Investigating the factor structure of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-revised for substance dependence among injecting drug users in China

Phoenix K H Mo; Joseph T F Lau; Kit Man Cheng; Winnie W S Mak; Jing Gu; Anise M S Wu; Jinghua Li

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.008

Investigating the factor structure of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-revised for substance dependence among injecting drug users in China

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Mar 1:148:195-202. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.008. Epub 2015 Jan 16.

Authors

Phoenix K H Mo¹, Joseph T F Lau², Kit Man Cheng³, Winnie W S Mak⁴, Jing Gu⁵, Anise M S Wu⁶, Jinghua Li³

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong; The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
² Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong; The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China; Centre for Medical Anthropology and Behavioral Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: jlau@cuhk.edu.hk.
³ Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
⁴ Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
⁵ Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Macao, China.

PMID: 25649986
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.008

Abstract

Background: The Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) has commonly been used to measure illness representations of various diseases. The present study examined whether the original factor structure of the IPQ-R could be confirmed or a new structure could be established on substance dependence among injecting drug users (IDU) in China.

Methods: A total of 257 IDU completed the 38-item IPQ-R on substance dependence.

Results: Results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the 7-factor structure as proposed by the original IPQ-R reported poor goodness-of-fit statistics. Although removal of 12 items improved the model fit, the goodness-of-fit statistics were still below acceptable standards. Furthermore, factors obtained from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the IPQ-R were not interpretable.

Conclusions: The CFA found that the original IPQ-R factor structure fit the data poorly. Factors derived from EFA were also not interpretable. Use of the IPQ-R for assessment of illness representations of substance dependence among IDU in China is cautioned until further validation.

Keywords: China; Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R); Illness representations; Injecting drug users; Substance dependence; Substance use.

MeSH terms

Adult
China / epidemiology
Drug Users* / psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Perception*
Psychometrics / methods
Psychometrics / standards
Severity of Illness Index*
Substance Abuse, Intravenous / diagnosis*
Substance Abuse, Intravenous / epidemiology*
Substance Abuse, Intravenous / psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*
Young Adult