Evaluating the Factor Structure of the Persian Version of Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in Cancer Patients

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the factor structure of the Persian version of posttraumatic growth inventory (P-PTGI). METHODS: Participants included 272 Iranian people of Azari ethnicity (111 women and 161 men), aged between 21 and 91 years (mean 52.65 years), who were diagnosed with cancer and were referred to the oncology department of the university hospital. The P-PTGI was assessed to determine the construct validity, using various indices of confirmatory factor analysis and standardized lambda coefficient, followed by further assessment of the discriminant and convergent validities by using the structural equation model. LISREL 8.8 for Windows and SPSS were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The calculated values of comparative fit index, incremental fit index, normed fit index, and non-normed fit index > .90 and the values of standardized root-mean-square residual < .08 indicate an acceptable fit for the original PTGI. Considering that the values of average variance extracted (.52–.74) were greater than the square of correlation coefficients between the five dimensions of P-PTGI, discriminant validity was approved. Convergent validity was confirmed through a high value of standardized lambda coefficient (.52–.92) between the items and their related factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that P-PTGI has an acceptable validity and reliability for posttraumatic growth assessment in Iranian cancer patients and its factor structure is similar to that of the original form developed by Tedeschi and Calhoun.

[Relationship between quality of life and social support in stroke patients]

Stroke patients face to various physical, sensory, mental, psychological and social problems that have a negative effect on quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine relationship between quality of life and social support in stroke patients. This was a correlational study in which the study population consisted of the stroke patients in Marageh, the city in werstern Iran. Convenience sampling was used through which 106 patients who had entrance criteria were selected; and data were collected through interviewing based on quality of life and social support instruments. Then, data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS software [Version 15]. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests. The results indicated that quality of life and social support were optimal in 70.8% and 82.1% of stroke patients, respectively and there was a statistically significant positive relationship between these two variables [P<0.002, r=0.3]. Regarding quality of life subsections; quality in social and physical dimensions was desirable in respectively 97.2% and 63.2% of patients, while quality in psychological dimension was undesirable in half of them. In social support subsections, optimal emotional support was found in 96.2% of samples; and the impact of instrumental and informational support on quality of life were not found to be statistically significant. Nearly, one third of the patients didn't have optimal quality of life and social support, and regarding to positive relationship between these two concepts, specially the relationship between emotional support and quality of life, it is suggested that health care policy makers and managers consider emotional support in order to improve quality of life in stroke patients and also pay attention to increasing instrumental and informational support