Motahareh Afrakhteh; Sara Esmaeili; Mohsen Shati; Seyedeh Fahimeh Shojaei; Maryam Bahadori; Babak Zamani; Mostafa Almasi-Doghaee; Bahram Haghi-Ashtiani
Volume 20, Issue 1 , Winter 2021, , Pages 37-42
Abstract
Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Specific Quality of Life-Revised (ALSSQOL-R) encompasses 50 items which assess quality of life (QOL) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in six major domains. This study aims to translate the ALSSQOL-R into Persian and evaluate its reliability ...
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Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Specific Quality of Life-Revised (ALSSQOL-R) encompasses 50 items which assess quality of life (QOL) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in six major domains. This study aims to translate the ALSSQOL-R into Persian and evaluate its reliability and validity among Iranian patients. Methods: ALSSQOL-R was translated by the standard multi-step forward-backward method. Content validity was calculated using item content validity index (I-CVI). Three items in the “intimacy” domain were deleted considering Iranian culture. Cronbach’s alpha was used for all 6 dimensions to calculate the internal consistency reliability. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with one-month interval. Concurrent validity was measured by the validated version of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Results: Sixty-three patients with ALS were enrolled in the study. I-CVI was 70%, promoted to 85% after modifications (acceptable). Regarding internal consistency reliability, Cronbach’s alpha in all six domains was ³ 0.70 and total Cronbach’s alpha was 0.89 which is assumed as good. In terms of test-retest reliability, ICC [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 0.91 (91%) and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was 0.90 (P < 0.001), all indicating an excellent reliability. The concurrent validity was established based on a strong correlation with SF-36 (r = 0.744, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings show that the modified Persian version of ALSSQOL-R is a valid and reliable QOL questionnaire which can be used for Iranian patients with ALS in both clinical and research settings.
Melika Rafiemehr; Ali Asghar Okhovat; Kamyar Moradi; Gilda Kiani Mehr; Shahriar Nafissi; Farzad Fatehi
Abstract
Background: Caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may suffer from anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life (QoL). Our goal was to evaluate the QoL and mood disorders in caregivers and their correlation with the patients' demographic, physical, and mental conditions. ...
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Background: Caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may suffer from anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life (QoL). Our goal was to evaluate the QoL and mood disorders in caregivers and their correlation with the patients' demographic, physical, and mental conditions. Methods: We analyzed data from 39 patients with ALS and their caregivers. Patients completed questionnaires of anxiety assessed by Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and QoL via 40-item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-40). Physical impairment was also measured in the patients using the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R). Caregivers were also assessed by BDI-II, GAD-7, and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36). Results: The prevalence of depression and anxiety in the patients was 82.1% and 71.8%, respectively. Caregivers also had higher rates of anxiety and depression and lower levels of QoL in comparison with the general population (anxiety: 66.7%, depression: 43.6%). Depression and anxiety were considerably associated with worsened QoL in the caregivers. None of the demographic, physical, or mental characteristics of patients with ALS were related to either mood status or QoL of the caregiver population. Conclusion: Caregivers experience higher rates of anxiety and depression and lower QoL in comparison with the general population. The severity of mood disorders is inversely associated with the physical and mental domains of caregivers' QoL. Nonetheless, QoL in the caregivers is not affected by the physical or mental disability of the patients.
Mansoureh Togha; Maral Seyed-Ahadi; Elham Jafari; Zahra Vahabi; Fereshteh Naderi-Behdani; Somayeh Nasergivehchi; Samaneh Haghighi; Zeinab Ghorbani; Fatemeh Farham; Seyed Mohammad Hassan Paknejad; Pegah Rafiee
Abstract
Background: Headache is among the most common disabling neurologic disorders. We measured quality of life in chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM), stratified by medication overuse headache (MOH) and presence of aura. Methods: In this observational study, conducted from January 2016 to December ...
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Background: Headache is among the most common disabling neurologic disorders. We measured quality of life in chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM), stratified by medication overuse headache (MOH) and presence of aura. Methods: In this observational study, conducted from January 2016 to December 2018, adult patients referred to the tertiary headache clinic of Sina Hospital in Tehran, Iran, who met International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition-beta (ICHD-3 β) criteria for migraine were classified to EM and CM subtyped based on presence of aura and MOH. Validated Farsi versions of Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) and 6-item Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) questionnaires were used. Results: A total of 2454 patients (1907 women) were enrolled from which 1261 (51.4%) patients had EM and 1193 (48.6%) had CM, while 908 subjects (37.0%) had MOH, of whom 890 (98.0%) had CM. Median scores of MIDAS and HIT-6 were significantly higher in patients with CM compared to EM sufferers. Chronic migraineurs with MOH had a significantly higher median score of MIDAS and HIT-6 compared to patients with non-MOH CM. Also, there was a moderate positive correlation between MIDAS (disability) and HIT-6 scores (impact on patients’ life) and a moderate correlation between HIT-6 and pain severity. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that CM and MOH are associated with a higher headache-related disability and impact on life compared to EM. Therefore, treatment goals in prevention of MOH and migraine transformation warrant higher quality of life in patients with migraine.
Kamyar Moradi; Shirin Jamal-Omidi; Maryam Masoudi; Sayna Bagheri; Shahriar Nafissi; Farzad Fatehi
Abstract
Background: Neuromuscular disorders affect physical and mental aspects of a patient and in other words alter the patients’ quality of life (QOL). In the present study, we investigated the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Individualized Neuromuscular QOL (INQOL) to provide a better ...
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Background: Neuromuscular disorders affect physical and mental aspects of a patient and in other words alter the patients’ quality of life (QOL). In the present study, we investigated the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Individualized Neuromuscular QOL (INQOL) to provide a better insight into patients’ QOL. Methods: Original version of the INQOL was translated backward and then forward. The resultant Persian version and a standard questionnaire, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), were then given to 83 participants with neuromuscular disorders. Internal consistency, known-group validity, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability were assessed. Results: The scores of matched sections for QOL in the two questionnaires were favorably correlated (P < 0.05). Correlation between test and retest scores was also significant (P < 0.05). Moreover, the Cronbach’s alpha of 0.82 was representative of robust internal consistency between INQOL covering sections. Conclusion: The Persian version of the INQOL can be used in clinical and research practice to detect changes in QOL which are related to neuromuscular disorders, due to its favorably reliable and valid characteristics.
