Abstract
The purpose of this study is to develop a universal uncertainty in illness scale (UUIS) which can apply to both inpatients and outpatients. The research was conducted in 2 studies.
The first study developed a draft questionnaire of UUIS which consisted of 53 items selected from published patients' notes and interview transcripts of patients who suffer from various diseases.
The second study consisted of two surveys. The first survey tested the reliability and the validity of UUIS. Data was obtained from 535 inpatients and outpatients suffering from various diseases. Construct validity was tested with exploratory factor analysis and resulted in a 6-factor solution with 26 items ((1) Unpredictability of Daily Life; (2) Complexity of Interpretation of Information; (3) Lack of Cues Finding Meaning in Illness; (4) Ambiguity of Characteristics of Illness; (5) Unpredictability Recovery from Illness; (6) Instability of Self-confidence in Carrying on a Struggle against Illness). The total score and subscale score of UUIS showed excellent internal consistency. Sufficient concurrent validity was confirmed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, POMS–SF Depression/Dejection subscale, and the Mastery scale with a 1% level of significance. In addition, confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 6-factor model for the 26-item UUIS was valid.
The second survey tested test–retest reliability for 36 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The results of Spearman's correlation coefficients resulted in a total score that was generally good (ρ=0.74) but three subscale scores were under the level of 0.7.
The results of this study suggest this scale is in need of further refinement, but is considered an efficient tool for clinical use.
