Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Parent Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS) among parents of children with cancer diagnosis

Objective: Parents of children diagnosed with cancer often experience high levels of illness uncertainty. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Chinese Version of the Parent Perception of Uncertainty Scale for Childhood Cancer (PPUS-CC) in Mainland China.

Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed using study population of 420 parents. The participants were also given the social support questionnaire and assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, and Self-Rating Depression Scale to test the association with PPUS-CC and obtain the cut-off of the scale.

Results: The Chinese version of PPUS-CC includes 14 items, and two factors were extracted by EFA, which could explain the 54.56% variances. The Cronbach's α of two factors ranged from 0.830 to 0.877. The dimensions of PPUS-CC show statistical association with other scales, and the cut-off is 42.5.

Conclusion: The Chinese version of PPUS-CC, as a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use clinical tool, can be adapted in clinical settings as a screening tool to recognize parents with high-risk psychological problems.