Determining the psychometric properties of the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) in women previously treated for breast cancer: A pooled analysis of data from the Women's Wellness after Cancer Programs
File version
Author(s)
McCarthy, Alexandra
McGuire, Amanda
Porter-Steele, Janine
Balaam, Sarah
McDonald, Nicole
Bailey, Tom
Anderson, Debra
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Objectives: This paper examines the utility of a common climacteric symptoms scale, the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS), in two groups of women with a history of breast cancer, those who were at menopause before commencing breast cancer treatment, and those who were not. Study design: This pooled analysis of 297 women previously diagnosed with breast cancer, aged 28–74 years, was undertaken on baseline data from two structured lifestyle interventions: the Women's Wellness After Cancer Program (WWACP) and the Younger Women's Wellness After Cancer Program (YWWACP). Data were split into two data subsets (women who were post-menopausal on commencement of breast cancer treatment and those who were either pre- or peri‑menopausal). Multitrait/multi-item analysis was conducted to test scaling assumptions for each group separately. Results: GCS domain scores were positively skewed, with significant floor effects for vasomotor symptoms and ceiling effects for sexual dysfunction. Multitrait analysis showed acceptable convergent validity (77% of items correlated ≥ 0.40 with their hypothesized domains) but weak discriminant validity for anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms in both groups. The exploratory factor analysis in women who were menopausal at the commencement of breast cancer treatment and those who were not revealed distinct factor structures that accounted for 60.2% and 62.7% of the total variance, respectively. Conclusions: The original GCS factor structure was not replicated in this sample. Among women previously treated for breast cancer, the presence of multiple concurrent and severe menopausal symptoms with possible treatment-related causes underpins the need for a breast cancer-specific measure to enhance their identification and management. Trial IDs, Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: WWACP, ACTRN12614000800628; YWWACP, ACTRN12614001087640
Journal Title
Maturitas
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
161
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Health sciences
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Menopausal symptoms
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Seib, C; McCarthy, A; McGuire, A; Porter-Steele, J; Balaam, S; McDonald, N; Bailey, T; Anderson, D, Determining the psychometric properties of the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) in women previously treated for breast cancer: A pooled analysis of data from the Women's Wellness after Cancer Programs, Maturitas, 2022, 161, pp. 65-71