Validity and reliability of the quality of life questionnaire of adult caregivers in caregivers for children with chronic disabilities

Validity and Reliability of the Quality of Life Questionnaire of Adult Caregivers in Caregivers for Children with Chronic Disabilities Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct the Turkish validity and reliability study of the Adult Caregiver Quality of Life Questionnaire (AC-QoL), which assesses the quality of life of caregivers. Method: The study included 99 mothers with chronic disability children between 20-50 years of age. The socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects, clinic specialty and ambulation status of the children with chronic disabilities were recorded by the researcher. Mothers' quality of life was assessed by World Health Organization Quality of Life Rating Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) and depression level was assessed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The correlation between the AC-Qol and WHOQOL-BREF was performed to determine the validity of the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha value was calculated to determine the internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was calculated by "Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC)" on thirty randomly selected mothers after two weeks from the first evaluation. Functional level of the children was assessed by the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM). Results: The average age of the mothers was 35.99±7.24 years. There was a positive correlation between AC-QoL and WHOQOL-BREF. Internal consistency of AC-QoL was high (Cronbach alpha=0.945) and test-retest reliability was very high (ICC=0.961). There was a negative high correlation between AC-QoL and BDI (rho=-0.669, p<0.001). There was no association between quality of life and functional level of the children with disability (p=0.179). Conclusion: The Turkish version of AC-QoL is a valid and reliable scale for caregivers of children with chronic disabilities. Key words: Chronic disability, caregiving, caregiver, quality of life