Construct Validity of the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicines Questionnaire (HCAMQ)—An Investigation Using Modern Psychometric Approaches

Table 1

Holistic complementary and alternative medicines questionnaire items.

CAM Subscale	HH Subscale
Question 2	Question 1^a
Complementary medicine should be subject to more scientific testing before it can be accepted by conventional doctors	Positive thinking can help you fight off a minor illness
Question 4	Question 3^a
Complementary medicine can be dangerous in that it may prevent people getting proper treatment	When people are stressed it is important that they are careful about other aspects of their lifestyle (e.g., healthy eating) as their body already has enough to cope with
Question 6	Question 5^a
Complementary medicine should only be used as a last resort when conventional medicine has nothing to offer	The symptoms of an illness can be made worse by depression
Question 8^a	Question 7^a
It is worthwhile trying complementary medicine before going to the doctor	If a person experiences a series of stressful life events they are likely to become ill
Question 9	Question 10^a
Complementary medicine should only be used in minor ailments and not in the treatment of more serious illness	It is important to find a balance between work and relaxation in order to stay healthy
Question 11^a
Complementary medicine builds up the body's own defences, so leading to a permanent cure

Response options to each item: (1) Strongly agree, (2) Agree, (3) Mildly agree, (4) Mildly disagree, (5) Disagree, (6) Strongly disagree.
^aReversed scores for questions 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11; higher scores reflect pro-CAM and pro-HH beliefs.