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. 2024 Jun 20;16(6):e62801.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.62801. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Translation and Validation of the Greek Version of the Questionnaire for Assessing Fear of Radiotherapy in Oncology Patients

Apostolina Ouzouni  1 , Georgios A Plataniotis  2 , Antonio Capizzello  2 , Areti Gkantaifi  2 , Areti Tsaloglidou  3 , Dimitra-Anna Owens  4 , Maria Lavdaniti  3
Affiliations

Translation and Validation of the Greek Version of the Questionnaire for Assessing Fear of Radiotherapy in Oncology Patients

Apostolina Ouzouni et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

This study aims to validate the Greek translation of the Questionnaire for Assessing Fear of Radiotherapy in Oncology Patients (QAFRT). Conducted as a cross-sectional pilot study, it involved 149 cancer patients from two radiotherapy departments in Thessaloniki, Greece. The sample included patients with various cancer types and stages, all of whom were undergoing radiation treatment. The QAFRT, originally containing 15 items measured on a Likert scale, was translated into Greek using the back-translation method. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on the translated version, resulting in a refined 13-item questionnaire encompassing four factors: fear of radiotherapy effectiveness, fear of illness during radiotherapy, fear of radiotherapy's impact on daily life, and fear of side effects and relationships. The reliability of the QAFRT was confirmed with Cronbach's α of 0.82 and intraclass correlation coefficient coefficients ranging from 0.92 to 0.98. The study concludes that the Greek version of the QAFRT is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the fear of radiotherapy in cancer patients, highlighting the need for adequate psychological support for those with high levels of fear.

Keywords: fear; oncology patients; questionnaire; radiotherapy; translation; validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of the International Hellenic University of Thessaloniki issued approval 14/01.11.2022. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Scree plot of the data
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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