Design and psychometric evaluation of the psychological adaptation to genetic information scale

Purpose: To develop and psychometrically evaluate the Psychological Adaptation to Genetic Information Scale (PAGIS). Design: A cross-sectional, Web-based survey of participants (n=323) recruited via Internet electronic mailing lists or Websites for people affected by genetic diseases. Methods: Item analysis, confirmatory principal components analysis, and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha were used to construct the 26-item PAGIS. Findings: Five factors (nonintrusiveness, support, self-worth, certainty, and self-efficacy) explained 57.7% of the variance in psychological adaptation to genetic information. The internal consistency reliability of the total PAGIS was.90, and the subscale reliabilities ranged from.77 to.87. Conclusions: Psychological adaptation to genetic information is a multidimensional phenomenon comprised of nonintrusiveness, support, self-worth, certainty, and self-efficacy. The PAGIS has initial reliability and validity for use in future research.