Attachment orientations of Greek cancer patients in palliative care. A validation study of the Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR-M16).

Purpose: Health-care professionals may serve as attachment figures, nevertheless little research has been made in the palliative context. The psychometric properties of the brief ECR-M16 in Greek cancer patients were explored. Methods: The ECR-Ml 6 was translated into Greek (G-ECR-M16), and was administered to 100 patients before starting palliative care and 7 days later to test its stability. Patients (N=35) also completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 scales. Results: Cronbach's alphas for the discomfort for closeness, anxiety and avoidance scales were 0.871, 0.762, and 0.761, respectively. Test-retest reliability was very satisfactory (p< 0.0005). Factor analysis yielded three factors (58.75% of the variance). Known-groups validity showed that discomfort with closeness had a statistically significant correlation with advanced disease stage (p=0.022). Conclusions: The G-ECR-M16 is a valid research tool for the attachment patterns' impact in Greek cancer patients.