Validation of the MFI Cancer Nursing™, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2003 ■ 143
Validation Evidence for the French
Canadian Adaptation of the
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory
as a Measure of Cancer-related Fatigue
Cancer-related fatigue is the most reported symptom among patients with cancer.
Researchers in the field of psychooncology have encouraged the development of
short instruments, which allow for easier completion by clinical populations while still
maintaining solid psychometric properties. The current study examined the validity
and reliability of the French Canadian adaptation of the Multidimensional Fatigue
Inventory (MFI) among women (n = 277) and men (n = 327) undergoing therapy
for breast or prostate cancer, respectively. An exploratory factor analysis of the
selected 15-item MFI yielded the following four factors: general/physical, mental,
reduced motivation, and reduced activity. This was supported by a confirmatory fac-
tor analysis. The reliability, as evaluated by test-retest and Cronbach alpha internal
consistency reliability coefficients of the French Canadian shortened MFI, was
acceptable. In addition, the four factor-based scores correlated in a theoretically
meaningful manner with existing measures of mood disturbance (Profile of Mood
States and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), cancer-related stressors (Inven-
tory of Recent Life Experiences), coping with illness (Coping with Health Injuries and
Problems Scale), quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment
of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire), and insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index),
suggesting good construct, convergent, and concurrent criterion validity. Although
further validation is recommended, the results for the French Canadian MFI in
assessing cancer-related fatigue in both women and men undergoing cancer treat-
ments showed good psychometric qualities.
© 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., Philadelphia
Lise Fillion, PhD
Céline Gélinas, MSc
Sébastien Simard, MPs
Josée Savard, PhD
Pierre Gagnon, MD
K E Y W O R D S
Cancer
Fatigue measurement
French
MFI
Validation
From Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.
Supported by a York University Faculty of Arts Research Grant and a CRC
Research Grant to the first author.
Corresponding author: Lise Fillion, PhD, Faculty of Nursing, University
Laval, Quebec, Canada, G1K 7P4 (e-mail: lise.fillion@fsi.ulaval.ca).
Accepted for publication December 9, 2002.