ASSESSING ILLNESS REPRESENTATIONS OF CHRONIC ILLNESS - EXPLORATIONS OF THEIR DISEASE-SPECIFIC NATURE

Elaborating on the five-dimensional structure of illness representatio n, as described in the self-regulation model of Leventhal (1980), the present study is aimed at identifying the relevance of this generic st ructure for two chronic illnesses: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Addison's disease (AD). Factor analyses showed the importance of the f ive dimensions identity, time-line, control/cure, cause, and consequen ces to differ according to the type of disease. That is, the items rep resenting the five dimensions merged together for CFS patients and AD patients in a different manner and thereby produced different factor s olutions for the two patient groups. In CFS patients, a four-factor so lution was identified with manageability, seriousness, personal respon sibility, and external cause as the factors. In AD patients a four-fac tor solution was also identified but with seriousness, cause, chronici ty, and controllability as the factors. The value of these findings fo r our understanding of the disease-specific nature of illness represen tation is discussed.