Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (Saqol-39) Publisher



Azizbeigiboukani J¹ ; Khatoonabadi AR¹ ; Maroufizadeh S² ; Abdi S³ Show Affiliations
Source: Aphasiology Published:2021

Abstract

Background: Aphasia is one of the frequent consequences of stroke. The Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) is a commonly used instrument for measuring the quality of life in persons with aphasia following stroke. Aims: The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the SAQOL-39, and (2) to examine the agreement between the self- and proxy-report versions of the scale. Methods and procedures: This cross-sectional study included 30 stroke people with aphasia in Tehran, Iran from January to April 2018. The SAQOL-39, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Barthel index (BI), and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) were administered to all patients. In addition, the proxy version of SAQOL-39 was completed by the patients’caregivers. Tests of data quality included descriptive statistics of the data, ceiling and floor effects, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and agreement between self-report and proxy-report versions of the SAQOL-39. Outcomes and results: The mean SAQOL-39 total scores for the self- and proxy-report versions were 3.19 (SD = 0.79) and 3.38 (SD = 0.83) respectively. There were no significant floor and ceiling effects for both self- and proxy-report versions of the SAQOL-39 and its subscales. Both self- and proxy-report versions of the SAQOL-39 demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha>0.7) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.7). Convergent validity of the SAQOL-39 was supported by its moderate to strong correlation with SF-12 (r = 0.701 for the self-report and r = 0.432 for proxy-report version). The intraclass correlation coefficient and visual inspection of a Bland-Altman plot demonstrated satisfactory agreement between self- and proxy-report versions. Conclusions: The Persian version of the SAQOL-39 demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity; these results support its use to measure quality of life for Persian stroke people with aphasia. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.