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Examining the dimensionality of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory

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Psycho-Oncology

Published online on

Abstract

--- - |2+ Abstract Objective Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common concern among cancer survivors, and the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) is a frequently used measure to assess FCR. Given that the dimensionality of FCR has received recent debate, the overall goal of this secondary analysis was to re‐examine the dimensionality of the FCRI using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to compare models of FCR, using data from a large sample of cancer survivors. Methods Three models of FCR (including unidimensional and multidimensional models of the FCRI) were informed by the literature and proposed a priori. Separate CFAs were conducted to test the fit of each model to the data, and models with acceptable fits were compared. Results Of all the tested FCR models, a multidimensional first‐order model aligned with the originally developed 7‐subscale FCRI revealed the best fit to the data (χ2 = 3359.135, P < .0001, df = 795, RMSEA = 0.057 [0.055, 0.059], CFI = 0.897, TLI = 0.888). When this 7‐factor structure was loaded onto a single, second‐order factor of overall FCR, the model fit statistics were slightly poorer (χ2 = 3459.632, P < .0001, df = 807, RMSEA = 0.058 [0.056, 0.060], CFI = 0.893, TLI = 0.886). However, the difference between the models was significant (chi‐square difference = 103.142, P < .0001, df = 12) indicating that the first‐order model was a better fit to the data. Conclusions These results align with empirical and theoretical literature that supports the use of the FCRI as a multidimensional scale. Implications of results are discussed in light of FCR conceptualization and measurement. - Psycho-Oncology, EarlyView.