Psychometric Characteristics of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Severity Subscale Among Korean Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Objectives: Despite the importance of choosing and using a valid assessment tool for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) for early detection and interventions, the validity of the FCR inventory has yet to be thoroughly investigated in Korea. This study explored the psychometric properties of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Severity (FCRI-S) subscale and assessed its applicability to cancer survivors in Korea.Methods: The survey involved 93 Korean individuals who had survived cancer. The reliability of the FCRI-S subscale was assessed using Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), along with tests for discriminant and convergent validity, was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of the FCRI-S subscale.Results: The FCRI-S subscale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.88; CR=0.89). CFA showed a good factor structure for the FCRI-S subscale, and the correlations of the FCRI-S subscale with FCR-related measures (r=0.69 to 0.80) and other psychosocial measures (r=-0.23 to 0.37) confirmed both the convergent and discriminant validity of the FCRI-S subscale.Conclusions: This study confirmed the robust psychometric characteristics of the FCRI-S subscale among cancer survivors in Korea. The use of the FCRI-S subscale would be helpful for health professionals to rapidly screen FCR levels in clinical settings.