Presentation of psychological evaluation tools used
| Questionnaire, purpose and item example | Likert scale used | Subscales/dimensions | Interpretation rules (if any) |
| HADS: Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale [30, 31] The HADS detects anxiety and/or depression, evaluates their severity and avoids confusion with somatic illnesses. I have lost interest in my appearance. | 4 levels 0 to 3 | Depression (14 items) Anxiety (14 items) | Non-cases: 0–7 Possible cases: 8–10 Probable cases: 11–21 Global score: No anxio-depressive disorders: 0–14 Anxio-depressive disorders: 15–42 |
| STAI-Y: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y [32, 33] The STAI-Y evaluates anxiety and differentiates the anxiety-trait (AT) from anxiety-state (AS) I feel satisfied with myself. I have disturbing thoughts. | 4 levels “No” to “Yes” “Almost never” to “Almost always” (0 to 3) | State anxiety (20 items) Trait anxiety (20 items) | Very high anxiety: >65 High anxiety: 56–65 Average anxiety: 46–55 Low anxiety: 36–45 Very low anxiety: ≤35 |
| CHIP: Coping with Health Injuries and Problems [34, 35] The CHIP, specific to health-related problems, refers to the thoughts and actions we use to deal, in order to master, minimise or tolerate stress and threatening situations. I wonder why it happened to me | 5 levels “Not at all” to “Very much” (1 to 5) | Distraction coping (D; 8 items) Instrumental coping (I; 8 items) Emotional preoccupation (E; 8 items) Palliative coping (P; 8 items) | Likert scores are summed per subscale. Subscale sums are then transformed according to age and sex. The latter (T-scores) have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. |
| WCC: Ways of Coping Checklist [36, 37] The WCC identifies, from a stressful situation not linked to the disease (divorce, moving, conflict, etc.), strategies which have been used to confront the situation. I accepted sympathy and understanding from someone | 4 levels “No” to “Yes” (0 to 3) | Problem-focused (9 items) Emotion-focused (9 items) Search for social support (9 items) | Possible scores range from 0 to 27 for each subscale |
| SSQ6: Short Form of the Social Support Questionnaire [38, 39] The SSQ intends to quantify the dimensions of perceived availability of and satisfaction with social support Whom can you really count on to help you feel more relaxed when you are under pressure or tense? (For each item, there is a two-part answer: Part 1: list all the people that fit the description of the question. Part 2: use the Likert scale to indicate satisfaction) | 6 levels “Very satisfied” to “Very dissatisfied” (1 to 6) | Number of available people (N; 6 items with up to nine people in each item) Satisfaction (S; 6 items) | SSQ Number score (N): the total score ranges between 0 and 54 SSQ Satisfaction score (S): the total score ranges between 6 and 36 |
| MHLC-C: Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Form C [39, 40] This scale measures health-specific locus of control along four dimensions. The extent to which individuals believe that: 1) health is a consequence of their own actions, 2) under the influence of doctors, 3) under the influence of powerful others, 4) due to chance. Form C is designed to be “condition-specific”, i.e. used when studying people with an existing health condition. Other people play a big role in whether my condition improves, stays the same or gets worse | 6 levels “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree” (1 to 6) | Internal (I; 6 items) External: Chance (C; 3 items) External: Doctors (D; 3 items) External: Powerful others (O; 6 items) | Possible range: Internal and Chance: 6–36 Doctors and Other powerful people: 3–18 |