Psychometric validation of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form in acute pancreatitis patients (AP-FoP-Q-SF)

Background: Fear of progression (FoP) is present in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients and has an impact on quality of life and self-management, but lack of assessment tools. This study therefore aimed to develop and evaluates the psychometric properties of the fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form in acute pancreatitis patients (AP-FoP-Q-SF). Besides, the cut-off score for high FoP and identification of patient characteristics associated with FoP.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional validation study was performed in 417 patients diagnosed with AP. Redundant items were systematically excluded. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), factorial structure (principal component analysis), convergent validity (confirmatory factor analysis), and criterion validity tested against quality-of-life and anxiety were assessed. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to identify the most appropriate cutoff value for high FoP.Associations between patient variables and FoP were evaluated using multiple logistic regression.Results: The AP-FoP-Q-SF based on the FoP-Q-SF were developed. Three items were excluded using item analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a clear two-factor structure (57.4% explained variance). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s α=0.771). The cutoff of 26 identified 35.3% of patients with high FoP scores. High FoP scores were associated with age (OR=0.96, 95%CI: 0.94-0.98), recurrence times (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.02-1.45) and anxiety (OR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.16-1.40).Conclusion: The AP-FoP-Q-SF is a good candidate for use as a screening tool for FoP in AP patients. Clinicians can use the AP-FoP-Q-SF to assess this kind of emotion and take promotion programs to avoid worse effects.