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Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings

Published in:

01-09-2012

Assessing Patients’ Beliefs About Their Cancer-Related Fatigue: Validation of an Adapted Version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire

Authors: Maria Margareta Pertl, David Hevey, Gary Donohoe, Sonya Collier

Published in: Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings | Issue 3/2012

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.

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The first 22 participants were not asked to complete follow-up assessments due to an administrative error.

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Title: Assessing Patients’ Beliefs About Their Cancer-Related Fatigue: Validation of an Adapted Version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire
Authors: Maria Margareta Pertl
David Hevey
Gary Donohoe
Sonya Collier
Publication date: 01-09-2012
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings / Issue 3/2012
Print ISSN: 1068-9583
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3572
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-012-9298-z

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Assessing Patients’ Beliefs About Their Cancer-Related Fatigue: Validation of an Adapted Version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire

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