Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Mothers of Children with Disabilities

Abstract

Background: Mothers of children with disabilities experience significant psychological and emotional stress, necessitating a valid and reliable tool to assess their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties and standardize the Quality of Life Questionnaire for mothers of children with disabilities.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers of children with disabilities residing in Kermanshah, Iran, in 2022, to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the quality of Life Questionnaire. The target population encompassed all mothers meeting these criteria, from which a simple random sample of 379 participants was drawn. The Quality of Life Questionnaire and a perceived social support measure were administered to the study participants. The psychometric properties of the Quality of Life Questionnaire were evaluated using SPSS version 26. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while content validity was determined through expert judgment and calculated using the Content Validity Ratio and Content Validity Index.Results: The results indicated satisfactory internal consistency, as demonstrated by Cronbach's alpha (α=0.955) and composite reliability (0.965). All 16 items exhibited excellent item-total correlations (Cohen's kappa >0.60), suggesting strong internal consistency. Content validity was established through experts panel review (content validity index range: 0.86-1.00). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of the questionnaire, and normative data were successfully established.Conclusions: The findings demonstrated that the questionnaire possesses adequate psychometric properties, including reliability and validity, thus supporting its suitability for assessing the quality of life among mothers of children with disabilities.