Psychometric Testing of a New Instrument for Assessing Cancer Patient Preparedness for the Survivorship Transition

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychometrics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cancer survivorship presents unique psychosocial and behavioral challenges.
• Effective tools are needed to assess survivors' preparedness for this transition.
• Existing instruments may not fully capture the complexities of survivorship care needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Preparedness for Transition to Survivorship Care Instrument (PTSCI).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the PTSCI in a Korean cancer survivor population.
• To provide a reliable measure for assessing cancer survivors' readiness for survivorship care.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design involving cancer survivors in Korea.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for structural validation.
• Concurrent validity assessed through correlations with quality of life, psychological distress, and health promotion.

Main Results:

• Exploratory Factor Analysis identified a 7-factor structure for the initial 34-item PTSCI, explaining 61.5% of variance.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a refined 6-factor, 31-item model as the optimal PTSCI structure.
• The PTSCI demonstrated significant associations with quality of life, psychological distress, and health promotion outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The 31-item, 6-factor PTSCI is a psychometrically sound instrument for cancer survivors.
• PTSCI can identify and address psychosocial and behavioral issues relevant to survivorship care.
• This instrument aids in preparing cancer survivors for the transition to long-term survivorship.