Brief report: Adolescents' attitudes toward epilepsy: further validation of the Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS).

OBJECTIVE

To examine adolescents' attitudes toward having epilepsy using the Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS) and to provide further psychometric validation of the scale in this population.

METHODS

Participants were 197 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years who completed the CATIS at two points and two external validation scales. Test-retest and internal consistency reliability and construct validity were computed. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences in attitudes according to gender, age, and epilepsy severity.

RESULTS

Girls, older adolescents, and those with more severe epilepsy had more negative attitudes toward having epilepsy than boys, younger adolescents, and those with moderate or mild epilepsy, respectively. Psychometric analyses yielded excellent internal consistency reliability and good test-retest reliability. The CATIS was moderately correlated with self-esteem and mastery, supporting its construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The CATIS is a useful and psychometrically sound tool to assess adolescents' attitudes toward having chronic illness.