Sickness Questionnaire: A two-factor instrument reflecting physical and mental symptoms in the Chinese context

J Health Psychol. 2022 Jan;27(1):13-23. doi: 10.1177/1359105320942865. Epub 2020 Jul 16.

Abstract

The Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) is a 10-item inventory used to measure sickness-related symptoms. This study extended its psychometric properties in the Chinese context. A total of 992 clinical and non-clinical participants from three samples were included. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a 9-item two-factor structure (mental and physical symptoms) of the Chinese version of Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ-C). The internal consistency of the two subscales in this instrument ranged from .71 to .85. The incremental and predictive validities of SicknessQ-C demonstrated that this instrument contributed more to explaining the variance of flourishing than the measurement of negative emotion symptoms.

Keywords: factor analysis; flourishing; negative emotion symptoms; sickness behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Humans
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires