Psychometric Evaluation of the Powe Fatalism Inventory

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Cancer Research
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Cancer fatalism is a concept related to beliefs about cancer's inevitability.
• The Powe Fatalism Inventory (PFI) was developed to measure cancer fatalism.
• Previous research has shown inconsistent factor structures and limited evidence for the PFI's validity and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychometric properties of the Powe Fatalism Inventory (PFI).
• Specifically, to assess its underlying dimensions, internal consistency, and construct validity.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 400 postmenopausal women (50-64 years) for a mammographic breast density study.
• Administered the 15-item PFI and the 8-item Champion Breast Cancer Fear Scale (CBCFS).
• Conducted item analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and Pearson correlations.

Main Results:

• A two-factor solution emerged: Predetermination (43% variance) and Pessimism (15.2% variance), explaining 58.2% of total variance.
• Both factors demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .89).
• Cancer fatalism scores positively correlated with fear scores (r=0.317, p < .001).

Conclusions:

• The two-factor structure (Predetermination and Pessimism) is the most parsimonious and theoretically sound for the PFI.
• The PFI subscales demonstrate good internal consistency and construct validity in this population.
• Findings support the PFI's utility in measuring cancer fatalism among postmenopausal women.