Brief report: factor structure of the Childhood Illness Attitude Scales (CIAS).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the factor structure of the Childhood Illness Attitude Scales (CIAS). The CIAS is a 35-item self-report measure based on the Illness Attitudes Scales, designed for use with school-age children. The CIAS measures fears, beliefs, and attitudes associated with health anxiety and abnormal illness behavior in childhood.


METHODS
CIAS item responses for 201 school-age children were subjected to principal-components analysis with oblique rotation.


RESULTS
The CIAS was best conceptualized as comprising four factors: fears, help seeking, treatment experience, and symptom effects. Further factor analysis supported the notion that the CIAS can also be conceptualized as having a hierarchical structure, with four lower-order factors loading onto a single higher-order factor of health anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that the CIAS possesses good psychometric properties, including factorial validity and internal consistency, and appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring children's health anxiety.
Wright
Kristi D
KD
Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Asmundson
Gordon J G
GJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires