title: Validation of the Sign and Symptom Check-List for Persons with HIV Disease (SSC-HIV).
abstract: Symptom management for persons living with HIV disease is recognized as an extremely important component of care management. This article reports the validation of a new sign and symptom assessment tool designed to assess the intensity of HIV-related symptoms using two samples (study 1: n=247; study 2: n=686) of people living with HIV disease. Study 1 data were collected between 1994 and 1996 before the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Study 2 data were collected between 1997 and 1998 after the wide adoption of HAART therapy. The initial version of the Sign and Symptom Check-List for Persons with HIV Disease (SSC-HIV) included 41 signs and symptoms. This scale was submitted to a principal components factor analysis with a varimax rotation. The final solution reports six factors explaining 68.9% of the variance. The six symptom clusters (factors), the number of items in the factor, and the Cronbach alpha reliability estimates were: malaise/weakness/fatigue (six items, alpha=0.90); confusion/distress (four items, alpha=0.90); fever/chills (four items, alpha=0.85); gastrointestinal discomfort (four items, alpha=0. 81); shortness of breath (three items, alpha=0.79); and nausea/vomiting (three items, alpha=0.77). These six factors have strong reliability estimates and a stable factor structure that supports the construct validity of the 26-item instrument. Additional evidence supports the concurrent validity of the scale as well as its sensitivity to change over time. The final version of the SSC-HIV is a 26-item scale available for use by clinicians and researchers to measure the patient's self-report of HIV-related signs and symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Systems, University of California San Francisco, 94143-0608, USA. nursing%bill_holzemer@ccmail.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Holzemer
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Nokes
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Corless
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Powell-Cope
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inouye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000451:nursing*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States