ArticleBMC psychology2026
Spanish adaptation and validation of Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS-A) in cancer patients.
Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeUncertainty is a major factor affecting cancer patients throughout all stages of the disease. Given its impact, this study aimed to adapt Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS-A) into Spanish for cancer patients in Spain and to analyze the relationship between uncertainty and selected clinical and psychosocial variables.
methodsA descriptive cross-sectional transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation study was conducted using a prospective convenience sample of 174 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. Uncertainty, socio-family support, dependence in activities of daily living, and functional status were assessed using validated questionnaires. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlational analyses were performed to examine the factorial structure and associations among variables.
resultsPrincipal Component Analysis (PCA) supported the presence of the four dimensions of the original scale in the Spanish version. The 33-item scale showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.794) and an initial explained variance of 39.26%. After an iterative item reduction process to improve factor loadings, a 26-item version was obtained, maintaining the four-factor structure, acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.787), and increasing the total explained variance to 44.6%. The mean uncertainty score was 73.15 ± 14.41. Most patients reported adequate social support and were independent in basic activities of daily living. A significant negative association was found between social support and uncertainty (r = - 0.315, p < 0.001). Additionally, a significant negative association was observed between uncertainty and the number of disease-related hospital admissions (Z = - 2.775, p < 0.005).
conclusionsThe Spanish transcultural adaptation of Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale is a reliable and valid tool for assessing uncertainty in cancer patients in Spain. Uncertainty was present in all participants and was significantly associated with socio-family support and disease-related hospital admissions. Its clinical application provides a practical resource for oncology nurses to facilitate psychosocial screening and tailor specific communication strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.