Validation of the State Version Questionnaire on Autonomic Regulation (State-aR) for cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
Current quality of life inventories used in oncology mainly measure the effects of chemo- or radiotherapy alongside functional and role scales. A new approach is to measure the autonomic state of regulation with the trait-inventory of autonomic regulation (Trait-aR). Loss of Trait-aR has been shown in different medical conditions such as breast cancer (BC) but not in colorectal cancer patients (CRC). In this paper we report the validation of a new state autonomic regulation scale (State-aR) of the last week.


METHODS
Study 1 included 114 participants: (41 women/16 men with cancer and 57 age- and gender-matched healthy people) to conduct a reliability-, factor- and validity-analysis. Concurrent and convergent validity was evaluated with Trait-aR, Fatigue-Numerical-Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) and the self-regulation scale, 65 participants were retested. Study 2 completed 42 participants: 17 with BC and 25 with CRC receiving chemotherapy. The State-aR was administered prior, during and after chemotherapy for measuring responsiveness.


RESULTS
The factor analysis loaded to four subscales of State-aR (rest-activity, orthostatic-circulatory, thermo-sweating and digestive regulation) with a: Cronbach-α r(α) = 0.77?0.83 and a test-retest-reliability r(rt) = 0.60?0.80. The sum- and subscales correlated with their concurrent subscales in the Trait-aR (0.48?0.74) and with the sum-scale moderately with all convergent criteria (r = 0.41?-0.44; p <0.001). During chemotherapy the State-aR-sum and rest-activity-scale decreased significantly compared to the change in the Trait-aR (p <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support that the state autonomic regulation scale has satisfactory to good reliability, good validity and acceptable responsiveness in the context of chemotherapy treatment.
Department of Internal Medicine at Community Hospital Havelhöhe, Kladower Damm 221, 14089 Berlin, Germany. mkroez@havelhoehe.de
M
M
Kröz
F
F
Schad
M
M
Reif
H B
HB
von Laue
G
G
Feder
R
R
Zerm
S N
SN
Willich
M
M
Girke
B
B
Brinkhaus
D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*