Reliability and Validity Study of a Tool to Measure Cancer Stigma: Patient Version

OBJECTIVE The aim of this methodological study is to establish the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of "A Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes toward Cancer (Cancer Stigma) - Patient version." METHODS The sample comprised oncology patients who had active cancer treatment. The construct validity was assessed using the confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 54.9±12.3 years. In the confirmatory factor analysis, fit values were determined as comparative fit index = 0.93, goodness of fit index = 0.91, normed-fit index=0.91, and root mean square error of approximation RMSEA = 0.09 (P <0.05) (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.88, χ2 = 1084.41, Df = 66, and Barletta's test P <0.000). The first factor was "impossibility of recovery and experience of social discrimination" and the second factor was "stereotypes of cancer patients." The two-factor structure accounted for 56.74% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha value was determined as 0.88 for the two-factor scale. CONCLUSIONS "A questionnaire for measuring attitudes toward cancer (cancer stigma) - Patient version" is a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess stigmatization of cancer in cancer patients.