The psychometric property and validation of a fatalism scale

Abstract

In this article, we conceptualised fatalism as a set of health beliefs that encompass the dimensions of predetermination, luck and pessimism. A 20-item scale was developed as a measurement instrument. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the dimensionality of the scale. Three external variables (i.e. genetic determinism, perceived benefits of lifestyle change and intention to engage in healthy behaviour) were used as reference variables to test the construct validity of the scale. Data from a web-based national survey (N = 1218) showed that the scale was unidimensional on the second order, and with good reliability (α = 0.88). The relationships between the external variables and the first- and second-order factors provided evidence of the scale's external consistency and construct validity.

Keywords:

• fatalism
• confirmatory factor analysis
• construct validity
• genetic determinism
• perceived benefits
• behavioural intention

Notes

Notes

1.  The two items for fear are: Item 8, ‘I think getting checked for bowel cancer makes people scared that they may really have bowel cancer’ and Item 10, ‘I think some people don't want to know if they have bowel cancer because they don't want to know they may be dying from it.’

2.  The model fit indices of the first order three-factor model without the instrumental variable were also very similar: d.f. = 167, χ² = 1062.44, RMSEA = 0.07, CFA = 0.84, GFI = 0.68, BIC = −113.77.

3.  The model fit indices of the second order single-factor model without the instrumental variable were exactly the same as those of the first order oblique three-factor model because a factor model with three indicators is just-identified.