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. 2021 Jan 14;29(8):4413–4421. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-05988-2

Table 2.

CancerSupportSource®: exploratory factor analysis of 25 items

Item EFA of 25-item CancerSupportSource
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 IDI Factor # Item–factor correlation Action for short form
Emotional well-being
 Feeling nervous or afraid 0.82 0.66 1 0.82 Retained
 Feeling sad or depressed 0.77 0.77 1 0.82 Retained
 Worrying about the future and what lies ahead 0.77 0.85 1 0.81 Retained
 Feeling lonely or isolated 0.71 0.71 1 0.81 Retained
 Finding meaning and purpose in life 0.56 0.70 1 0.75 Dropped
 Worrying about family, children, and/or friends 0.43 0.72 1 0.66 Dropped
 Health insurance or money worries 0.39 0.69 1 0.60 Retained
 Feeling irritable 0.34 0.66 1 0.65 Dropped
Symptom burden and impact
 Pain and/or physical discomfort 0.77 0.70 2 0.77 Retained
 Moving around (walking, climbing stairs, lifting, etc.) 0.74 0.69 2 0.70 Dropped
 Feeling too tired to do the things that you need or want to do 0.69 0.87 2 0.81 Retained
 Managing side effects of treatment (nausea, swelling, etc.) 0.55 0.66 2 0.70 Dropped
 Changes or disruptions in work, school, or home life 0.45 0.83 2 0.73 Retained
 Thinking clearly (e.g., “chemo brain,” “brain fog”) 0.39 0.67 2 0.61 Retained
 Sleep problems 0.30 0.70 2 0.59 Dropped
 Transportation to treatment and appointments 0.30 0.30 2 0.51 Dropped
Body image and healthy lifestyle
 Exercising and being physically active 0.61 0.80 3 0.72 Retained
 Recent weight change (gain or loss) 0.60 0.62 3 0.71 Dropped
 Body image and feelings about how you look 0.53 0.73 3 0.69 Retained
 Eating and nutrition 0.49 0.55 3 0.51 Dropped
Health care team communication
 Communicating with your doctor 0.48 0.47 4 0.58 Retained
 Making a treatment decision 0.43 0.61 4 0.58 Retained
Relationships and intimacy
 Problems in your relationship with your spouse/partner 0.82 0.49 5 0.63 Retained
 Intimacy, sexual function, and/or fertility 0.54 0.59 5 0.63 Retained
Additional items
 Tobacco or substance use—by you or someone in your household 0.16 N/A N/A Retained

indicates item is part of anxiety risk screening subscale; indicates item is part of depression risk screening subscale; IDI item discrimination index between upper and lower quartiles, based on total distress score