Psychological distress (anxiety and depression) is common in and experienced differentlyby people living with long-term health conditions (LTCs). Being able to measure whetherpsychological distress is related to living with a LTC would allow researchers andclinicians to provide interventions specifically tailored to the challenges of livingwith a LTC and therefore provide the most appropriate support for these patients. Such ameasure would also be useful in research to identify the presence of illness-relateddistress in different patient groups. This project will therefore create a new measure ofillness-related distress that has applications for both research and clinical practice.This will involve the psychometric validation of the new illness-related distress measureto test how valid and reliable the measure is.The aim of the project is to provide initial validation of the Illness Related DistressScale in a community sample, recruited through online platforms. The objective of thestudy is to gather initial validity and reliability data for the scale.
Background: see brief summary
Project information:
This study will be conducted online with participants from the UK. A series of
standardised questionnaires will be used alongside the new questionnaire.
Participants will be those who self-select to complete our survey by responding to
advertisements. The invitation will include a link to the Qualtrics survey which includes
the Participant Information Sheet, Eligibility Screening, Consent Form and Baseline
Questionnaire.
After completing eligibility screening and consent, participants will complete the
baseline questionnaire which will include brief demographics (highest education level,
long-term condition diagnoses, ethnicity age and gender), the new measure we are testing
(the Illness Related Distress Scale), as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire
(PHQ-8), Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale
(WSAS). The baseline questionnaire will only include the Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Distress Scale (IBD-DS) and Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) if participants indicate that
they have a diagnosis of the relevant condition.
At 1 week follow-up, participants will be sent a Qualtrics link to complete our 1-week
follow-up questionnaire which will include the new Illness-Related Distress Scale only.
Participants:
We are aiming to recruit 600-700 participants for the study.
Diagnostic Test: Living with LTC Questionnaire
A questionnaire that will ask about demographic information, mental wellbeing and
distress related to chronic illness.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Over the age of 18
- Self-reported diagnosis of a Long-Term Condition
- UK resident
- Possession of an email address to enable all study procedures
- Sufficient command of written and spoken English to understand study procedures
Exclusion Criteria:
- Under the age of 18
- Not living in the UK
- No self-reported diagnosis of an LTC
- Inability to complete questionnaires in English
King's College London
London, United Kingdom
Investigator: Natasha Seaton, MSc
Contact: 0207 188 1189
natasha.seaton@kcl.ac.uk
Natasha Seaton, MSc
0207 188 1189
LTC-study@kcl.ac.uk
Natasha Seaton, MSc
0207 188 1189
natasha.seaton@kcl.ac.uk