Demographic characteristics of participants
| Data | n | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | 150 | 57.7 |
| Female | 110 | 42.3 |
| Age (years) (mean = 45.72, SD = 16.54) | ||
| 18–30 | 60 | 23.1 |
| 31–40 | 42 | 16.2 |
| 41–50 | 43 | 16.5 |
| 51–60 | 63 | 24.2 |
| >60 | 52 | 20.0 |
| Status | ||
| Married | 147 | 56.5 |
| Single | 81 | 31.2 |
| Widowed | 14 | 5.4 |
| Divorced | 18 | 6.9 |
| Education | ||
| Elementary school | 81 | 31.2 |
| Secondary school | 67 | 25.8 |
| Diploma | 26 | 10.0 |
| Graduate | 60 | 23.1 |
| Postgraduate | 26 | 10.0 |
Mean subscale
| Subscale | Mean | SD | Cronbach’s α |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutropenia Subscale (NS) (19 items) | 47.33 | 10.15 | 0.82 |
| Malaise | 19.66 | 4.88 | 0.71 |
| Worry | 10.47 | 3.94 | 0.72 |
| Flu-like symptoms | 8.17 | 2.58 | 0.64 |
The results of the confirmatory factor analysis of the neutropenia subscale
| Item number | Item content | Item loading (β) |
|---|---|---|
| Malaise subscale (8 items) | ||
| An1 | I feel listless (“washed out”) | 0.6 |
| An5 | I have energy | 0.2 |
| MS10 | I need to rest during the day | 0.5 |
| An3 | I have trouble starting things because I am tired | 0.7 |
| An14 | I need help doing my usual activities | 0.6 |
| An16 | I have to limit my social activity because I am tired | 0.2 |
| An13 | I am motivated to do my usual activities | 0.2 |
| P1 | I get aches and pains that bother me | 0.6 |
| Worry subscale (5 items) | ||
| N3 | I worry about getting infections | 0.9 |
| N1 | I worry about getting sick due to low blood counts | 0.8 |
| N2 | I avoid public places for fear of getting an infection | 0.4 |
| N4 | I worry my condition will not improve if my treatment is delayed | 0.6 |
| N7 | My partner worries about me when my blood counts are low | 0.4 |
| Flu-like symptoms subscale (3 items) | ||
| BRM3 | I am bothered by fevers (episodes of high body temperature) | 0.7 |
| BRM2 | I am bothered by the chills | 0.8 |
| ES3 | I have night sweats | 0.4 |
| Items that did not load on a factor | ||
| N6 | I have mouth sores | 0.4 |
| N8 | My low blood counts interfere with my intimate relationship | 0.5 |
| MS3 | I am bothered by headaches | 0.6 |
| Subscales | ||
| Malaise | 0.7 | |
| Worry | 0.7 | |
| Flu-like symptoms | 0.7 | |
Clinical characteristics
| Data | n | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Status (PS) | ||
| 1. Normal activity, without symptoms | 82 | 31.5 |
| 2. Some symptoms, but does not require bed rest during awake hours | 158 | 60.8 |
| 3. Require bed rest for less than 50% of awake hours | 16 | 6.2 |
| 4. Require bed rest for more than 50% of awake hours | 4 | 1.5 |
| Type of disease | ||
| Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | 147 | 56.5 |
| Acute myeloid leukemia | 64 | 24.6 |
| Hodgkin’s lymphoma | 32 | 12.3 |
| Multiple myeloma | 17 | 6.5 |
| Chemotherapy regimen | ||
| Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | ||
| CHOP/R-CHOP | 101 | 38.8 |
| EPOCH | 15 | 5.8 |
| ICE/R-ICE | 13 | 5.0 |
| CVP/R-CVP | 7 | 2.7 |
| ESHAP | 4 | 1.5 |
| Hyper-CVAD | 6 | 2.3 |
| R-FC | 1 | 0.4 |
| Hodgkin’s lymphoma | ||
| ABV/ABVD | 32 | 12.3 |
| Acute myeloid leukemia | ||
| HIDAC | 64 | 24.6 |
| Multiple myeloma | ||
| Bortezomib | 11 | 4.2 |
| VCD | 6 | 2 .3 |