Abstract
Background: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scales are commonly used to assess health-related quality of life of healthy children and pediatric patients. Validation of the Generic Core Scales among Chinese pediatric cancer patients has not been reported in the literature. The scales can serve to measure different quality-of-life domains that are not captured by the PedsQL Cancer Module.
Objective: Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PedsQL 4.0 among pediatric cancer patients and their caretakers were examined.
Methods: The Generic Core Scales were administered to 335 pairs of pediatric cancer patients (aged 8-18 years) and their caretakers in Hong Kong.
Results: A 5-factor structure (physical, emotional, social, school-related cognitive function, and missed school) was identified in the patient and proxy versions of the scales using confirmatory factor analysis. Both versions of the total scale reported Cronbach [alpha]'s of .90 or greater, with almost all subscales reporting [alpha]'s of .70 or greater. Test-retest reliability at 2 weeks was acceptable (intraclass correlations >=0.60) for a majority of subscales. Agreement between patients' and caretakers' ratings was medium.
Conclusions: The scales demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and construct validity.
Implications for Practice: This study validated the Chinese version of the Generic Core Scales among pediatric cancer patients and their caretakers, which supports the future use of the scales in clinical settings. The Generic Core Scales can also be supplementary to the PedsQL Cancer Module for measuring multiple domains of quality of life in cancer population.