The factor structure of the revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire in a population of oesophageal cancer survivors Dempster, M., & McCorry, N. (2012). The factor structure of the revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire in a population of oesophageal cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 21 (5)
AbstractObjectives To determine whether the proposed 7-factor structure of the Illness Perception QuestionnaireRevised (Timeline Acute/Chronic, Timeline Cyclical, Consequences, Personal Control, Treatment Control, Illness Coherence and Emotional Representations) is appropriate among a population of oesophageal cancer survivors. Methods Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK (n=2185) was mailed a questionnaire booklet which included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. Responses from 587 oesophageal cancer survivors (27%) were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis. Results The proposed 7 factor structure provided a reasonable fit of the data. Modification indices suggested that a significantly better fit could be provided if one of the items on the Timeline Acute/Chronic factor loaded on the Treatment Control factor and an error covariance was added between 2 other items on the Timeline Acute/Chronic factor. Conclusions The model fit for the 7 factor structure proposed by Moss-Morris et al. (2002) was found to be adequate in our study. However, the structure of the timeline acute/chronic factor needs to be considered, particularly when the IPQ-R is to be used among older people with a potentially life-threatening illness or those receiving palliative care.