Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale
BackgroundA diagnosis of breast cancer generates psychological stress, due not only to treatment and its side effects but also to the impact on different areas of the patient’s daily life. Although there are instruments for measuring psychological stress in the cancer context, there is currently no...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1102169/full |
| _version_ | 1797858962223136768 |
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| author | M. Victoria Cerezo Lorena M. Soria-Reyes Bella Pajares Jaime Gómez-Millán María J. Blanca |
| author_facet | M. Victoria Cerezo Lorena M. Soria-Reyes Bella Pajares Jaime Gómez-Millán María J. Blanca |
| author_sort | M. Victoria Cerezo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundA diagnosis of breast cancer generates psychological stress, due not only to treatment and its side effects but also to the impact on different areas of the patient’s daily life. Although there are instruments for measuring psychological stress in the cancer context, there is currently no tool for assessing stressors specific to breast cancer.AimsThe aim of this study was to develop the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale (SBCS).MethodA panel of experts evaluated the clarity and relevance of scale items, providing validity evidence based on test content. Psychometric properties of the scale were then analyzed.ResultsValidity evidence based on the internal structure of the SBCS was obtained through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), following a cross-validation strategy. The CFA supported a second-order factor model with five dimensions: physical appearance and sex strains, health and daily difficulties, interpersonal relationship strains, healthcare strains, and worries and concerns about the future. This structure was invariant across two groups distinguished by time from cancer diagnosis (less than 3 and 3 years or more from diagnosis). Reliability, based on McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, ranged from 0.83 to 0.89 for factor scores, and reached 0.95 for total scores. Validity evidence was also provided by correlations with depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and perceived health and quality of life.DiscussionThe results support the use of the SBCS for measuring stress as a stimulus in the breast cancer context. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:21:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad9db3fcbb5c4cf6a8db77b8251ab051 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:21:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad9db3fcbb5c4cf6a8db77b8251ab0512023-03-28T05:32:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-03-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11021691102169Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer ScaleM. Victoria Cerezo0Lorena M. Soria-Reyes1Bella Pajares2Jaime Gómez-Millán3María J. Blanca4Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioural Sciences, University of Malaga, Málaga, SpainDepartment of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioural Sciences, University of Malaga, Málaga, SpainInstituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Málaga, University of Malaga, Málaga, SpainInstituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Málaga, University of Malaga, Málaga, SpainDepartment of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioural Sciences, University of Malaga, Málaga, SpainBackgroundA diagnosis of breast cancer generates psychological stress, due not only to treatment and its side effects but also to the impact on different areas of the patient’s daily life. Although there are instruments for measuring psychological stress in the cancer context, there is currently no tool for assessing stressors specific to breast cancer.AimsThe aim of this study was to develop the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale (SBCS).MethodA panel of experts evaluated the clarity and relevance of scale items, providing validity evidence based on test content. Psychometric properties of the scale were then analyzed.ResultsValidity evidence based on the internal structure of the SBCS was obtained through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), following a cross-validation strategy. The CFA supported a second-order factor model with five dimensions: physical appearance and sex strains, health and daily difficulties, interpersonal relationship strains, healthcare strains, and worries and concerns about the future. This structure was invariant across two groups distinguished by time from cancer diagnosis (less than 3 and 3 years or more from diagnosis). Reliability, based on McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, ranged from 0.83 to 0.89 for factor scores, and reached 0.95 for total scores. Validity evidence was also provided by correlations with depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and perceived health and quality of life.DiscussionThe results support the use of the SBCS for measuring stress as a stimulus in the breast cancer context. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1102169/fullbreast cancerstressorsbreast cancer-specific assessment toolhealthcare strainsconcerns about the future |
| spellingShingle | M. Victoria Cerezo Lorena M. Soria-Reyes Bella Pajares Jaime Gómez-Millán María J. Blanca Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale Frontiers in Psychology breast cancer stressors breast cancer-specific assessment tool healthcare strains concerns about the future |
| title | Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale |
| title_full | Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale |
| title_fullStr | Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale |
| title_short | Development and psychometric properties of the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale |
| title_sort | development and psychometric properties of the stressors in breast cancer scale |
| topic | breast cancer stressors breast cancer-specific assessment tool healthcare strains concerns about the future |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1102169/full |
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