Development of an instrument to measure threat related to cardiac events.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Cardiac Event Threat Questionnaire (CTQ). The CTQ is a 31-item instrument specific for cardiac events that was developed from a literature review and self-reports of persons who had experienced a recent cardiac event. A convenience sample (N = 270) of persons hospitalized for angina, myocardial infarction, or cardiac surgery completed the CTQ. Satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were found. Results of confirmatory factor analysis and correlation with the Profile of Mood States provide initial support for construct validity of the CTQ.