Reliability and validation of a Chinese version of the Aging Males' Symptoms scale.

This study was to assess whether the Chinese version of the Aging Males' Symptoms scale could measure aging men's symptoms as effectively as the English version. 176 psychiatric outpatient men were assessed to analyze internal consistency reliability and construct validity, and 45 male school staff were interviewed in estimating retest reliability. Cronbach alpha was .90, and the 3-wk. retest reliability was .72. Factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure. Construct validity was indicated by significant correlation between the two factors and the criterion variables. This scale is a validated and sensitive test for measuring symptoms in aging men in the Taiwanese Chinese-speaking population. It is suggested that the scale could be used to measure and compare health-related quality of life in groups of men over 40 years old.