Brief report: Adolescents' attitudes toward epilepsy: Further validation of the Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS)

Objective: To examine adolescents' attitudes toward having epilepsy using t he Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS) and to provide further psych ometric validation of the scale in this population. Methods: Participants were 197 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years who complete d the CATIS at two points and two external validation scales. Test-retest a nd internal consistency reliability and construct validity were computed. A nalysis of variance was used to examine differences in attitudes according to gender, age, and epilepsy severity. Results: Girls, older adolescents, and those with more severe epilepsy had more negative attitudes toward having epilepsy than boys, younger adolescen ts, and those with moderate or mild epilepsy, respectively. Psychometric an alyses yielded excellent internal consistency reliability and good test-ret est reliability. The CATIS was moderately correlated with self-esteem and m astery, supporting its construct validity. Conclusions: The CATIS is a useful and psychometrically sound tool to asses s adolescents' attitudes toward having chronic illness.