Psychometric Properties of the Image of God Scale in Breast Cancer Survivors

Purpose/Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the Image of God Scale (IGS) in a clinical population.

Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional.

Setting: University and community oncology practices in the southeastern United States.

Sample: 123 breast cancer survivors no more than two years from completion of treatment.

Methods: Scale reliability was determined with the coefficient alpha. Instrument dimensionality was examined using principal component analysis. Construct validity was evaluated by examining correlations with other instruments used in the study.

Main Research Variables: An individual's image of God.

Findings: Internal consistency was strong (anger subscale = 0.8; engagement subscale = 0.89). The principle component analysis resulted in a two-factor solution with items loading uniquely on Factor 1-Engagement (8) and Factor 2-Anger (6). Significant correlations between the IGS and religious coping support convergence on a God concept. Correlations with psychological well-being, psychological distress, and concern about recurrence were nonsignificant (engagement) or inverse (anger), supporting discrimination between concepts of God and psychological adjustment.

Conclusions: The IGS is a unique measure of how God is viewed by the depth and character of His involvement with the individual and the world.

Implications for Nursing: The IGS may be a measure that can transcend sects, denominations, and religions by identifying the image of God that underlies and defines an individuals' worldview, which influences their attitudes and behaviors.