Measuring parental uncertainty during the diagnosis phase of serious illness in a child.

The purpose of this study was to revise and evaluate the Parental Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS) for use in measuring parental uncertainty during the diagnosis of serious illness in a child. The concept of parental uncertainty during diagnosis was elaborated and original PPUS items were revised based on a review of the literature. Content validity of the revision was judged by nurse and parent experts. Preliminary psychometric evaluation of the measure was conducted in a sample of 25 biological mothers of infants who are HIV seropositive. The results offer initial support for the reliability and validity of the revised instrument.