Yun-Hsiang Lee1, Yeur-Hur Lai2, Bevan Yueh3, Pen-Yuan Chu4, Yen-Ju Chen5, Shu-Ching Chen6, Cheng-Ping Wang7. 1. Department of Nursing, Mackay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan. 2. School of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: laiyhwk@ntu.edu.tw. 3. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. 4. Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Otolaryngology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. 5. Department of Nursing, Da-Yeh University, Changhua, Taiwan. 6. Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan. 7. Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: The purposes of this three-phase study were to: (1) translate and evaluate the burden, content, and face validity of the Chinese version of the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale, version 4 (UWQOL-v4-C); and (2) examine the psychometric properties of the UWQOL-v4-C in oral cancer and laryngeal cancer patients in Taiwan. METHODS: This instrument translation and validation study was part of a major research project. The first phase of this study developed and validated the content of the UWQOL-v4-C. The second phase sought to validate the internal consistency, reliability, and construct and discriminant validity in two major groups of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients: oral cavity cancers (n=109) and laryngeal cancer (n=102). Construct validity was measured using theoretically supported correlations between the UWQOL and related constructs. Discriminant validity was also assessed. In the third phase, test-retest reliability of UWQOL-v4-C was examined through the 1-week interval in another group of HNC patients (n=50). RESULTS: The translated UWQOL-v4-C demonstrated satisfactory face validity, content validity, and minimal patient burden. Additionally, the UWQOL-v4-C showed excellent construct validity in patient testing, supported by significant correlations between the UWQOL-v4-C and hypothesized constructs, including generic measures of QOL and performance status. The developed scale correlated inversely with symptom severity and psychological distress. Discriminant validity was seen in patients with different cancer diagnoses, stages, and treatments. Finally, excellent stability was supported by a 1-week test-retest reliability of 0.88. CONCLUSION: The UWQOL-v4-C was a brief, low-burden, and valid instrument to measure the QOL in Chinese-speaking HNC patients in Taiwan.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: The purposes of this three-phase study were to: (1) translate and evaluate the burden, content, and face validity of the Chinese version of the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale, version 4 (UWQOL-v4-C); and (2) examine the psychometric properties of the UWQOL-v4-C in oral cancer and laryngeal cancerpatients in Taiwan. METHODS: This instrument translation and validation study was part of a major research project. The first phase of this study developed and validated the content of the UWQOL-v4-C. The second phase sought to validate the internal consistency, reliability, and construct and discriminant validity in two major groups of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients: oral cavity cancers (n=109) and laryngeal cancer (n=102). Construct validity was measured using theoretically supported correlations between the UWQOL and related constructs. Discriminant validity was also assessed. In the third phase, test-retest reliability of UWQOL-v4-C was examined through the 1-week interval in another group of HNC patients (n=50). RESULTS: The translated UWQOL-v4-C demonstrated satisfactory face validity, content validity, and minimal patient burden. Additionally, the UWQOL-v4-C showed excellent construct validity in patient testing, supported by significant correlations between the UWQOL-v4-C and hypothesized constructs, including generic measures of QOL and performance status. The developed scale correlated inversely with symptom severity and psychological distress. Discriminant validity was seen in patients with different cancer diagnoses, stages, and treatments. Finally, excellent stability was supported by a 1-week test-retest reliability of 0.88. CONCLUSION: The UWQOL-v4-C was a brief, low-burden, and valid instrument to measure the QOL in Chinese-speaking HNC patients in Taiwan.