Psychosomatics 1990; 31:321-330
Copyright © 1990 by Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH REPORTS |
Distress associated with cancer as measured by the illness distress scale
R Noyes Jr, RG Kathol, P Debelius-Enemark, J Williams, A Mutgi, MT Suelzer and GH Clamon
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Over 400 cancer patients were given the Illness Distress Scale (IDS), a
brief measure of the physical and emotional distress related to serious
illness. Physical manifestations of the disease proved to be the source of
greatest discomfort among these patients. Greater distress was reported by
younger patients and by those who were unmarried. Also, patients with more
advanced disease scored higher on the scale. The IDS appeared to measure
four dimensions of distress related to the experience of illness, including
loss of meaning, physical disease, medical treatment and social isolation.
Scores on the instrument correlated highly with a measure of depression,
the Beck Depression Inventory. The IDS appears to be a reliable and valid
measure of distress associated with serious illness.
