Die deutsche Version der Benefit Finding Skala: Ihre psychometrischen Eigenschaften bei Tumorpatienten

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mohamed, Nihal E. | Böhmer, Sonja

Note: [] Böhmer Universität Berlin, Arbeitsbereich Gesundheits-psychologie, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Perceived benefit may contribute to clarify processes of coping with adverse and traumatic events. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Benefit Finding Scale (Antoni et al., 2001) in a sample of 136 German cancer patients (predominantly suffering from gastrointestinal cancer) 12 months post-surgery. The scale comprises 17 items and assesses benefit finding in different domains, including acceptance of the imperfections of life, interpersonal growth and closeness to others, better coping abilities, and development of new purposes and priorities. The principle research questions address the possible application in the German culture and the equivalence to the American version. Findings are in accordance with our expectations, and, additionally, suggest an abbreviation of the scale without a significant loss of reliability. Moreover, there is evidence for a good validity of the scale.

Keywords: Benefit Finding, Search for Meaning, Cancer, Tumor

Journal: Zeitschrift für Medizinische Psychologie, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 85-91, 2004