Psychometric Performance of the Arabic Versions of the Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast.

BACKGROUND

Valid and reliable instruments in Arabic are needed to measure self-efficacy and quality of life for Arabic patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to test the psychometric performance of the Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief Arabic (CBI-BA), including participant understanding of items, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Arabic (FACT-BA).

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design, 438 cancer patients completed the CBI-BA, 30 of whom completed cognitive interviews. A subsample 167 women with breast cancer also completed the FACT-BA. Internal consistency evidence was assessed with Cronbach's α and construct validity with principal axis factoring.

RESULTS

Internal consistency estimates were acceptable for the total CBI-BA (α = .81) and FACT-BA (α = .88) scales. Exploratory factor analyses showed evidence of construct validity for the CBI-BA; 1 factor was derived, compared with four in the original English version. Cognitive interviews indicated satisfactory patient understanding of CBI-BA items. The Arabic version of the general FACT-General scale had 4 factors according to expectation.

CONCLUSION

The CBI-BA has adequate psychometric performance for the measurement of self-efficacy for coping with cancer in Arabic patients. The FACT-General Arabic has adequate evidence of reliability and validity for the measurement of quality of life in Arabic women with breast cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The availability of culturally sensitive and psychometrically sound instruments for Arabic patients diagnosed with cancer should be valuable for healthcare clinicians and researchers to assess self-efficacy for coping with cancer and quality of life.