Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Managing Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Family Member form (MUIS-FM-J).
Methods: A questionnaire survey was distributed to 204 family members of patients hospitalized with cranial nerve disease. The contents comprised the MUIS-FM-J, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form JYZ (STAI), and basic subject attributes and recognition of a family member’s illness. Concurrent validity was determined based on the correlation between the MUIS-FM-J and state anxiety, whereas construct validity was determined mainly using the factor structure of the MUIS-FM-J. Distinctiveness was determined by differences in MUIS-FM-J scores for subject recognition of a family member’s illness.
Results: The MUIS-FM-J was confirmed as having the same single-factor structure as the original version. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.91. Positive correlations were obtained between the MUIS-FM-J score and trait anxiety (r=0.34) and state anxiety (r=0.66). MUIS-FM-J scores showed differences according to kind of disease, number of days since onset, levels of disturbance of consciousness and activities of daily living, predicted prognosis, and other variables.
Conclusion: The present findings for internal consistency, concurrent validity and construct validity suggest that the MUIS-FM-J has reliability and validity.