A general population study of the Chinese Whiteley-7 index in Hong Kong.
J Psychosom Res
; 71(6): 387-91, 2011 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-22118380
OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese seven-item Whiteley Index (WI-7) in the general population of Hong Kong. METHODS: A random community-based telephone survey of 3014 respondents aged 15-65 was conducted using a fully structured questionnaire that included the WI-7, 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and items about the frequency of health service use, perceived helpfulness of doctors, level of satisfaction with doctors, and sociodemographic variables. A sub-sample of 199 respondents was re-interviewed to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The WI-7 exhibited satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.73) and stable one-month test-retest reliability. The most commonly endorsed item was "worrying a lot about one's health" (55.7%), followed by "worrying about getting the disease oneself if it is brought to his/her attention" (48.7%) and "bothered by many different pains and aches" (33.9%). Age, gender, and monthly family income significantly predicted WI-7 score. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a 2-factor structure was superior to a 1-factor structure in fitting the data. WI-7 total score was positively associated with PHQ-15 somatic distress, SDS impairment, number of healthcare visits, lower levels of perceived helpfulness of doctors and of satisfaction with doctors. CONCLUSION: The Chinese WI-7 exhibits satisfactory reliability and internal validity in a general population. It is a promising tool for the empirical examination of health anxiety which is a common experience with a mostly typical epidemiological profile among Chinese people in Hong Kong.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ansiedad
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Actitud Frente a la Salud
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Hipocondriasis
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Límite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Psychosom Res
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido