Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Uncertainty in Illness Scale among children with chronic illness.

OBJECTIVE To conduct an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Child Uncertainty in Illness Scale (CUIS) with a sample of children and adolescents with a chronic health condition. Developmental differences in factor structure were also examined. METHODS A sample of 373 children aged 8-18 years with chronic conditions completed the CUIS as a part of a larger battery of measures. RESULTS The EFA yielded a 16-item two-factor model termed Unpredictability/Ambiguity and Comprehension. The CFA yielded a 14-item two-factor model that fits the data very well, where chi2(df = 74) = 95.396, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = .973, Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) = .967, and Root Mean Square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .038. No developmental differences were found in underlying factor structures: Deltachi2(df = 12) = 17.754, DeltaCFI = .004, DeltaTLI = -.001, and DeltaRMSEA = .000. CONCLUSIONS The two-factor CUIS measure could be a useful tool for assessing illness uncertainty among children with chronic illness.