Abstract
Context
When diagnosed with advanced cancer, patients may perceive their situation as an injustice.
The Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) is a 12-item measure of perceived unfairness
originally developed for patients with chronic pain. The factor structure, reliability,
and validity of the IEQ in patients with cancer have not been assessed.
Objectives
To examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the
IEQ in patients with advanced cancer.
Methods
Patients with advanced lung or prostate cancer (N = 201) were recruited from academic and public clinics in Indianapolis, IN. Patients
completed the 12-item IEQ and other measures of psychological processes and distress.
IEQ instructions were modified to focus on cancer-related perceived injustice. Confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the dimensionality of the measure. Internal
consistency reliability and construct validity were examined.
Results
CFA showed that the original IEQ's 2-factor structure had an adequate fit (RMSEA = 0.07,
CFI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.05). The factors included Severity/irreparability and Blame/unfairness.
Internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.92, ω = 0.94). The IEQ showed significant
positive associations with physical and psychological symptoms (rs = 0.20 – 0.65, Ps < 0.05). The IEQ also showed significant negative associations with quality of life
and acceptance of cancer (rs=-0.51 – -0.46, Ps < 0.05).
Conclusion
Findings provide preliminary support for using the IEQ in patients with advanced cancer.
Future research should assess the sensitivity of the IEQ to change in an interventional
context.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 10, 2023
Accepted:
December 27,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
