The Revised-Perceived Illness Experience Scale (R-PIE): data from the Barretstown studies

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Child Health Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Perceived Illness Experience Scale (PIE) measures children's illness perceptions.
• Its factor structure in children with life-threatening illnesses was previously uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the factor structure of the PIE in European children with life-threatening illnesses.
• To provide empirical support for the Revised PIE (R-PIE) and its utility in multinational research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized responses from 184 European children (mean age 11.61 years) with life-threatening illnesses.
• Employed factor analysis to determine the underlying structure of the PIE.
• Calculated mean scores for subscales and the composite R-PIE.

Main Results:

• A 6-factor solution emerged: School/Peer Rejection, Thinking About Illness, Physical Appearance, Interference With Activity, Parental Responses, and Manipulation.
• Children's mean scores on subscales and the R-PIE were generally low.
• Significant differences in mean scores were observed based on gender, nationality, and illness type.

Conclusions:

• The findings empirically support the R-PIE's factor structure.
• The R-PIE is a useful tool for assessing children's illness experiences in multinational contexts.
• Children, as a group, do not perceive their life-threatening illnesses as having a predominantly negative impact.