The Psychometric Properties of Taiwanese Version of the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer

Abstract Context. The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC) has been used in different countries to assess the specific anxiety of patients with prostate cancer. Objectives This research aims to test the reliability and validity of the Taiwanese version of the MAX-PC (MAX-PC-T). Methods Patients with prostate cancer in the urology clinics of three hospitals are recruited via a convenience sampling. Patients completed the MAX-PC-T, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and the Short Form (SF)-12 Health Survey. The internal consistency is tested to determine the reliability of the MAX-PC-T. The correlation among the MAX-PC-T, PANAS, and SF-12 is used to test concurrent and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis is performed to determine the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale. Results The MAX-PC-T conforms to the three structures of the original MAX-PC, which includes the prostate cancer anxiety subscale, prostate-specific antigen anxiety subscale, and fear of recurrence subscale. The factor loading of the items in each subscale is > 0.50. The MAX-PC-T was significantly negatively correlated with the positive affect subscale of the PANAS and the mental component summary of the SF-12 and significantly positively correlated with the negative affect subscale of the PANAS. Cronbach’s α value of internal consistency is 0.94 in the MAX-PC-T. Conclusion The MAX-PC-T demonstrates appropriate reliability and validity. It can be used with patients with prostate cancer to assess their specific anxiety.