Development of a Quality of Life Scale for Patients with Breast Cancer in Korea

국내 유방암 환자의 삶의 질 측정 도구 개발에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to develop a Quality of Life(QOL) scale for breast cancer patients in Korea and to test the validity and reliability of the instrument. To achieve the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was developed to interview 10 breast cancer patients and distributed to 155 patients with breast cancer in Korea. For data analysis, SPSS WIN 8.0/PC were used. Item analysis and factor analysis were carried out to test validity of the QOL scale. Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ and Guttman split half coefficient were used to test reliability of the scale. The results were as follows; As a result of the item analysis, 27 items were selected from the total of 34 items. 6 factors were selected by factor analysis. Six factors were labeled as 'response to cancer diagnosis and treatment', 'family well-being', 'physical concerns', 'psychological well-being', 'spiritual well-being', and 'economic concerns'. Six factors were explained by 72.236% out of the total variance. The first factor explained 20.738% and the second factor explained 16.593%, which were major factors for Korean breast cancer patients. Chronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficient of the tool was .9120, and Guttman split-half coefficient was .8148. The scale was identified to be a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. Therefore, this scale can be effectively utilized for assessment of Quality of Life of patients with breast cancer in Korea.