Preliminary reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module in parents of children with congenital muscular dystrophy

Abstract

PurposeThis study examines the preliminary reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module (PedsQL™ FIM) in parents of children with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD).MethodsThe participants in this study were 28 parents of children with CMD and 39 parents of unaffected children. Both groups of parents completed the PedsQL™ FIM and a demographic information form. Cronbach’s alpha was used to examine the internal consistency reliability, and the known-groups method was used to assess construct validity. Three distinct models were used to estimate the mean score differences of the PedsQL™ FIM between the two groups: an unadjusted model, a multivariate regression model, and propensity score matching with inverse probability of treatment weighting.ResultsCronbach’s alpha coefficients for all scales exceeded 0.70, supporting evidence for the internal consistency reliability of the PedsQL™ FIM. The construct validity of the PedsQL™ FIM demonstrated that the mean differences between the CMD and unaffected groups were significantly different (p < .05). This indicated that the instrument could discriminate between the two groups.ConclusionsThe results of this study demonstrated the good preliminary reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ FIM in assessing parental health-related quality of life and family functioning of children with CMD.