PhD Scientific Days 2026

Poster Session 2.K - Mental Health Sciences

Psychometric properties of the Hungarian Version of the Acceptance of Illness Scale

Name of the presenter

Őri, Dorottya

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University

Authors

Dorottya Őri¹, Laura Losonczy², Rupali Chowdhry³, Eva Szenczi-Pintér⁴, Anna Guttengeber⁵, Agota Petrányi⁶, Virag Katalin Bognár¹, Eniko Foldesi¹, Gyorgy Purebl¹, Adrienne Kegye¹
1: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest
2: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest
3: University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, USA
4: Department of Internal Medicine and Hematology, Semmelweis University, Budapest
5: Department of Urology, Semmelweis University, Budapest
6: Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Semmelweis University, Budapest

Text of the abstract

Introduction: The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) is a widely used questionnaire developed to assess illness acceptance in various conditions, including cancer. The AIS measures the extent to which individuals are able to accept their illness and adapt to the limitations and challenges it imposes on their daily lives. Its latent factor structure has been explored in a few countries; however, the psychometric properties of the scale have not yet been investigated in Hungary.

Aims: We aimed to explore the factor structure of the AIS and examine the key psychometric properties of the Hungarian version.

Methods: A paper-based survey was administered to patients at the clinics of Semmelweis University. The AIS is an 8-item self-report measure with a single subscale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine its factor structure, and McDonald’s omega and intraclass correlation coefficient were calculated to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Subscales of the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (Mini-MAC) were used to evaluate convergent and discriminant validity.

Results: To date, 138 participants have completed the questionnaire, and data collection is ongoing. Parallel analysis supported a single-factor solution, indicating a unidimensional structure on which all eight items loaded. The comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.974, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.963 exceeded the commonly accepted threshold of 0.90, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was higher than expected (0.126), however, the exploratory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensionality. McDonald’s omega value was 0.932, which indicated good internal consistency. Convergent and discriminant validity with the Mini-MAC subscales showed significant correlations: helplessness/hopelessness (r = –0.498, p < 0.0001), fighting spirit (r = 0.200, p = 0.001). Test–retest reliability was ICC=0.786 with a follow-up period of median 21 (21-28) days.
Conclusions: Preliminary findings support a unidimensional structure of the AIS and suitable psychometric properties. We expect that the Hungarian version of the AIS will be a useful tool for assessing illness acceptance among individuals with physical health conditions and in oncopsychology.

Funding: University Research Scholarship Program, Fulbright Fellowship