Palliative care

Assessment of Patients' Dignity in Cancer Care: Preliminary Psychometrics of the German Version of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI-G).

Sautier LP, Vehling S, Mehnert A.

Source

Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. 
Electronic address: l.sautier@uke.de.

Abstract

CONTEXT:

The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) is a valid and reliable instrument designed to measure different sources of dignity-related distress in cancer patients receiving palliative care.

OBJECTIVES:

We investigated item characteristics, factor structure, reliability, and concurrent validity of the German version of the PDI (PDI-G) among patients with cancer.

METHODS:

PDI was translated into the German language following state-of-the-art criteria. In a sample of 112 inpatients with mixed tumor types, principal component analysis, reliability analysis (Cronbach's coefficient alpha), and correlation analysis were performed. Concurrent validity was evaluated by validated measures of distress, demoralization, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, quality of life, sense of meaning and purpose, and supportive care needs.

RESULTS:

Cronbach's coefficient alpha for PDI-G was 0.96; factor analysis resulted in a four-factor solution, accounting for 71% of the overall variance, with factor loadings ranging from 0.49 to 0.86. Factor labels include Loss of Sense of Worth and Meaning, Anxiety and Uncertainty, Physical Symptom Distress and Body Image, and Loss of Autonomy, showing high internal consistencies ranging from Cronbach's α 0.80 to 0.95. Evidence for concurrent validity was established by significant associations between PDI-G scales and concurrent measures of distress.

CONCLUSION:

Although we were unable to replicate the five-factor structure provided by Chochinov, this study gave strong support to an alternative four-factor solution of PDI-G, capturing all 25 items. We conclude that PDI-G is a psychometrically sound instrument assessing a broad range of dignity-related distress issues in patients with cancer.

 J Pain Symptom Manage. 2013 Jul 3.

Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.