Reliability and validity of Chinese version of ambivalence over emotional expression questionnaire: testing in breast cancer survivors

Objective To examine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of ambivalence over emotional expression questionnaire(AEQ) in breast cancer survivors. Methods A total of 323 breast cancer survivors were divided into 2 parts: sample 1 contains 122 breast cancer survivors for item and exploratory factor analysis, while sample 2 contains 201 breast cancer survivors for further confirmatory factor analysis, criterion validity, and internal consistency reliability. Results One-factor construct was determined and the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that one-factor construct AEQ had a good construct validity (χ2/df=1.01, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99, NFI=0.86, IFI=0.99, RMSEA=0.02). The AEQ score was correlated with TAS-20 (r=0.28, P<0.01). Cronbach α coefficient, Spearman-Brown split coefficient and the test-retest reliability of AEQ were 0.86, 0.80 and 0.79, respectively. Conclusion The AEQ is a reliable tool to assess the ambivalence over emotional expression in Chinese breast cancer survivors. Key words: Ambivalence over emotional expression questionnaire; Reliability; Validity; Breast cancer survivors