The construction and preliminary validation of a scale for identifying symptoms of Raynaud's phenomenon in the general population

Abstract

This study describes the construction and factorial validation of a scale designed to assess the incidence of symptoms characteristics of Raynaud's phenomenon in the general population. The preliminary questionnaire was administered to a sample of 330 university undergraduates, and a factor analysis of their responses led to the extraction of three factors labelled Neuroticism, Raynaud's Symptoms, and Emotional Inhibition. Coefficient α and the retest reliability coefficient (determined over a 6-week inter-test interval) were both satisfactory. Of particular interest was the Raynaud's Symptoms factor, comprising 18 items related to the general characteristics of Raynaud's phenomenon, and a number of subsidiary analyses using this factor alone are reported.