The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Scale for the Assessment of Fatigue in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 7-18 in Russia.

BACKGROUND

Fatigue is the most common complaint by children both during and after cancer treatment, but in Russia, there is no reliable method for assessing fatigue.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a Russian version of the Turkish Scale for the Assessment of Fatigue in Pediatric Oncology Patients Ages 7-18.

DESIGN

Our first step was to translate all the items of the Turkish questionnaire into Russian. Then, through discussion, we created a single proposition for each item. The next step was obtaining expert opinions to assess the validity. Once the expert estimates agreed, a pilot version of the questionnaire was formed. The next step was to collect a large sample of patients to study the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.

RESULTS

As a result of factor analysis, three factors were identified. The first factor was "fatigue associated with actions;" the second was "fatigue as feeling;" and the third was "fatigue associated with sleep difficulties." The children's and parents' versions had the same factor structure.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed the possibility of using the questionnaire in a Russian sample. That's why it is necessary to continue collecting and analyzing data in this direction. The reliability of the test was also assessed. The reliability of the parent version scored a Cronbach's alpha of 0.91. The reliability of the children's version showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.93.