Psychometric Testing of a Cardiovascular Disease Fatalism Instrument Among Adults With Cardiovascular Disease Risks

Abstract

BackgroundWe modified a general health fatalism instrument to examine cardiovascular disease (CVD) fatalism because there is no specific CVD fatalism instrument (CVD-FI).MethodsAdults with two or more CVD risk factors completed a 20-item CVD-FI rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicated higher CVD fatalism. Reliability and construct validity of the CVD-FI were examined using Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis, and hypothesis testing using correlation respectively.ResultsCronbach's alpha was 0.89 supporting internal consistency. Hypothesis that individuals with lower adherence to healthy lifestyle will have high fatalism score was supported (Pearson's r = -0.151; p = .001), and factor analysis yielded a 4-factor solution.ConclusionsCVD-FI is a reliable and valid measure of CVD fatalism. More research is needed to confirm the emergent 4-factor solution of CVD fatalism.