Table 2.
Descriptive statistics for study variables.
| Confirmatory factor analysis | Current patientsa | Former patients | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Variable | Potential range | α | χ2 (df)b | RMSEA | CFI | SRMR | M | SD | M | SD |
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| Symptom burden | 0–10 | .92 | 1.51 (2) | < .001 | 1.00 | .007 | 4.52 | 2.60 | 3.66 | 2.40 |
| Illness uncertainty | 1–5 | .73 | – | – | – | – | 2.35 | .99 | 2.09 | .86 |
| Perceived empathic communication | 0–5 | .97 | 13.96 (7) | .057 | .997 | .008 | 3.66 | 1.28 | 4.06 | 1.06 |
| Psychological adjustment | 1–5 | .83 | 5.18 (3) | .049 | .997 | .014 | 3.57 | .90 | 3.89 | .79 |
Note. α = Cronbach’s alpha, composite scales for combined current and former patients; M = mean; SD = standard deviation; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; CFI = confirmatory fit index; SRMR = standardized root mean square residual.
a
Current patients’ mean scores are significantly less favorable than former patients based on one-tailed t-tests at a level p < .01 across all measures (e.g., current patients report more symptom burden, more uncertainty, less empathic communication, worse adjustment).
b
All χ2 values non-significant at a level p > .05.