AIM: This study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, specifically with prostate cancer patients. BACKGROUND: Measurement of appraisal is considered a relatively new area in the health studies literature. Cognitive appraisal of potentially stressful events becomes important when individuals face a crisis such as a change in their health status. So far, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has not been used to study the factor structure of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale. METHODS: The structure of the questionnaire was analysed by exploratory factor analysis, CFA using structural equation modelling and an Analysis of Moment Structure procedure with a sample of 133 patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS: The results support the three-factor model for the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale because it has robust structure and excellent goodness-of-fit indices. Several of the 23 items were grouped into different factors from those in Kessler's scale. CONCLUSION: The use of the reduced version of Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale with men under health stress is recommended.