Factor analysis of the Korean version of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire for adolescents with chronic illness

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire.

A total of 237 adolescent Participants ages 13-20 years were collected from two hospitals for purposes of the study. The participants were diagnosed with blood cancer, congenital heart disease, paediatric rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and diabetes mellitus.

The Illness Cognition Questionnaire is composed of three subscales and 18 items. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed for all 18 items. The data used in the exploratory factor analysis were obtained from 126 adolescents with blood cancer. The data used for confirmatory factor analysis were obtained from 111 adolescents who had chronic diseases. The three-factor model of 18 items showed general fitness close to the standard but not a very good fit.

This study indicated that the Korean version of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire is reasonable to use for Korean adolescents with chronic illness. The authors recommend that the meaning of Item 10 be clarified from 'I have learned to accept the limitations imposed by my illness' to 'I have learned to positively accept the limitations imposed by my illness'.