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Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

Psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of the Multidimensional Fatigue Syndrome Inventory- Short Form (MFSI-SF) amongst breast cancer and lymphoma patients in Singapore

Authors: Alexandre Chan, Claire Lew, Xiao Jun Wang, Terence Ng, Jung-woo Chae, Hui Ling Yeo, Maung Shwe, Yan Xiang Gan

Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Currently, several fatigue measurement instruments are available to evaluate and measure cancer-related fatigue. Amongst them, Multidimensional Fatigue Syndrome Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) is a self-reported instrument and a multidimensional scale that aims to capture the global, somatic, affective, cognitive and behavioural symptoms of fatigue. This study examines the psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of the English and Chinese versions of MFSI-SF in breast cancer and lymphoma patients in Singapore.

Methods

Patients were recruited from National Cancer Centre Singapore. Validity, reliability and responsiveness of MFSI-SF were evaluated in this study. Convergent validity was evaluated by correlating total and subscales of MFSI-SF to known related constructs in EORTC QLQ-C30. Known group validity was assessed based on patients’ cancer stage, pain, insomnia and depression symptoms. Reliability was evaluated by Cronbach’s α. Responsiveness analyses were performed with patients who have undergone at least one cycle of chemotherapy. Multiple regression was used to compare the total and subscale scores of MSFI-SF between the two language versions.

Results

Data from 246 (160 English and 86 Chinese version) breast cancer and lymphoma patients were included in the study. Moderate to high correlations were observed between correlated MFSI-SF subscales and EORTC QLQ-C30 domains (|r| = 0.524 to 0.774) except for a poor correlation (r = 0.394) observed between MFSI-SF vigour subscale and EORTC QLQ-C30 role functioning subscale. Total MFSI-SF scores could differentiate between patients with higher depression, pain and insomnia status. Internal consistency of MFSI-SF was also high (α = 0.749 to 0.944). Moderate correlation was observed between change in total MFSI-SF score and change in fatigue symptom scale score and global QoL score on EORTC QLQ-C30 (|r| = 0.478 and 0.404 respectively). Poor correlations were observed between change in scores of hypothesised subscales (|r| = 0.202 to 0.361) except for a moderate correlation between change in MFSI-SF emotional fatigue score and change in EORTC QLQ-C30 emotional functioning domain score. Measurement equivalence was established for all subscales and total MFSI-SF score except for the emotional and vigour subscales.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of MFSI-SF as a reasonably valid scale with good internal consistency for measuring fatigue levels in the Singapore cancer population.
Appendix
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Footnotes
1
ECOG Status is a functional scale developed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group in 1982. It serves as a measure of how a disease impacts a patient’s daily living abilities and describes a patient’s level of functioning in terms of their ability to care for themselves, daily activity, and physical ability. 0 corresponds to a patient who is fully active and able to carry out performance without restriction to 5 which represents that the patient is dead [8].
 
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Metadata
Title
Psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of the Multidimensional Fatigue Syndrome Inventory- Short Form (MFSI-SF) amongst breast cancer and lymphoma patients in Singapore
Authors
Alexandre Chan
Claire Lew
Xiao Jun Wang
Terence Ng
Jung-woo Chae
Hui Ling Yeo
Maung Shwe
Yan Xiang Gan
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7525
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-0846-6

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