Self-concealment among couples who cope with chronic illness: development and preliminary validation of the Couples Illness Self-Concealment (CISC) questionnaire.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric characteristics of a new brief self-report measure, which evaluates self-concealment behavior in the context of couples coping with chronic illness.

Methods: The Couples Illness Self-Concealment (CISC) scale was developed, emphasizing the active process involved in self-concealment. It was then tested among 56 cancer patients and partners of cancer patients. Correlations and multiple regression analysis were used to assess the internal consistency reliability and validity of the scale.

Results: Psychometric evaluation of the CISC final version, which includes 13 items, provides evidence that the scale has high internal consistency reliability. The findings support the construct validity of the scale, examined by both convergent validity and between group differences (patients vs. spouses).

Conclusions: The CISC scale has acceptable psychometric qualities, internal consistency reliability and validity. The use of CISC may assist in revealing important aspects of couple's illness communication patterns, and enable examination of possible links between self-concealment behavior in the context of illness, and psychological outcome. It may also contribute to the assessment of interventions aimed at enhancing communication between partners coping with chronic illness.