Psychometric Testing of a Cardiovascular Disease Fatalism Instrument Among Adults With Cardiovascular Disease Risks

Background: We modified a general health fatalism instrument to examine cardiovascular disease (CVD) fatalism because there is no specific CVD fatalism instrument (CVD-FI). Methods: Adults with two or more CVD risk factors completed a 20-item CVD-FI rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicated higher CVD fatalism. Reliability and construct validity of the CVD-FI were examined using Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis, and hypothesis testing using correlation respectively. Results: Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 supporting internal consistency. Hypothesis that individuals with lower adherence to healthy lifestyle will have high fatalism score was supported (Pearson's r = -0.151; p =.001), and factor analysis yielded a 4-factor solution. Conclusions: CVD-FI is a reliable and valid measure of CVD fatalism. More research is needed to confirm the emergent 4-factor solution of CVD fatalism.