Based on self-regulation and self-efficacy theories, the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI; Heitzmann et al., 2011; Merluzzi & Martinez Sanchez, 1997; Merluzzi, Nairn, Hegde, Martinez Sanchez, & Dunn, ...2001) was developed as a measure of self-efficacy strategies for coping with cancer. In the latest revision, CBI-V3.0, a number of psychometric and empirical advances were made: (a) the reading level was reduced to 6th-grade level; (b) individual interviews and focus groups were used to revise items; (c) a new spiritual coping subscale was added; (d) data were collected from 4 samples (total N = 1,405) to conduct an exploratory factor analysis with targeted rotation, 2 confirmatory factor analyses, and differential item functioning; (e) item trimming was used to reduce the total number to 27; (f) internal consistency and test-retest reliability were computed; and (g) extensive validity testing was conducted. The results, which build upon the strengths of prior versions, confirm a structurally and psychometrically sound and unbiased measure of self-efficacy strategies for coping with cancer with a reduced number of items for ease of administration. The factors include Maintaining Activity and Independence, Seeking and Understanding Medical Information, Emotion Regulation, Coping With Treatment Related Side Effects, Accepting Cancer/Maintaining a Positive Attitude, Seeking Social Support, and Using Spiritual Coping. Internal consistency (α = .946), test-retest reliability (r = .890; 4 months), and validity coefficients with a variety of relevant measures indicated strong psychometric properties. The new 27-item CBI-V3.0 has both research utility and clinical utility as a screening and treatment-planning measure of self-efficacy strategies for coping with cancer.
Public Significance Statement
This study describes a comprehensive revision of the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI), a 27-item self-report survey that assesses strategies for coping with cancer. Higher scores on the CBI are associated with better adjustment to cancer, higher quality of life, and lower levels of emotional distress. The revised CBI may be useful in research (e.g., clinical trials) and in clinical settings to tailor therapies for patients and survivors based on the assessment of strengths and weaknesses in coping strategies.
Objective: Psychological interventions can attenuate distress and enhance coping for those with an initial diagnosis of cancer, but there are few intervention options for individuals with cancer ...recurrence. To address this gap, we developed and tested a novel treatment combining Mindfulness, Hope Therapy, and biobehavioral components. Method: An uncontrolled, repeated measures design was used. Women (N = 32) with recurrent breast or gynecologic cancers were provided 20 treatment sessions in individual (n = 12) or group (n = 20) formats. On average, participants were middle aged (M = 58) and Caucasian (81%). Independent variables (i.e., hope and mindfulness) and psychological outcomes (i.e., depression, negative mood, worry, and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder) were assessed pre-treatment and 2, 4, and 7 months later. Session-by-session therapy process (positive and negative affect, quality-of-life) and mechanism (use of intervention-specific skills) measures were also included. Results: Distress, anxiety, and negative affect decreased, whereas positive affect and mental-health-related quality-of-life increased over the course of treatment, as demonstrated in mixed-effects models with the intent-to-treat sample. Both hope and mindfulness increased, and use of mindfulness skills was related to decreased anxiety. Conclusions: This treatment was feasible to deliver and was acceptable to patients. The trial serves as preliminary evidence for a multi-component intervention tailored to treat difficulties specific to recurrent cancer. The blending of the components was novel as well as theoretically and practically consistent. A gap in the literature is addressed, providing directions for testing interventions designed for patients coping with the continuing stressors and challenges of cancer recurrence.
Objective
Social relationship coping efficacy (SRCE) is the confidence to engage in behaviors that can maintain or enhance close social relationships in the context of illness. This study focused on ...psychometric analyses of the SRCE scale and its role in maintaining or enhancing personal relationships, social support, and quality of life (QOL).
Method
A mixed diagnosis sample (N = 151) of cancer patients completed a variety of measures: physical debilitation, received emotional and instrumental support, SRCE, and QOL.
Results
The SRCE scale is a 10‐item, one‐factor, internally reliable (α = 0.965) measure with strong concurrent validity in relation to measures of social support. SRCE fully mediated the relationship between physical debilitation and both instrumental and emotional received support. SRCE also was directly related to both social/family well‐being and psychological distress, and this relationship was also partially mediated by social support.
Conclusions
The results corroborated that SRCE might account for changes in both instrumental and emotional support. Also, the direct and indirect relationship (mediated by social support) of SRCE with both social/family well‐being and distress indicated that interventions to increase SRCE with those at risk for social support loss may bolster social support in personal relationships as well as enhance emotional well‐being and quality of life.
Little attention has been given to assessing the importance of self-care and communication in the caregiving setting, especially caregiving for those who are terminally ill. The Caregiver Inventory ...(CGI), a measure of self-efficacy for caregiving that includes these two dimensions, was subjected to psychometric analyses.
One hundred and thirty-three primary caregivers completed the CGI; of those, 81 also completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), and a measure of caregiver tasks (ADLR-CG). Based on home visits, social workers also rated the caregiver tasks required (ADLR-SW). Exploratory Factor Analysis, as well as reliability and validity analyses were conducted.
Fit indices in M + I (V. 5.1) indicated a four factors solution: Managing Medical Information (α = 0.64), Caring for Care Recipient (α = 0.78), Caring for Oneself (α = 0.88), and Managing Difficult Interactions/Emotions (α = 0.76). The CGI was highly negatively related to stress (PSS, r = -0.54, p = 0.001) and burden (CBI, p = -0.37, p = 0.001); ADLR-CG was related to burden (r = 0.43, p = 0.001) but not stress. In regression and relative importance analyses, Care of Oneself and Managing Difficult Interactions/Emotions emerged as equal in terms of having the strongest and most robust negative relationships with stress and burden.
Results suggest that the CGI is a reliable and valid measure of self-efficacy for caregiving, and indicate the importance of self-efficacy for self-care and for managing difficult communication in successfully navigating the demands of caregiving for terminally ill persons.
Research is limited on the analysis of constructs such as coping, quality of life, and adjustment for African Americans. In psychosocial-oncology, adequate measures of these constructs are essential ...in order to establish comprehensive models of health and disparities. In this project, an Item Response Theory (IRT) approach to examining Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was conducted on the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI), a 33-item measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer. DIF was tested across groups of African Americans (N = 245) and Whites (N = 407) with cancer. DIF was flagged for three items; however, these differences have low influence on the measure at the scale level. This project provides a modern methodological approach to validating health related constructs and allows for the interpretation of differences between the two groups as, not an artifact of DIF, but true difference.
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