Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic investigations of the IllnessAttitudes Scale in a nonclinical sample

The Illness Attitudes Scale (IAS) assesses fears, beliefs and attitudes ass ociated with hypochondriasis [Kellner, R. (1986). Somatization and hypochon driasis. New York: Praeger Publishers.]. Recent factor analytic investigati ons of the IAS in non-clinical samples have suggested a number of different factor solutions. In study 1, we used principal components analysis with b oth orthogonal and oblique rotation to better explore the structure of this measure. Using a random selection of 390 participants from a larger pool o f 780, a five-factor solution was identified: (1) fear of illness, death, d isease and pain, (2) effects of symptoms, (3) treatment experiences, (4) di sease conviction and (5) health habits. In study 2, confirmatory factor ana lysis (CFA) of responses from the remaining 390 students evaluated: (a) a s ingle-factor model, (b) Kellner's original nine-factor model, (c) a four-fa ctor model proposed by Ferguson and Daniel [Ferguson, E. & Daniel, E. (1995 ). The Illness Attitudes Scale (IAS): a psychometric evaluation on a noncli nical population. Personality and Individual Differences, 18, 463-469.], (d ) a different four-factor model proposed by Stewart and Watt [Stewart, S. H . & Watt, M. C. (1998). A psychometric investigation of the Illness Attitud es Scale (IAS) in a nonclinical young adult sample. Submitted for publicati on.] and (e) the five-factor model derived in study 1. Of these models, gre atest support was obtained for our five-factor model. However, it was also clear that this model could be improved. Based on the results of the CFA? a s well as previous research and theoretical considerations, we tested a rev ised model in which the health habits factor was deleted. Analysis of the r evised model showed that it received the greatest support and could be conc eptualized as either four distinct factors or as hierarchical in nature, wi th four lower-order factors loading on a single higher-order factor. Future directions for research as well as suggestions for scoring and using the I AS with nonclinical samples are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.