A Chinese version of the Stroke Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised: Reliability and validity assessment in stroke patients

BackgroundIllness perceptions are an important factor affecting the prognosis of stroke patients. Evaluating the illness perceptions of stroke patients is of great importance for predicting their health behaviour and rehabilitation outcomes. However, there is no specific tool for assessing illness perceptions in stroke patients in China.ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to translate the Stroke Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (SIPQ-R) into Chinese and to psychometrically test the Chinese version of the scale in the population of Chinese stroke patients.MethodsThis was a methodological study. We investigated 593 stroke patients in the neurology department of a hospital in China from March to September 2021. We translated the SIPQ-R and adapted it to the cultural context, after which we evaluated the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of SIPQ-R.ResultsExploratory factor analysis identified eight common factors that accounted for 71.74% of the total variance, and the factor loadings ranged from 0.530 to 0.933. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the eight-factor structure (chi 2/df = 1.765, root mean square error of approximation = 0.053, incremental fit index = 0.906, comparative fit index = 0.905 and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.900). Internal consistency was confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.982. The test-retest reliability was 0.762. The results showed good content validity (the scale level content validity index was 0.940, and the item level content validity index values ranged from 0.860 to 0.960). There were no missing responses and floor or ceiling effects. The standard error of measurement and the smallest detectable change for the SIPQ-R were 45.49 and 126.10, respectively.ConclusionsThe results of this study provide empirical evidence for the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the SIPQ-R for stroke patients. What is known about this topic? Illness perceptions are an important factor affecting the prognosis of stroke patients. Evaluating the illness perceptions of stroke patients is of great importance for predicting their health behaviour and rehabilitation outcomes. Currently, there is no specific illness perception scale for stroke patients in China. SIPQ-R is a stroke-specific version of the illness perception questionnaire.What this paper adds? The Chinese version of the SIPQ-R has the same factor structure as the English version using confirmatory factor analysis. The scale was adjusted to reduce the number of items, which may have improved its clinical applicability and compatibility. All the indexes verified by the model reached the standard.Implications of this paper: The results of this study provide empirical evidence for the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the SIPQ-R for stroke patients. This study translated the SIPQ-R into Chinese and tested its reliability and validity to provide a reliable tool for assessing illness perception in a group of Chinese stroke patients. SIPQ-R can be used as a measure of the illness perceptions of stroke patients in the clinic to provide a basis for patients' rehabilitation.