Reliability and validity of Chinese version of the multiple sclerosis quality of life-54 questionnaire

Objective To translate and adapt the multiple sclerosis quality of life-54 questionnaire and evaluate the reliability and validity of this scale. Methods Using translation, back-translation, cross-cultural adaptation and protest we got the adaptation of the scale.Thirty multiple sclerosis patients were examined by the Chinese version of the scale, and their data were used to evaluate reliability and validity of the scale. Results The evaluation of the reliability of the scale showed the test-retest correlation coefficients of total scale and 13 aspects were above 0.7, the Cronbach of total scales and 12 aspects were above 0.7, the split-half coefficients was 0.96.The evaluation of validity of this scale showed the construct validity was good as indicated by factor analysis.Except health perceptions aspect, other aspects showed significant correlation to total scale(r =0.40～0.84);the correlation coefficient of criteria validity was 0.98.Except sexual function and satisfaction with sexual function aspects, there were statistical differences in aspect scores of this scale between multiple sclerosis patients and normal persons. Conclusion The reliability and validity of Chinese version of the multiple sclerosis quality of life-54 questionnaire are good enough for meeting psychometric standard, and can be applied to assess quality of life for patients with multiple sclerosis in China. Key words: Multiple sclerosis; Quality of life; Reliability; Validity