Psychometric Testing of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory- Caregiver Chinese Version in Cancer Family Caregivers in Taiwan

Abstract

Objective

The purposes of this study were to develop a Chinese version of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-caregiver (FCRI-c Chinese) and assess the psychometrics of this test in the family caregivers (FCs) of Taiwanese patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods

An instrument testing study was conducted at a major medical center in Taiwan. HNC patients and their major FCs were recruited as dyads from the radiation outpatient department. The FCRI-c Chinese was tested for internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity (including theoretically supported correlation, discriminant validity, and factor structure).

Results

We recruited 300 patient-caregiver dyads. The test had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) and a 2-week test-retest reliability of 0.88. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated an acceptable fit of the model to the data. The construct validity was also satisfactory, as indicated by the significant positive correlations of the test with depression and anxiety in FCs, and the significant negative correlation of the test with patients' quality of life. A significantly higher test score was present in FCs caring for patients with metastasis and patients who completed treatment a longer time ago.

Conclusions

The FCRI-c Chinese is a valid instrument for examination of the FCR in the FCs of patients with HNC. Clinicians can use this multi-dimensional instrument to assess important clinical care issues and improve the quality of care provided by FCs.

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