Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the short form Valued Life Activities Disability Questionnaire in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND

The Valued Life Activities Disability Questionnaire (VLA) assesses activity-related disability based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. This questionnaire is the first to comprehensively assess the difficulties patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have in performing activities and the level of support they receive.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study, conducted between June 2023 and September 2023, was to translate and culturally adapt the short form of the VLA into Turkish (Tr-S-VLA) and assess its reliability and validity in patients with RA.

METHODS

Ninety-three RA patients with a median age of 60.00 (8.00) years were included. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient. Construct validity was assessed using factor analysis. Criterion validity was established by comparing the Tr-S-VLA with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI-5) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36).

RESULTS

The Tr-S-VLA demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.913) and excellent test-retest reliability (r = 0.750, p < 0.05). Positive correlations were found with the HAQ (r = 0.654, p < 0.05) and the RADAI (r = 0.657, p < 0.05). Negative correlations were found with physical functioning (r = -0.685, p < 0.05), physical role function (r = -0.528, p < 0.05), social functioning (r = -0.540, p < 0.05) and the general health subscale of the SF-36 (r = -0.435, p < 0.05). These correlations indicate that the Tr-S-VLA has criterion validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Tr-S-VLA is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of activity-related disability in patients with RA.