Abstract
The present study examines the concept of illness identity, the degree to which a chronic illness is integrated into one’s identity, in adults with a chronic illness by validating a new self-report questionnaire, the Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ). Self-report questionnaires on illness identity, psychological, and physical functioning were assessed in two samples: adults with congenital heart disease (22–78 year old; n = 276) and with multisystem connective tissue disorders (systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis; 17–81 year old; n = 241). The IIQ could differentiate four illness identity states (i.e., engulfment, rejection, acceptance, and enrichment) in both samples, based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. All four subscales proved to be reliable. Rejection and engulfment were related to maladaptive psychological and physical functioning, whereas acceptance and enrichment were related to adaptive psychological and physical functioning. The present findings underscore the importance of the concept of illness identity. The IIQ, a self-report questionnaire, is introduced to measure four different illness identity states in adults with a chronic illness.
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Notes
Additionally, CFA was conducted in sample 1 (CHD) and full measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric, and scalar invariance) could be established across both patient samples. This means that the IIQ measures the same concept(s) across both samples (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000), which is necessary to compare mean scores and correlations with psychological and physical functioning across groups. For more information about the analyses of the measurement invariance, readers can contact the corresponding author.
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This study was funded by Research Foundation - Flanders (Grant No. G.0B35.14N and 1102317N).
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Authors Leen Oris, Koen Luyckx, Jessica Rassart, Liesbet Goubert, Eva Goossens, Silke Apers, Seher Arat, Joris Vandenberghe, René Westhovens, and Philip Moons declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in both studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.
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Oris, L., Luyckx, K., Rassart, J. et al. Illness Identity in Adults with a Chronic Illness. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 25, 429–440 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-018-9552-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-018-9552-0