Development and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Tamil Version of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQoL) and Assessment of its Reliability and Validity.

BACKGROUND

In this current modern industrial world, strokes are the major reason for causing disability and death in the adult population. In spite of the various tools available to measure the physical, psychological, and social impact of strokes, the appropriate method in various languages around the world is not available. In that sense adapting the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQoL) in different languages and cultures is essential to ensure their validity and efficacy across diverse populations.

AIM

This study aims to translate the original SSQoL English version into the Tamil language and assess the scale's reliability and validity among Tamil-speaking subjects with chronic stroke survivors.

METHODS

A methodological framework was applied to translate and culturally adapt SSQoL, involving forward and backward translation, committee review, and testing. A total of 220 participants were recruited to assess demographic characteristics, validity, and reliability of the Tamil-translated SSQoL-T using measures such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity.

RESULTS

The content validity analysis of the translated Tamil version of SSQoL-T showed strong positive outputs for both total score and sub-score assessments. In test-retest reliability analysis, good reliability with Cronbach's alpha (≥0.9) was observed for both total score and sub-score assessments.  Conclusion: This study's findings underscore the content validity and good reliability of SSQoL-T as a screening tool for assessing stroke among Tamil-speaking populations, providing valuable insights for clinicians and researchers in the assessment and management of strokes.