A validity study of the WHOQOL-BREF assessment in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the distribution of the scores, internal consistency, structure, and discriminant validity of the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) assessment in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN

Validation study using multitrait analysis and known-groups methods.

SETTING

Community and hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Persons with SCI (N=111) and non-SCI respondents (N=169).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The WHOQOL-BREF assessment.

RESULTS

The frequency distribution of the 4 domains of the WHOQOL-BREF assessment was nearly symmetric and showed no floor or ceiling effects. All domains showed good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range, .74-.78), with the exception of the social relationships domain (alpha=.54). The 4-domain structure of the WHOQOL-BREF assessment was confirmed using multitrait analysis. The discriminant validity of the WHOQOL-BREF assessment in persons with SCI was satisfactory.

CONCLUSIONS

The WHOQOL-BREF assessment is suitable for measuring QOL as perceived by a person with SCI.