title: The Norwegian version of the dermatology life quality index: a study of validity and reliability in psoriatics.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test the Norwegian version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-N) for validity and reliability in psoriatic patients. The DLQI-N was administered to 230 patients with psoriasis who underwent climate therapy on Gran Canaria, with a dermatologist assessing their psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. Factor analyses resulted in a unidimensional pattern, which supports the use of a total DLQI-N score. The internal consistency coefficient of this unidimensional measure was 0.90 (Cronbach's alpha) and the paired inter-item correlations ranged from 0.20 to 0.76 (p < 0.01). Questions related to work, sport and sex were the issues most often ticked off as not relevant, and the item related to working/studying was often misunderstood. DLQI-N scores were significantly associated with disease severity, age and sex. We assess DLQI-N as a valid, reliable and clinically useful outcome measure for quality of life in Norwegian patients with psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. cato.mork@rikshospitalet.no
authors.forename: Cato
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mørk
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: Torbjørn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moum
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D001452:Balneology / Q000379:methods; D003880:Dermatology / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006370:Heliotherapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome