The aim of this study was to validate the measurement properties of the Danish version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised adapted to measure symptom representations among patients with colorectal cancer symptoms. A total of 488 colorectal cancer patients completed a questionnaire derived from the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised to retrospectively assess cognitive and emotional representations of experienced symptoms. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated no good comparative fit with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. Using exploratory factor analysis, a 7-factor structure was conducted, which fairly supported the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. The modified Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised is a promising tool for measuring symptom representations among Danish colorectal cancer patients.
Keywords: cancer; health care; perception; physical symptoms; validation.
© The Author(s) 2013.