Forward-backward Procedure Research Articles

GBTM: Community detection and network reconstruction for noisy and time-evolving data

Community detection and network reconstruction are two major concerns in network analysis. However, these two tasks are extremely challenging since most of the existing methods are not suitable for noisy and red time-evolving data, which are common in real world situations. To cope with this, we propose a novel method called the group-based binary time-evolving mixture (GBTM) model to detect communities and recover network structures jointly. This is the first to study address the challenges of community detection and network reconstruction in scenarios where data are dynamic and cannot be directly observed. In this work, the hidden Markov method is employed to capture the temporal evolution of node connections. In addition, we develop the grouped Baum-Welch algorithm for parameter estimation using a forward-backward procedure. Our GBTM model shows that conducting community detection and network reconstruction simultaneously can yield synergistic benefits. Furthermore, we introduce an innovative Bayesian information criterion (BIC) for determining the number of communities. The results of various simulations under different settings and two real-world networks show that the proposed GBTM model outperforms the existing community detection or network reconstruction methods and has great potential for solving time-evolving and noisy network problems.

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability and Validation Study of the Persian Version of Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire

The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) has been developed to measure the health status of Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. This study aimed to translate KCCQ into a Persian version and assess its validity and reliability. We used a forward-backward procedure to translate the questionnaire. In a cross-sectional study, 150 CHF patients and 50 healthy subjects over 30 years old were selected to assess the reliability and construct validity of the instrument. The face and content validity were used for the questionnaire's validity. The validity was examined on a population of patients with CHF using the Persian version of the Minnesota Living Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF) health survey. Calculation of the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha was done to evaluate the questionnaire's reliability. Test-retest reliability was examined by re-administering the KCCQ after 2 weeks. Test-retest results demonstrated that the Persian version has excellent reliability (ICC for all domains was higher than 0.93, P≤0.000). Internal consistency was found by Cronbach's alpha to be 0.86 for the clinical summary and 0.87 for the overall summary, respectively. Also, the correlation between the components of KCCQ and MLHQ showed satisfactory construct validity. Good Pearson's Correlation Coefficient was seen between KCCQ and MLHF (r= -0.44, P≤0.000 for the clinical summary; r= -0.45, P≤0.000 for the overall summary). Analysing the data from 50 healthy persons and 150 patients were shown that the Persian version of KCCQ has acceptable discriminate validity for all domains except self-efficacy. The Persian version of the KCCQ had satisfactory reliability and validity for assessing health-related quality of life status for Iranian CHF patients.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Sense of Belonging in Nursing School (SBNS): a quantitative and cross-sectional design

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the psychometric indicators of the Persian version of the Sense of Belonging in Nursing School scale (SBNS).MethodsThe study conducted in Shahroud and Semnan schools of nursing and midwifery in Iran examined nursing students using a cross-sectional approach by convenience sampling method from 3/6/2023 to 24/8/2023. To assess the SBNS scale, the forward–backward procedure was used to translate it into Persian. Face and content validity were evaluated, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with sample sizes of 200 and 182, respectively. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, MacDonald's omega, and intra-class correlation coefficient.ResultsThe exploratory factor analysis resulted in the exclusion of four items, leaving a final selection of 15 items. These items were categorized into three factors: classmates, clinical staff, and inclusive educational environment, which accounted for 49.16% of the overall variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model was a good fit for the observed data, and the subscales had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.752 to 0.880) and stability (intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.889 to 0.968).ConclusionAccording to the results, it can be concluded that the Persian version of the SBNS scale demonstrates sufficient validity and reliability in assessing students' sense of belonging to the nursing school.

Barriers to personal creativity in Spanish and Portuguese university students

In the 21st century, the university should be an explicit space for developing students’ creative skills. The literature on creativity in Higher Education is scarce, particularly on the students’ perceptions. Thus, this study aims to analyze barriers perceived by Spanish university students compared to Portuguese students to better understand the obstacles found at this educational level. For this purpose, the Inventory of Barriers to Personal Creativity was adapted to Spanish university students. The adaptation process from the Portuguese to the Spanish version followed a forward-backward procedure, and cross-validation analysis was used to study the factor structure. The four-factor structure was maintained, but only 36 of the 44 items were retained in the Spanish version. All factors showed good or very good reliability and explained an important amount of the variance. Some cultural differences between the Portuguese and Spanish versions appeared because Spanish university students perceived fewer barriers to develop creativity. In both cultures, gender and curricular areas’ differences were found, but with some specificities. The study concluded that the instrument has an adequate structure and refers to a specific construct maintained in different cultures. Also, both versions could be applied for further broader and more representative cross-cultural studies, contributing to developing new studies on creativity in Higher Education.

The ASAS Health Index and Environmental Factors Item Set: validity and reliability of the Swedish translations in Swedish patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Objectives To translate the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) Health Index (HI) Environmental Factors Item Set (EFIS) into Swedish and culturally adapt it for a Swedish context, and to assess the construct validity of the Swedish version of the ASAS HI and test–retest reliability in ASAS HI and EFIS in Swedish patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Method Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the EFIS were carried out according to a forward–backward procedure consisting of five steps. The construct validity of the ASAS HI was tested using Spearman correlation with standard health outcomes for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Reliability was analysed by internal consistency with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for ASAS HI, and test–retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for ASAS HI and kappa agreement for the individual items of EFIS. Results The translation of EFIS showed acceptable face and content validity. ASAS HI showed an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.79), and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC 0.87). Test–retest reliability for EFIS showed varied results, with kappa agreement for the individual items ranging from poor (−0.027) to good (0.80). Conclusions The Swedish version of ASAS HI proved to be valid and reliable and is recommended for assessing the impact of AS on global functioning and health. A Swedish version of EFIS has been produced and uploaded on the ASAS website. The EFIS proved to have acceptable face and content validity, and may contribute to the contextual interpretation of the ASAS HI.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the mSQUASH into Spanish

BackgroundThere is a lack of outcome measures for the assessment of physical activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). For this matter, the modified Short QUestionnaire to Assess Health (mSQUASH) was developed and validated, originally in Dutch. ObjectiveTo translate and cross-culturally adapt the mSQUASH into Spanish and to evaluate the equivalence of the translated version in patients with axSpA. MethodsThe mSQUASH was translated following forward-backward procedure according to the protocol of Beaton. Two bi-lingual translators produced independent forward translations of the mSQUASH into Spanish, and the versions were harmonized in a consensual version. Another translator back translated the synthesized version into Dutch. A scientific committee reached consensus on discrepancies and developed a pre-final version of the questionnaire. The field test with cognitive debriefing involved 10 patients with axSpA with different gender, age, disease duration, educational level and working status. ResultsThe translation process of the mSQUASH was completed without major issues. The first translation needed several iterations due to small discrepancies in the wording. Back-translation was performed without difficulties, and the scientific committee agreed upon a final version of the questionnaire. Cognitive debriefing showed the Spanish questionnaire to be clear, relevant, understandable and comprehensive. The preliminary version was accepted with minor modifications. ConclusionsThe resulting Spanish version of the mSQUASH showed good linguistic and face validity according to the field test, revealing potential for use in clinical practice and research. In order to conclude the cross-cultural adaptation of the mSQUASH into Spanish, the next step is the assessment of psychometric properties of the Spanish version.

Translation and concurrent validity, sensitivity and specificity of Chinese version of Short Orientation Memory Concentration Test in people with a first cerebral infarction.

This study aimed to translate the English version of the Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration (SOMC) test into a Chinese version, denoted the C-SOMC test, and to investigate the concurrent validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the C-SOMC test against a longer and widely used screening instrument in people with a first cerebral infarction. An expert group translated the SOMC test into Chinese using a forward-backward procedure. Eighty-six participants (67 men and 19 women, mean age = 59.31 ± 11.57 years) with a first cerebral infarction were enrolled in this study. The validity of the C-SOMC test was determined using the Chinese version of Mini Mental State Examination (C-MMSE) as the comparator. Concurrent validity was determined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Univariate linear regression was used to analyze items' abilities to predict the total score on the C-SOMC test and the C-MMSE score. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of the C-SOMC test at various cut-off values distinguishing cognitive impairment from normal cognition. The total score for the C-SOMC test and the score for item 1 on this test exhibited moderate-to-good correlations with the C-MMSE score, with respective ρ-values of 0.636 and 0.565 (P < 0.001). The scores for each of items 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 yielded fair correlations with C-MMSE score, with ρ-value from 0.272 to 0.495 (P < 0.05). The total score on the C-SOMC test and the item score were good predictors (adjusted R2 = 0.049 to 0.615) of the C-MMSE score, and six items were good predictors (adjusted R2 = 0.134 to 0.795) of the total score. The AUC was 0.92 for the C-SOMC test. A cut-off of 17/18 on the C-SOMC test gave optimal performance: correct classification of 75% of participants, with 75% sensitivity and 87.9% specificity. The C-SOMC test demonstrated good concurrent validity, sensitivity and specificity in a sample of people with a first cerebral infarction, demonstrating that it could be used to screen for cognitive impairment in stroke patients.

Coping with rheumatic stressors (CORS) questionnaire: Spanish translation and cross-cultural adaptation

BackgroundRheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) substantially impact the lives of patients, with complex associations between disease severity and self-perceived health status. In this regard, the Coping with Rheumatic Stressors (CORS) questionnaire was developed to measure how patients with RMDs cope with stressors such as pain, limitations or dependency. The CORS is not currently available in Spanish, and therefore the adaptation of this instrument is needed.ObjectiveFirst, to cross-culturally adapt the CORS into Spanish for Spain. Secondly, to test the conceptual equivalence of the translated version in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).MethodsA translation of the CORS into Spanish was performed adhering to the forward-backward procedure described by Beaton. Two translators produced independent forward translations of the item content, response options, and instructions of the CORS into Spanish. Both versions were harmonized in a consensual version. Another translator back-translated the synthesized version into Dutch. A scientific committee including all the translators, one methodologist and a rheumatologist, held a meeting and reached consensus on discrepancies to develop a final draft version of the Spanish CORS. Then, a field test with cognitive debriefing was conducted, involving a sample of 10 patients with axSpA.ResultsThe translation process of the CORS was completed after the discussion of some discrepancies throughout the process. The first translation was done without major complications. Back-translation presented some discrepancies. These led to minor modifications in the wording in one response option and 15 questionnaire items. The scientific committee agreed upon a final version of the questionnaire. Cognitive debriefing, led to minor modifications; for example, three respondents indicated that one of the statements in the instructions was syntactically complex (“indique cuán a menudo usted ha llevado a cabo dicho comportamiento”) which led to its adjustment. The process indicated that the final CORS Spanish questionnaire was clear and understandable to all patients.ConclusionsThe Spanish version of the CORS showed good cross-cultural validity and good face validity according to the field test. Before the Spanish CORS is implemented, further validation is in progress to test the psychometric properties of the instrument in patients with axSpA.

Translation and Validation of Low Back Pain Knowledge Questionnaire Among Hindi-Speaking Indian Women

Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem encountered among women worldwide. This research aimed at the cross-cultural translation, adaptation, and equivalence assessment of the Low Back Pain Knowledge Questionnaire (LBPKQ) in the Hindi language. The LBPKQ, originally in English (E-LBPKQ) was translated and validated in the Hindi language (H-LBPKQ). The forward-backward procedure was adapted from the recommended guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of measures. Psychometric properties of the H-LBPKQ were evaluated among 250 Hindi-speaking Indian women with LBP. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in the first 161 participants of the study sample. The overall LBPKQ scores obtained a mean of 3.1 ± 1.1. The internal consistency was excellent for both E-LBPKQ and H-LBPKQ, with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.983 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.980–0.986) and 0.975 (95% CI, 0.970–0.979), respectively. Construct validity was good, with Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.892 for E-LBPKQ and 0.852 for H-LBPKQ. Bartlett’s test of sphericity (P < .0001) was significant for E-LBPKQ and H-LBPKQ. Two factors were extracted through principal component analysis. The H-LBPKQ is valid and reliable to assess LBP knowledge among Hindi speaking population. Low LBPKQ scores indicate poor LBP knowledge; hence, LBP sensitization is needed among Indian women.

Validation of the Arabic Version of Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) have been studied globally in different age groups. However, there is no validated diabetes-specific questionnaire in the Arabic language for the screening of DEBs. This study aimed to translate the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised scale (DEPS-R) into the Arabic language and study its psychometric properties in adolescents with T1D. We adopted the forward-backward procedure to translate the DEPS-R questionnaire into Arabic. The validation study enrolled 258 Saudi adolescents with T1D aged 12-18 years who completed the Arabic DEPS-R questionnaire and the EAT-26. The Arabic DEPS-R showed good construct validity and reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). The factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of DEPS-R which explains 54.4 % of the variance. In total, 30.6% of the participants are at high risk for DEBs (DEPS-R score ≥ 20). The psychometric properties of the Arabic DEPS-R are satisfactory, consistent with the original scale and translations in other languages. These results support the validity of the Arabic DEPS-R for assessment of DEBs in the T1D Arabic population.

Validation of Pedsql™ Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Module (Acute Version 3.0), in Young Children (Age 5-7)

Objective: The goal of this project was to accurately translate the “PedsQLTM 3.0 DMD” Module into Urdu and to assess its validity in health-related quality of life in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)” children age 5 to 7 years reported by their parents. Method: The study was conducted with the parents/caregivers of DMD children in Rising Sun Institute, PSRD, Hope,Gosha e Shifa, Special gems, Ghazali Foundation Rawalpindi and DHQ hospital Jhang. Study was cross cultural validation including 56 primary care givers. First of all questionnaire of primary care giver was translated in Urdu by using forward translation, the second step was reconciliation of items; in this the best Urdu translation was selected. Backward translation was completed in the third phase, and a review was conducted to evaluate the full forward-backward procedure in order to produce a final forward translation. Validity &amp; Reliabity were measured. To determine in the internal consistency Cronbach’s Alpha was used Test-Retest reliability was checked. Content Validity Index and Content Validity Ratio were measured through 5 experts. To analyze the collected data SPSS 26 was used. Results: The results showed that in both genders from age 5 to 7 years DMD affects the quality of life of child as reported by parents. The value of Cronbach's alpha was 0.913.After factor analysis KMO was 0.793 and because the p value was less than 0.05, the test was significant. Conclusion: Urdu version of “PedsQLTM Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Acute Version 3.0(age 5-7) Parent report for young children” is a stable and consistent instrument for assessing quality of life measures of the DMD children and can be applied in Urdu speaking population throughout the world. Keywords: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, “PedsQL™ 3.0 DMD Module”, Urdu translation, validity, quality of life.

The ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR prolonged grief criteria: Validation of the Traumatic Grief Inventory-Self Report Plus using exploratory factor analysis and item response theory.

More recently, the prolonged grief disorder (PGD) has been recognized as a mental health disorder following bereavement, which is distinct from depression and PTSD. However, the number and proposed symptom items vary across the ICD-11 and the DSM-5-TR criteria for PG. The Traumatic Grief Inventory-Self Report Plus (TGI-SR+), which is an updated version of the TGI-SR, is currently the only robust instrument that assesses PG according to the ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR criteria. For research and clinical use among French-speaking countries, the forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the TGI-SR+ into French language. Exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis converged towards a two-dimensional structure for the TGI-SR+, representing adaptation difficulties and traumatic separation distress. However, items mapping onto ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR criteria for PG represented a one-dimensional structure. Findings based on item response theory method provided strong evidence for discriminative characteristics of the items. The internal reliability was excellent for the TGI-SR+ (McDonald's ω = 0.97) and ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR criteria for PGD (McDonald's ω = 0.95). We also demonstrated a very high temporal stability for the TGI-SR+ total score (ICC = .91, p < 0.0001) and ICD-11 PGD and DSM-5-TR PGD (ICC = 0.90, and ICC = 0.88, ps < 0.0001, respectively). The concurrent validity of the instrument was also demonstrated, such that the TGI-SR+ total score and all combinations were positively and significantly associated with the levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, the effect sizes were moderate. We conclude that for research and clinical use among French bereaved populations, the TGI-SR+ is a sound tool with very good psychometric properties.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Falls Behavioral Scale in Seniors

Background: The identification of the causes of risky behaviors is necessary to prevent the occurrence of injuries and reduce its costs. The present study aimed to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Falls Behavioral (FaB) Scale in Iranian seniors. Methods: This methodological study was conducted on 300 seniors aged 60 years and older referring to retirement centers. After permission, the recommended forward-backward procedure was adopted to translate the original English version of the questionnaire. Thereafter, the content, face validity, and construct validity of the scale were determined and taken into consideration. In addition, the known-groups comparison (seniors with and without a history of falls), as well as convergent and divergent validity, was used to evaluate construct validity. Finally, internal consistency and the test-retest analysis were performed to assess the reliability of the FaB scale. Results: The results of the known-groups comparison demonstrated that the mean score of the FaB scale was higher in the seniors with a history of falls as compared to that in their counterparts without such an experience. The obtained scores on FaB scale, Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale (r=-0.214, P&lt;0.01), and Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) (r=0.256, P&lt;0.01) represented a significant correlation, confirming the construct validity of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha of the total scale and test-retest reliability within one week were obtained as 0.71 and 0.91, respectively. Conclusion: As evidenced by the results of this study, the Persian version of the FaB scale is a valid and reliable instrument; therefore, it can be used to assess the behavioral fall risk factors, as well as fall prevention interventions in older people. It is suggested that in future studies, researchers focus on the assessment of more psychometric properties of this scale, especially sensitivity and specificity.

Development of a Questionnaire to Assess the Mothers Knowledge and Attitude towards Hearing Loss in Children

Objective: The support from mothers towards children with hearing loss is important for an early identification, diagnosis and intervention. Attempts at exploring the existing knowledge and attitude among mothers are crucial, which may lead to a greater benefit for the children and overall satisfaction for the child and the family. Thus, the present study was attempted to explore the knowledge and attitude of mothers towards children with hearing loss through the use of a valid and reliable questionnaire developed for this purpose in Malay-language. Methods: Questionnaire was developed based on past literature on knowledge, attitude and focus group discussions (FGD) which involved a representative from primary health care providers, ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon and audiologists. Translations follow a forward-backward procedure, independently carried out by two native-speakers of the target language. Translated questionnaires have undergone a pilot testing which involved 30 Malaysian mothers who visited the health clinics. The internal consistency of the two main domains (knowledge and attitude) was computed by the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient to assess the reliability of the newly developed questionnaire. Results: The range of Cronbach’s Alpha showed a considerable consistency for both the knowledge and attitude with Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.77 and 0.78, respectively. Conclusion: The questionnaire regarding the knowledge and attitude of mothers towards children with hearing loss is a reliable and valid instrument. This research introduced the Malay-language version of the knowledge and attitude questionnaire as the first formal validated questionnaire and confirmed a high reliability and validity for the evaluation of mother’s knowledge and attitude towards children with hearing loss.

Validity and reliability of the German translation of the Diabetes Foot Self-Care Behavior Scale (DFSBS-D).

Comprehensive regular foot self-care is one of the most critical self-management behaviors for people with diabetes to prevent foot ulcer development and related complications. Yet, adequate foot self-care is only practiced by very few of those affected. To improve diabetic foot syndrome prevention, a valid and reliable instrument for measuring daily foot-care routines in patients with diabetes is needed. However, no such instrument is currently available in the German language. This study, therefore, aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the "Diabetic Foot Self-Care Behavior Scale" (DFSBS) into German (DFSBS-D) and evaluate its validity and reliability. The DFSBS was translated from English into German using a forward-backward procedure as per previous recommendations. Factor analysis was used to study structural validity. To establish construct validity, 21 a priori hypotheses were defined regarding the expected correlation between scores on the new German version (i.e., DFSBS-D) and those of the following questionnaires measuring related constructs: (1) German version "Diabetes Self-Care Activities Measure" (SDSCA-G), (2) "Frankfurter Catalogue of Foot Self-Care" (FCFSP), and (3) "Short Form 36" (SF-36) and tested in 82 patients. To assess test-retest reliability, patients completed the DFSBS-D again after a 2-week interval. Test-retest reliability was assessed from stable patients' data (n = 48) by calculating two-way random-effects absolute agreement ICCs with 95% CI and Bland and Altman analyses. In addition, Cronbach's alpha was calculated as internal consistency measure. The 7-item DFSBS-D showed good structural validity. Its single factor explains 57% of the total sample variance. Of the 21 predefined hypotheses, 13 (62%) were confirmed. The DFSBS-D's internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87). Test-retest reliability over a 2-week interval was also good (ICC 0.76). The DFSBS was successfully translated into German. Statistical analyses showed good DFSBS-D structural validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. Yet, construct validity may be debated.

Validating the Italian version of the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire

Interest in adult picky eating (PE), i.e., the unwillingness to eat familiar foods or try novel foods, has grown rapidly in the last decade as a result of its negative health consequences. Fairly poor data are available on the prevalence of PE in Italy, mostly due to the lack of a psychometrically sound tool to measure this construct. Thus, this contribution aimed at translating and validating the 20-item Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) for use in the Italian context. The APEQ was translated into Italian (IT-APEQ) following a standard forward–backward procedure and administered online to a large cohort of Italian adults (N = 1030, 69.9% women, 18–75 yo), who also completed a series of psychometric and dietary measures to test both the convergent and discriminant validity of the IT-APEQ. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original four-factor structure of APEQ. The IT-APEQ showed invariance across genders, good internal consistency, and strong test–retest reliability (N = 599, 70.5% women, 18–75 yo). As expected, the IT-APEQ was positively associated with eating inflexibility, food neophobia, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and disgust propensity/sensitivity, whereas it was anticorrelated with indices of diet variety. Moreover, we documented for the first time a negative link between adult PE and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Our results suggest that the IT-APEQ demonstrates sound psychometric properties. Hence, we advocate its future usage to shed light into other correlates of PE in the Italian context and bolster cross-cultural research on adult PE, which is key to developing targeted strategies aimed at improving diet diversity and quality.

Translation, Validation, and Psychometric Evaluation of the Diabetes Quality-of-Life Brief Clinical Inventory: The Urdu Version.

PurposeThe study is aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Urdu version of the Diabetes Quality-of-Life Brief Clinical Inventory.MethodsWe adopted the forward–backward procedure to translate the Diabetes Quality-of-Life Brief Clinical Inventory (DQoL-BCI) into the Urdu language (lingua franca of Pakistan). The intraclass correlation (ICC) confirmed the consistency of retaining the items, and Cronbach’s alpha established the test–re-test reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis (principal axis factoring extraction and oblique rotation with Kaiser normalization) validated the DQoL-BCI in Urdu.ResultsA two-time point with an interval of 2 weeks was used, and the Urdu version of DQoL-BCI was piloted accordingly. The 15-item translated version (DQoL-BCI-U) exhibited a satisfactory Cronbach’s value of 0.866 (test) at week 1 and 0.850 at week 3 (re-test). Using the one-way random model with single measurements, the ICC for all 15 items exhibited coefficient values of >0.80. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity revealed relationships of the data and suitability of CFA (0.899, p<0.05). Seven factors explaining the total variance of 69% were extracted. With acceptable communalities, all 15 items of DQoL-BCI-U were retained.ConclusionThe study concludes that the translated version of DQoL-BCI-U is a valid instrument in regions, where Urdu is a communal language of communication and can examine quality-of-life issues during the typical patient–provider encounter.

Assessing Dutch women\u2019s experiences of labour and birth: adaptations and psychometric evaluations of the measures Mothers on Autonomy in Decision Making Scale, Mothers on Respect Index, and Childbirth Experience Questionnaire 2.0

BackgroundThe Mothers Autonomy in Decision Making Scale (MADM) assesses women’s autonomy and role in decision making. The Mothers on Respect Index (MORi) asseses women’s experiences of respect when interacting with their healthcare providers. The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire 2.0 assesses the overall experience of childbirth (CEQ2.0). There are no validated Dutch measures of the quality of women’s experiences in the intrapartum period. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of these measures in their Dutch translations.MethodsThe available Dutch versions of the MADM and MORi were adapted to assess experiences in the intrapartum period. The CEQ2.0 was translated by using forward-backward procedures. The three measures were included in an online survey including items on individual characteristics (i.e. maternal, birth, birth interventions). Reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alphas. Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis or Student T-tests were applied where appropriate, to assess discrimination between women who differed on individual characteristics (known group validity). We hypothesized that women who experienced pregnancy complications and birth interventions would have statistically lower scores on the MADM, MORi and CEQ2.0, compared with women who had healthy pregnancies and physiological births. Convergent validity was assessed using Spearman Rank correlations between the MADM, MORi and/or CEQ2.0. We hypothesized moderate to strong correlations between these measures. Women’s uptake of and feedback on the measures were tracked to assess acceptability and clarity.ResultsIn total 621 women were included in the cross sectional study. The calculated Cronbach’s alphas for the MADM, MORi and CEQ, were ≥ 0.77. Knowngroup validity was confirmed through significant differences on all relevant individual characteristics, except for vaginal laceration repair. Spearman Rank correlations ranged from 0.46-0.80. In total 98% of the included women out of the eligible population completed the MADM and MORi for each healthcare professional they encountered during childbirth. The proportions of MADM and MORi-items which were difficult to complete ranged from 0.0-10.8%, 0.6-2.7%, respectively.ConclusionsThe results of our study showed that the Dutch version of the MADM, MORi and CEQ2.0 in Dutch are valid instruments that can be used to assess women’s experiences in the intrapartum period.

Translation and validation of the speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ) and the hearing environments and reflection on quality of life (HEAR-QL) questionnaire for children and adolescents in Dutch

Objective To date, no hearing-specific self-report tool is available in Dutch to give insight into how deficits in auditory skills are experienced by a child in daily life or to examine the impact of hearing loss on children’s quality of life. Therefore, we aimed to translate and validate the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) and the Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Life (HEAR-QL) Questionnaire for children and adolescents into Dutch. Design Translation of the questionnaires into Dutch was conducted by means of the forward-backward procedure. Participants were invited to complete the questionnaires digitally. We examined discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Study sample A total of 121 subjects between 7 and 18 years old were included, of which 54 normal hearing and 67 bilaterally hearing-impaired subjects. Hearing-impaired subjects were fitted with hearing aids, bone conductive devices and/or cochlear implants. Results All questionnaires were shown to significantly discriminate between the normal hearing and the hearing-impaired group. Satisfying internal consistency and good test-retest reliability were found. Conclusions The Dutch SSQ and HEAR-QL questionnaires for children and adolescents appear to be valid and reliable self-report tools for management and follow-up of those with hearing loss.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Personal Meaning Profile in Iran

The Personal Meaning Profile (PMP) is a widely used instrument to measure people's perceptions of personal meaning in their lives. Thisstudy aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PMP. First, the researchers developed the Persian version of this scale using the forward-backward procedure. Then, they examined the face and content validities by both qualitative and quantitative approaches. To evaluate the construct validity, researchers administered the instrument to a sample of 482 medical sciences students and performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The reliability was assessed using loading factors, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and composite reliability. An average scale-level of content validity index of the PMP with 57 items was 0.80. The findings revealed that the Persian version of the PMP comprises five factors explaining 50.57% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indices showed a moderate fit for the data. Reliability of the Iranian version of PMP was demonstrated with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.893. Consistency was established with test-retest reliability with an interval of 2weeks (Intracluster Correlation Coefficient = 0.983, p < 0.001). Moreover, the criterion validity demonstrated a significant inverse relationship between the PMP and General Health Questionnaire (r = - 0.34, p < 0.001). This study indicated that the Persian version of the PMP is an acceptable, reliable, and valid measurement to evaluate the meaning in life in Iranian medical sciences students.