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Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Uncertainty in Illness Scale among children with chronic

Ahna L H Pai1, Larry L Mullins, Dennis Drotar

  • 1The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Division of Oncology, 34th Street & Civic Center Boulevard, Room 1487, CHOP North, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. paia@email.chop.edu

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|July 15, 2006
PubMed

Insights

The Child Uncertainty in Illness Scale (CUIS) has a reliable two-factor structure for assessing illness uncertainty in children with chronic conditions. This validated tool helps understand children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • Illness uncertainty is a significant stressor for children with chronic health conditions.
  • Validated measurement tools are crucial for assessing and addressing this uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To perform exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the Child Uncertainty in Illness Scale (CUIS).
  • To examine developmental differences in the factor structure of the CUIS.

Main Methods:

  • The CUIS was administered to 373 children and adolescents (aged 8-18) with chronic conditions.
  • Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the scale's structure.

Main Results:

  • EFA identified a 16-item, two-factor model (Unpredictability/Ambiguity and Comprehension).
  • CFA confirmed a 14-item, two-factor model with excellent fit indices (CFI=.973, TLI=.967, RMSEA=.038).
  • No significant developmental differences were found in the factor structures.

Conclusions:

  • The two-factor CUIS demonstrates strong psychometric properties for assessing illness uncertainty in pediatric populations.
  • The CUIS is a potentially valuable tool for clinicians and researchers working with chronically ill children.
Abstract

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