The Couples' Illness Communication Scale (CICS): Development and evaluation of a brief measure assessing illness‐related couple communication

Abstract

Objectives: When one member of a couple has a chronic illness, communication about the illness is important for both patient and partner well-being. This study aimed to develop and test a brief self-report measure of illness-related couple communication. Design: A combination of correlations and multiple regression were used to assess the internal consistency and validity of the CICS. Methods: A scale to provide insight into both patient and partner illness communication was developed. The Couples' Illness Communication Scale (CICS) was then tested on patients with ovarian cancer (n=123) and their partners (n=101), as well as patients with early stage multiple sclerosis who had stable partnerships (n=64). Results: The CICS demonstrated good acceptability, internal consistency, convergent validity (correlations with general couple communication and marital adjustment), construct validity (correlations with intrusive thoughts, social/family well-being, emotional impact of the illness and psychological distress), and test-retest reliability. Conclusions: The CICS meets the majority of psychometric criteria for assessment measures in both a life-threatening illness (ovarian cancer) and a chronic progressive disease (multiple sclerosis). Further research is required to understand its suitability for use in other populations. Adoption of the CICS into couple-related research will improve understanding of the role of illness-related communication in adjustment to illness. Use of this short, simple tool in a clinical setting can provide a springboard for addressing difficulties with illnessrelated couple communication and could aid decision-making for referrals to couple counselling.

A Couples’ Based Self-Management Program for Heart Failure: Results of a Feasibility Study

“…For participants who did not complete all six sessions, we requested receipt of the follow-up surveys. Both members of the couple completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 version 2.0 (SF-12), which measures quality of life (51), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (52), which measures depressive symptoms (scores ≥10 indicate clinically significant depressive symptoms), the Dyadic Coping Inventory (53), which measures collective coping and relationship quality (scores ≥100 indicate a strong relationship), the Mutuality Psychological Development Questionnaire (54), which measures reciprocity in the relationship, and the Couples’ Illness Communication Scale (55), which measures communication within the couple around a chronic condition. The SF-12 provides a Physical Component Summary (PCS) score and a Mental Component Summary (MCS) score, with lower scores indicating worse quality of life.…”

Barriers to Self-Management in Depressed Women With Type 2 Diabetes

“…The tool has a reliability of .91 and can be completed in practice in about ten minutes (Lewis & Roux, 2011). To assess comfort level of emotional disclosure related to illness and the partner’s willingness to talk, the Couples’ Illness Communication Scale (Arden‐Close, Moss‐Morris, Dennison, Bayne, & Gidron, 2010) may be useful. It is a short measure (4-items) with reliability of .84.…”

Urinary Incontinence and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Intimate Relationship Satisfaction Among Midlife Women

“…The Couples' Illness Communication Scale (CICS; Arden-Close, E., Moss-Morris, Dennison, Bayne, & Gidron, 2010) was modified and used to measure perceptions regarding shared talk specifically about UI. The CICS comprises four items with Likert-style responses (possible scoring from 0-20), with higher scores indicatin increased perceived ability to communicate about the illness with one's partner.…”

“…The CICS comprises four items with Likert-style responses (possible scoring from 0-20), with higher scores indicatin increased perceived ability to communicate about the illness with one's partner. The CICS demonstrated construct and convergent validity in evaluating perceived communication between women with multiple sclerosis or ovarian cancer and their partners (Arden-Close et al, 2010). As recommended by the authors, items were modified to replace “illness” with “leaking urine” (e.g., “I feel comfortable discussing issues related to leaking urine with my partner,” “My partner is willing to share her feelings about leaking urine with me”).…”