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Psychometric testing of the Chinese-version cancer needs questionnaire short form head and neck cancer-specific version in oral cavity cancer patients

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Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this two-phase study were to (1) develop and examine the content validity and feasibility of the Chinese-version cancer needs questionnaire, short form, head and neck cancer-specific version (CNQ-SF-hn) (phase I), and (2) examine its psychometric characteristics as supported by reliability and construct validity (phase II) in oral cavity cancer patients in Taiwan.

Methods

Newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer patients (N = 206) were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and psychometric analyses.

Results

The results showed that the CNQ-SF-hn (1) had good internal consistency reliability for the overall scale and subscales; (2) had good 1-week test–retest reliability (correlation = 0.80) for the overall scale; (3) had construct validity, supported by six clearly identified factors explaining 74.87% of the variance; and (4) had convergent validity, supported by correlations among its subscales and related scales, as well as by discriminating care needs according to undergoing versus not undergoing reconstructive surgery and cancer stage.

Conclusions

The Chinese-version CNQ-SF-hn is a psychometrically satisfactory instrument. Further validation is suggested for its factor structure and different head and neck cancers.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by grant NSC96-2314-B-255-005 from the National Science Council Research Program in Taiwan. The authors thank Dr. Girgis and the Centre for Health Research and Psycho-oncology for their permission to translate the CNQ short form and all the study participants for sharing their experiences. The authors thank Claire Baldwin and Annette Theuring for their English editing. The authors are grateful to Dr. Jack Chien-Hao Chen and Estat Statistical Consulting Corp. for their expertise in consulting statistical analyses.

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Shu-Ching Chen

  2. Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, 1 Jen-Ai Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei, 100, Taiwan

    Yeur-Hur Lai

  3. College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Sue-Yueh Cheng

  4. Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at LinKou, and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Chun-Ta Liao

  5. Department of Radiation Oncology, Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at LinKou, and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Joseph Tung-Chien Chang

  6. Department of Head and Neck Oncology Group, Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at LinKou, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Shu-Ching Chen, Chun-Ta Liao & Joseph Tung-Chien Chang

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  1. Shu-Ching Chen
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Correspondence to Yeur-Hur Lai.

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Chen, SC., Lai, YH., Cheng, SY. et al. Psychometric testing of the Chinese-version cancer needs questionnaire short form head and neck cancer-specific version in oral cavity cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 19, 647–656 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-0877-y

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