Empirical validation of the English version of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory.
OBJECTIVE
Cancer patients report that help in managing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is one of their greatest unmet needs. Research on FCR has been limited by the very few validated, multi-dimensional measures of this construct. One exception is the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), originally developed and empirically validated in French. The present study validated the English version of the FCRI.


METHODS
The FCRI was translated into English using a forward-backward translation procedure and pilot-tested with 17 English-speaking cancer patients. Cross-cultural equivalency of the French and English versions was established by administering both forms to 42 bilingual cancer patients. Last, 350 English-speaking breast, colon, prostate, or lung cancer patients were asked to complete the FCRI. A subsample (n = 135) was mailed the FCRI again one month later to evaluate test-retest reliability.


RESULTS
The English translation of the FCRI was well accepted by participants. There was no item-bias when comparing bilingual participants' answers on both versions. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized seven-factor structure. The English version has high internal consistency (α = .96 for the total scale and .71-.94 for the subscales) and test-retest reliability (r = .88 for the total scale and 56-.87 for the subscales).


CONCLUSIONS
The English version of the FCRI is a reliable and valid measure of FCR applicable to breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer patients. Its multi-dimensional nature makes it an attractive research and clinical tool to further our knowledge of FCR.
School of Psychology, Ottawa University, 136 Jean Jacques Lussier, Room 4016, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada. slebel@uottawa.ca.|Montfort Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada. slebel@uottawa.ca.
Sophie
S
Lebel
Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.
Sebastien
S
Simard
The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Center, Ottawa, Canada.
Cheryl
C
Harris
School of Psychology, Ottawa University, 136 Jean Jacques Lussier, Room 4016, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada.
Andrea
A
Feldstain
School of Psychology, Ottawa University, 136 Jean Jacques Lussier, Room 4016, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada.
Sara
S
Beattie
School of Psychology, Ottawa University, 136 Jean Jacques Lussier, Room 4016, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada.
Megan
M
McCallum
The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada.
Monique
M
Lefebvre
Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.
Josée
J
Savard
Princess Margaret Hospital, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Gerald M
GM
Devins
D000368:Aged; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015996:Survival Rate
Cancer; Fear of cancer recurrence; Instrument; Questionnaire; Survivorship; Validation