Illness Cognitions Research Articles

Predictors of perceived stigmatization in patients with psoriasis.

The physical appearance of psoriasis can be cosmetically disfiguring, resulting in a substantial social burden for patients. An important aspect of this burden is the experience of stigmatization. While stigmatization is known to be disabling and stressful for patients, little is known about its correlates, and effective interventions are lacking. To examine predictor variables for perceived stigmatization in psoriasis. Questionnaires were administered to 514 patients with psoriasis in a cross-sectional study. Zero-order correlation and multiple-regression analyses were conducted including sociodemographic, disease-related, personality, illness cognitions and social support predictor variables. Stigmatization was experienced by 73% of patients to some degree, and correlated with all five categories of predictor variables. In multiple-regression analyses, stigmatization was associated with higher impact on daily life; lower education; higher disease visibility, severity and duration; higher levels of social inhibition; having a type D personality; and not having a partner. The results indicate that perceived stigmatization is common in psoriasis, and can be predicted by sociodemographic, disease-related and personality variables. These predictor variables provide indications of which patients are especially vulnerable regarding perceived stigmatization, which might be used in treatment.

Links Between Chronic Illness and Late-Life Cognition: Evidence From Four Latin American Countries.

We explored the links between chronic diseases and cognitive ability using datasets of community-dwelling older adults from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay from the SABE (Health, Well-Being, and Aging) survey. Ordinary least squares (OLS), Tobit and linear probability models, adjusting for extensive health and socio-demographic factors, were implemented separately for men and women and complemented by a series of robustness checks. We find a negative association between the number of chronic conditions and cognitive decline that has the following characteristics: (a) differs across gender, (b) increases with the number of chronic conditions, (c) is larger among those individuals in the bottom of the cognitive distribution, (d) and is different across types of chronic conditions. These results suggest that returns from preventive policies to reduce cognitive decline would increase if they were targeted to seniors with chronic conditions and implemented before the impact from multiple comorbidities makes the cognitive decline too steep to be reversed.

Illness cognitions in later life: Development and validation of the Extended Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ-Plus).

Illness cognitions are mediators between illness and well-being in patients with physical symptoms. The Illness Cognitions Questionnaire (ICQ) explores these illness cognitions but has not been validated in older persons. This study aimed to validate the ICQ in adults aged 60 years and above and to develop an extended version (ICQ-Plus) suitable for older persons. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore illness cognitions in 21 older persons suffering physical symptoms. The items in the original ICQ and items of these interviews that potentially reflect dimensions not covered by the original ICQ were combined in the ICQ-Plus. Then the ICQ-Plus was completed by 220 older patients with physical symptoms, and its factor structure was explored by maximum-likelihood factor analyses. Analysis of covariance was performed to assess differences in illness cognitions between older persons suffering from medically explained symptoms (MES) and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). The interviews generated 26 new items. Factor analysis confirmed the 3-factor structure of the original ICQ, including factors covering helplessness, disease benefits, and acceptance. In addition, exploratory factor analysis on the ICQ-Plus items revealed 4 additional factors, including cognitions referring to perseverance, illness anxiety, avoidance, and catastrophizing. Patients with MUS scored significantly lower than did patients with MES on acceptance and disease benefits and higher on helplessness and illness anxiety. We concluded that older patients with physical symptoms express illness cognitions that are relevant for treatment but are not covered by the ICQ and recommend that the extended ICQ-Plus be used in studies of older persons. (PsycINFO Database Record

Measuring Adaptive Coping of Hospitalized Patients With a Severe Medical Condition: The Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire.

Adaptive coping strategies are associated with less psychological distress. However, there is no brief, specific, and validated instrument for assessing adaptive coping among seriously ill patients. Our objective was to examine the validity and patient-proxy agreement of a novel instrument, the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire. A cross-sectional design which included two related studies. A single university-affiliated Dutch hospital. Hospitalized patients (study 1) and ICU-patients and proxies (study 2). None. Study 1 (n = 103 hospitalized patients) addressed the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire's performance relative to questionnaires addressing similar content areas. Coping subscales of the BRIEF COPE, Illness Cognition Questionnaire, and Utrecht Coping List were used as comparator measures in testing the construct validity of the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire-subscales (fighting spirit, toughness, redefinition, positivism, and non-acceptance). The Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire had good internal consistency (0.64 ≤ α ≤ 0.79), a clear initial factor structure, and fair convergent (0.24 ≤ r ≤ 0.50) and divergent (r, ≤ 0.12) construct validity. Study 2 examined the performance of the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire among 100 ICU patients and their close family members. This study showed that the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire has good structural validity (confirmatory factor analyses with Comparative Fit Index > 0.90 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation < 0.08) and moderate (r, 0.37; non-acceptance) to strong (r, > 0.50; fighting spirit, toughness, redefinition, and positivism) patient-close proxy agreement. Overall, the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire has good psychometric properties. ICU clinicians can use the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire to gain insight in adaptive coping style of patients through ratings of patients or their close family members.

The effectiveness of a nurse-led intervention with the distress thermometer for patients treated with curative intent for breast cancer: design of a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundDistress in patients with cancer influences their quality of life. Worldwide, screening on distress with the Distress Thermometer (DT) in patients with cancer is recommended. However, the effects of the use of the DT on the psychosocial wellbeing of the patient are unknown. A study to assess the psychosocial consequences of the systematic use of the DT and its discussion by a nurse as compared to the usual care provided to outpatients who are treated for primary breast cancer is needed.Methods/designThe effectiveness of a nurse-led intervention with the DT will be tested in a non-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients treated with curative intent for breast cancer will be recruited from the Radboud University Medical Center. The intervention consists of the DT together with discussion of the results with the patient by a trained oncology nurse added to the usual care. Patients will be randomly allocated (1:1) to either receive usual care or the usual care plus the intervention. Primary outcome measure is global quality of life measured with the EORTC QLQ-C30. The functional and symptom scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR23, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Impact of Event Scale, Illness Cognition Questionnaire and DT (baseline and final measurement only) will be used to measure secondary outcomes. Questionnaires are obtained in both arms at baseline, after completion of each type of cancer treatment modality and during follow up, with a three and six months’ interval during the first and second year respectively.DiscussionThis study will be the first randomized controlled longitudinal study about the effectiveness of the DT as nurse led-intervention. In case of proven effectiveness, future implementation and standardization of use of the DT as part of routine care will be recommended.Trial registrationThis study is registered at clinicaltrial.gov march 17, 2010 (NCT01091584).

Effectiveness of a group-based self-management program for people with chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based self-management program for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Setting: Four mid-sized towns in southern Norway and two suburbs of Oslo. Subjects: A total of 137 adults with chronic fatigue syndrome. Intervention: A self-management program including eight biweekly meetings of 2.5 hours duration. The control group received usual care. Main measures: Primary outcome measure: Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form-36 physical functioning subscale. Secondary outcome measures: Fatigue severity scale, self-efficacy scale, physical and mental component summary of the Short Form-36, and the illness cognition questionnaire (acceptance subscale). Assessments were performed at baseline, and at six-month and one-year follow-ups. Results: At the six-month follow-up, a significant difference between the two groups was found concerning fatigue severity (p = 0.039) in favor of the control group, and concerning self-efficacy in favor of the intervention group (p = 0.039). These significant differences were not sustained at the one-year follow-up. No significant differences were found between the groups concerning physical functioning, acceptance, and health status at any of the measure points. The drop-out rate was 13.9% and the median number of sessions attended was seven (out of eight). Conclusions: The evaluated self-management program did not have any sustained effect, as compared with receiving usual care.

The role of appraisal and coping style in relation with societal participation in fatigued patients with multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional multiple mediator analysis.

To determine the relationship between appraisal and societal participation in fatigued patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and whether this relation is mediated by coping styles. 265 severely-fatigued MS patients. Appraisal, a latent construct, was created from the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the helplessness and acceptance subscales of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Coping styles were assessed using the Coping Inventory Stressful Situations (CISS21) and societal participation was assessed using the Impact on Participation and Autonomy. A multiple mediator model was developed and tested by structural equation modeling on cross-sectional data. We corrected for confounding by disease-related factors. Mediation was determined using a product-of-coefficients approach. A significant relationship existed between appraisal and participation (β = 0.21, 95 % CI 0.04–0.39). The pathways via coping styles were not significant. In patients with severe MS-related fatigue, appraisal and societal participation show a positive relationship that is not mediated by coping styles.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10865-016-9762-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Illness Cognitions and Coping Self-Efficacy in Depression Among Persons With Low Vision.

To investigate the mediating role of coping self-efficacy (CSE) between two types of illness cognitions (i.e., acceptance and helplessness) and depressive symptoms in persons with low vision. This was a single-group, cross-sectional study. Patients with visual acuity < 6/12 in the better eye and at least minimal depressive symptoms (≥5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) were recruited from vision rehabilitation services and participated in telephone-administered structured interviews at one time point. Measures were the PHQ-9, CSE Scale, and Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) devised the causal flow of illness cognitions and their observed indirect effects on depressive symptoms via the CSE mediators: problem focused, emotion focused, and social support. The study comprised 163 patients (mean age 62 years; 61% female), most with age-related macular degeneration (26%) and moderate vision impairment (44%, <6/18-6/60). Structural equation modeling indices indicated a perfect fit (χ2 < 0.001, P = 1.00), accounting for 55% of the variance in depressive symptoms. Lower levels of acceptance and higher levels of helplessness illness cognitions were associated with lower self-efficacy in problem-focused coping (β = 0.38, P < 0.001, β = -0.28, P < 0.01, respectively), which in turn was associated with greater depressive symptom severity (β = -0.54, P < 0.001). Lack of acceptance and greater helplessness relating to low vision led to a lack of perceived capability to engage in problem-focused coping, which in turn promoted depressive symptoms. Third-wave cognitive-behavioral treatments that focus on acceptance may be efficacious in this population.

It’s not just physical: a qualitative study regarding the illness experiences of people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Purpose: Little is known about the illness experiences of people with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). The aim of this study was to provide insight into the illness experiences of people with FSHD in order to tailor rehabilitation programs to individual needs and expectations.Methods: Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with FSHD. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and member checked. Computerized (MAXqda) and manual techniques were used for thematic data analysis.Results: Intra- as well as extra-individual aspects play a role in the illness experiences of people with FSHD. Integrating the consequences of the diagnosis and symptoms, coping with heredity and progenity, adjusting to a decreasing independence, and the accompanying changing relationship with one’s partner, are mentioned as intra-individual aspects. As extra-individual factors are the responses of the social environment, which was mentioned as well as used assistive devices, and maintaining or giving up work.Conclusions: Better understanding of the individual illness experiences, cognitions, and social context of people with FSHD can give health professionals tools to improve their care and give researchers direction for future studies to evaluate healthcare improvements from a holistic, patient-centred perspective.Implications for RehabilitationFSHD has a major impact on people’s lives. Besides the physical consequences, issues such as heredity, progenity, changing (intimate) relationships, social interactions and work should be addressed by rehabilitation professionals.Dependent on the timing of the diagnosis (early or later in life) people with FSHD could, in addition to medical consultation and physical therapy, profit from support by a social worker, occupational therapist and/or genetic Counselor for the above-mentioned themes to be addressed more extensively.It is relevant for rehabilitation professionals to become familiar with the personal characteristics and social circumstances of the patient before communicating the diagnosis and prognosis in order to individually tailor the content of the communication.

Improving distress in dialysis (iDiD): a feasibility two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial of an online cognitive behavioural therapy intervention with and without therapist-led telephone support for psychological distress in patients undergoing haemodialysis

IntroductionPsychological distress is common in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and is associated with poorer health outcomes. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is recommended in UK clinical guidelines for the management of...

What are the combined effects of negative emotions and illness cognitions on self-care in people with type 2 diabetes? A longitudinal structural equation model

Objective: To explore whether negative emotions mediate the effect of diabetes cognitions on diabetes self-care and conversely whether diabetes cognitions mediate the effect of negative emotions on diabetes self-care.Design: Longitudinal observational study in adults with type 2 diabetes.Main outcome measures: Self-reported depression and anxiety (Diabetes Wellbeing Questionnaire), cognitions (Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised; Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire), and diabetes self-care (Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale) were completed at baseline and six months. Analyses used structural equation modelling.Results: Baseline medication concerns were associated with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety at follow-up, but emotions did not mediate medication concern’s effect on diabetes self-care. Baseline depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with specific diabetes cognitions over time, but these cognition domains did not mediate emotion’s effect on diabetes self-care. Personal control remained independent of emotions and was associated with diabetes self-care over time.Conclusions: Negative emotions did not act directly or alongside cognitions to influence diabetes self-care. The reciprocal relationship between diabetes cognitions and emotions suggests cognitive restructuring, in addition to other mood management intervention techniques would likely improve the emotional wellbeing of adults with type 2 diabetes. Likewise, personal control beliefs are likely important intervention targets for improving self-care.

Psychosocial well-being in Dutch adults with disorders of sex development

ObjectiveAtypical sex development is associated with psychosocial vulnerability. We investigated psychosocial well-being in individuals with disorders of sex development (DSD) and hypothesized that psychosocial well-being was related to degree of genital atypicality at birth. Methods120 male (n=16) and female (n=104) persons with DSD, aged 14–60years, participated in a follow-up audit on psychosocial well-being. They were stratified in: women with 1) 46,XY and female genitalia, 2) 46,XY or 46,XX and atypical genitalia, and 3) men with 46,XY and atypical genitalia. We used the Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ), Checklist Individual Strength (CIS8R), TNO-AZL Quality of Life questionnaire (TAAQOL), Adult Self-Report (ASR), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). ResultsData were compared to reference groups. Participants generally were coping well with DSD (ICQ). Women with DSD reported elevated levels of fatigue (CIS8R) and slightly more attention and memory problems (TAAQOL, ASR). Women with atypical genitalia reported more emotional and behavioral problems. On the ASR Rule-breaking Behavior and Antisocial Personality scales, these women had similar scores as reference men. Women with DSD reported a higher self-esteem (RSES). No differences in psychosocial well-being were found between men with DSD and reference men. ConclusionIndividuals with DSD across all diagnostic groups generally reported a good psychosocial well-being. The results further suggest involvement of prenatal androgens in the development of personality traits related to assertiveness and egocentricity. We recommend that individuals with a DSD and their families are involved in decision-making processes and have access to multidisciplinary care.

Psychosocial outcomes 3 years after facial transplantation of a blind patient

BackgroundTo date, psychosocial outcomes after facial transplantation are promising although long-term consequences, outcome of blind patients and the impact on family members are less well investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term psychosocial of a blind patient and his partner 2 and 3 years after facial transplantation.MethodsDepressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness, coping, resilience, illness cognitions, marital support, dyadic adjustment, family functioning and quality of life of the patient and the partner were assessed before and 2 and 3 years after transplantation. Reliable change index (RCI) was further calculated to evaluate the magnitude of change.ResultsMost psychological, marital and family scores of both the patient and the partner remained within a normative and healthy range at follow-up. Resilience (RCI: 2.5 &amp; 3.4 respectively), affective responsiveness (RCI: −4.1 &amp; −3.2 respectively), physical quality of life (RCI: 8.7 &amp; 7.2 respectively) and helplessness (RCI: −2.2 &amp; −2.9 respectively) of the patient improved at 2 and 3 years follow-up. Further, dyadic cohesion (RCI: 2.4) of the patient improved at 2 years whereas marital depth (RCI: −2.0) of the partner decreased at 3 years.ConclusionsThe results of this study point to positive long-term psychosocial outcomes of a blind patient and his partner after facial transplantation. Further, they may underscore the importance of patient selection, social support and involvement of family members in treatment.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Representation of illness in Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy Portuguese Association newspaper: A documental study.

This study explores illness representations within Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy Portuguese Association newspaper . A content analysis was performed of the issue data using provisional coding related to the conceptual framework of the study. All dimensions of illness representation in Leventhal's Common Sense Model of illness cognitions and behaviors are present in the data and reflect the experience of living with this disease. Understanding how a person living with an hereditary, rare, neurodegenerative illness is important for developing community nursing interventions. In conclusion, we suggest an integration of common sense knowledge with other approaches for designing an intervention program centered on people living with an hereditary neurodegenerative illness, such as familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy.

Determinants of methotrexate adherence in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, weekly intake of methotrexate (MTX) is the basic drug treatment. This observational study aims to investigate how many RA patients are adherent in terms of MTX intake and to identify determinants of non-adherence. Intake of MTX (orally or via injection) was recorded in 129 RA patients with an electronic monitoring system (MEMS(®)) during 16weeks. In addition, two adherence questionnaires, the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) and the Compliance-Questionnaire-Rheumatology (CQR) as well as a visual analogue scale (VAS) measuring MTX adherence, were administered to these patients. As possible determinants of adherence, data on demographics, disease and treatment characteristics, depression, illness cognitions, motivation, and social support were collected. Of all participants, 58% were fully adherent and 75% skipped at most one dose during 16weeks. A better mental health status and suffering from comorbidities had a positive effect on adherence, while living alone had a negative effect. These three predictors explained 30% of the variance in MTX adherence. Of the three self-report medication adherence measures, the VAS correlated the highest with the results of the electronic monitoring system (r = 0.552, p = 0.01). A relatively high adherence rate was observed in RA patients treated with MTX. The determinants identified by this study could be used to screen patients at risk for non-adherence. A simple VAS scale seems to be an acceptable way for a preliminary screening of MTX adherence.

Working mechanisms of a behavioural intervention promoting physical activity in persons with subacute spinal cord injury.

In order to unravel the working mechanisms that underlie the effectiveness of a behavioural intervention promoting physical activity in persons with subacute spinal cord injury, the aim of this study was to assess the mediating effects of physical and psychosocial factors on the intervention effect on physical activity. Randomized controlled trial. Four rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands. Thirty-nine persons with subacute spinal cord injury. Behavioural intervention promoting an active lifestyle, based on motivational interviewing. The intervention involved a total of 13 individual sessions beginning 2 months before and ending 6 months after discharge from initial inpatient rehabilitation. The potential mediating effects of fatigue, pain, depression, illness cognition, exercise self-efficacy, coping and social support on the effect of the behavioural intervention on objectively measured physical activity (B = 0.35 h, p < 0.01) were studied. Measurements were performed at baseline, discharge, 6 months and 1 year after discharge. No single factor was found that strongly mediated the effect of the behavioural intervention on physical activity; however, multiple factors could partly explain the effect. Mediating effects greater than 10% were found for proactive coping (17.6%), exercise self-efficacy (15.9%), pain disability (15.3%) and helplessness (12.5%). Proactive coping (the ability to anticipate and deal with potential threats before they occur), exercise self-efficacy (self-confidence with respect to performing exercise and daily physical activities), pain disability (interference by pain of daily activities) and helplessness (emphasizing the aversive meaning of the disease) are important concepts in interventions promoting physical activity in persons with subacute spinal cord injury.

Psychosocial and Clinical Correlates of Fatigue in Haemodialysis Patients: the Importance of Patients' Illness Cognitions and Behaviours.

Fatigue is commonly experienced in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and is associated with poor outcomes. Currently, little research has examined the psychosocial correlates of fatigue severity and its impact on renal disease patients. We predicted that psychological factors (distress, cognitions and behaviours) would be associated with fatigue severity and impairment in ESKD patients even when controlling for clinical and disease factors. One hundred seventy-four haemodialysis patients completed the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (fatigue severity) and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (fatigue-related impairment) in addition to measures evaluating distress, fatigue perceptions, symptom beliefs and behaviours. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. Fatigue severity was not related to haemoglobin levels, serum albumin or dialysis vintage. In hierarchical regression models, demographic and clinical factors explained 20% of the variance in fatigue (ethnicity, body mass index, exercise, log C-reactive protein and multimorbidity). Psychological distress (beta = 0.21, p < 0.01), negative beliefs about fatigue (beta = 0.10, p = 0.01) and unhelpful behaviours (all-or-nothing behaviour [beta = 0.28, p < 0.01] and avoidance [beta = 0.16, p < 0.01]) explained an additional 36.4% of the variance. Fatigue-related impairment was associated with psychological distress, perceptions that symptoms indicate damage, avoidance behaviour and the level of fatigue severity. Patients' mood, beliefs and behaviours are associated with fatigue in dialysis patients. Psychological interventions to alter these factors may reduce fatigue severity and fatigue-related disability in ESKD patients.

Illness cognitions, cognitive fusion, avoidance and self-compassion as predictors of distress and quality of life in a heterogeneous sample of adults, after cancer

ObjectiveThis study explored the predictive power of illness cognitions, cognitive fusion, avoidance and self-compassion in influencing distress and quality of life in people who have experienced cancer. MethodA quantitative cross-sectional design was used. 105 adults with various cancer diagnoses completed measures of cancer related thoughts, coping styles, self-compassion, cognitive fusion, distress and quality of life. Correlation, linear regression and conditional process analysis was used to explore relationships between predictor variables, distress and quality of life. ResultsAlthough predictors were individually related to distress and quality of life in theoretically consistent ways, regression analysis showed that cognitive fusion was the strongest predictor of anxiety symptoms, whilst cancer related cognitions and avoidant coping were the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms and quality of life. Threatening illness appraisals did not directly predict anxiety, rather cognitive fusion mediated this relationship. This path was also moderated by self-compassion, such that for those higher in self-compassion, the impact of threatening illness appraisals and fusion on anxiety was attenuated. Illness appraisals did not directly predict depressive symptoms, but their influence on depression was mediated by avoidant coping. For quality of life, both direct and indirect effects were observed. Illness cognitions, avoidance and fusion all directly influenced quality of life and this was not moderated by self-compassion. ConclusionsThreatening appraisals of cancer, cognitive fusion and avoidant coping were found to be the strongest predictors of distress and lowered quality of life after cancer. Interventions focused on reducing cognitive fusion and emotional avoidance, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy should be further explored in this population. Threatening illness cognitions directly influence both anxiety and quality of life. Conceptualisations of cognitive modification strategies from within contextual behavioural science could be useful in exploiting this potential treatment target, whilst staying theoretically consistent.

Illness cognitions and family adjustment: psychometric properties of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire for parents of a child with cancer.

PurposeIllness cognitions are an important mediator between disease and psychological adjustment. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ), adjusted for the parents of an ill child.MethodsParticipants were recruited from two multicenter studies: sample 1 included 128 parents of a child diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (response rate 82 %) and sample 2 included 114 parents of a child diagnosed with cancer (response rate 74 %). Parents completed an adapted version of the ICQ (Illness Cognition Questionnaire-Parent version (ICQ-P)), together with the Profile of Mood States (POMS; sample 1) or the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; sample 2). The factor structure of the ICQ-P was examined by means of principal component analysis. Cronbach’s alpha for each subscale and correlations between the ICQ-P scales and the HADS and POMS were calculated. The illness cognitions of parents with and without psychological distress were compared.ResultsFactor analysis confirmed the hypothesized structure of the ICQ-P in our sample (n = 242). The three scales Helplessness, Acceptance, and Perceived Benefits explained 9.8, 31.4, and 17.9 % of the variance, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha showed adequate internal consistency (.80–.88). Concurrent and criterion-related validity were appropriate.ConclusionsThe results confirm that the ICQ-P reliably assesses the illness cognitions of the parents of a child with cancer. Psychologically distressed parents showed less acceptance and more helplessness. The availability of a short and valid illness cognition questionnaire will help clinicians gain insight into parental cognitions regarding the illness of their child, information that might be helpful for targeting interventions.

Self-Report Measures of Positive Reappraisal With a Focus on Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Positive reappraisal is a meaning-based cognitive emotion regulation strategy of identifying positive meaning within negative experiences and is particularly relevant to older adults. There is currently no single accepted self-report measure. We conducted a systematic literature review of existing positive reappraisal self-report measures. Reliability and validity information were reported for all eight measures, with most internal consistency values exceeding .60. However, there were some concerns with factor structure and content validity. After careful review, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, COPE Inventory and Illness Cognition Questionnaire appear to be the most useful and robust measures of positive reappraisal generally, and are also suitable for older adult samples. A more consistent use of measures in the literature will further positive reappraisal research.