representations of CRF. Cancer patients and
survivors (n = 155) completed a revised version of the IPQ as well as measures of fatigue severity at two different time-points. Confirmatory
factor analysis at both Time 1 and 2 showed that the seven-factor solution based on the Self-Regulation Model fit the data
adequately and factorial invariance over the two time-points was supported. The resulting subscales exhibited good internal
consistency and test–retest reliability. The adapted version of the IPQ shows promise for the assessment of patient perceptions
regarding CRF. The scale may be able to be used clinically to identify if patients have inaccurate or unhelpful representations
of CRF and to help tailor interventions for persistent fatigue in cancer survivors.
version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) for assessing patients’ representations of CRF. Cancer patients and
survivors (n = 155) completed a revised version of the IPQ as well as measures of fatigue severity at two different time-points. Confirmatory
factor analysis at both Time 1 and 2 showed that the seven-factor solution based on the Self-Regulation Model fit the data
adequately and factorial invariance over the two time-points was supported. The resulting subscales exhibited good internal
consistency and test–retest reliability. The adapted version of the IPQ shows promise for the assessment of patient perceptions
regarding CRF. The scale may be able to be used clinically to identify if patients have inaccurate or unhelpful representations
of CRF and to help tailor interventions for persistent fatigue in cancer survivors.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-15
- DOI 10.1007/s10880-012-9298-z
- Authors
- Maria Margareta Pertl, School of Psychology, Aras An Phiarsaigh, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- David Hevey, School of Psychology, Aras An Phiarsaigh, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Gary Donohoe, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Sonya Collier, Psychological Medicine, St James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Journal Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
- Online ISSN 1573-3572
- Print ISSN 1068-9583