Psychometric characteristics of a patient reported outcome measure on ego-integrity and despair among cancer patients.

We
wanted to evaluate psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire (the
Northwestern Ego-integrity Scale (NEIS)) on ego-integrity (the experience of
wholeness and meaning in life, even in spite of negative experiences) and despair (the experience of regret about the life
one has led, and feelings of sadness, failure and hopelessness) among cancer
patients.  

From
2009 to 2014, cancer patients were recruited for two intervention studies, both
were approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the VU University Medical
Center Amsterdam. In the present study, we used baseline data (before start of
the intervention) of the patient reported outcomes measures: the NEIS, the Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the quality of life questionnaires
EORTC QLQ-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30 (cancer survivors) or EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL (advanced
cancer patients)).