Psychometric properties of the quality of life questionnaire for children with CP

Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007 Jan;49(1):49-55. doi: 10.1017/s0012162207000126.x.

Abstract

This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a condition-specific quality of life instrument for children with cerebral palsy (CP QOL-Child). A sample of 205 primary caregivers of children with CP aged 4 to 12 years (mean 8y 5mo) and 53 children aged 9 to 12 years completed the CP QOL-Child. The children (112 males, 93 females) were sampled across Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels (Level I=18%, II=28%, III=14%, IV=11%, V=27%). Primary caregivers also completed other measures of child health (Child Health Questionnaire; CHQ), QOL (KIDSCREEN), and functioning (GMFCS). Internal consistency ranged from 0.74 to 0.92 for primary caregivers and from 0.80 to 0.90 for child self-report. For primary caregivers, 2-week test-retest reliability ranged from 0.76 to 0.89. The validity of the CP QOL is supported by the pattern of correlations between CP QOL-Child scales with the CHQ, KIDSCREEN, and GMFCS. Preliminary statistics suggest that the child self-report questionnaire has acceptable psychometric properties. The questionnaire can be freely accessed at http://www.deakin.edu.ac/hmnbs/chase/cerebralpalsy/cp_qol_home.php.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Cerebral Palsy / diagnosis
  • Cerebral Palsy / physiopathology
  • Cerebral Palsy / psychology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychometrics
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*