The Illness Behavior Questionnaire as an aid to clinical assessment

The Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) is a 62-item self-report instrument that provides information relevant to the delineation of a patient's attitudes, ideas, affects, and attributions in relation to illness. The scores generated are described, and nine clinical vignettes are presented, together with IBQ score profiles and interpretations to illustrate the manner in which the latter may complement other clinical data. The ways in which individuals react to their own health status is becoming of greater importance as the taking of responsibility for one's own health is increasingly emphasized. The IBQ provides information that should be relevant to the management of patients, regardless of the specific nature of their illness.