title: Assessing health-related quality of life in NeuroAIDS: some psychometric properties of the Neurological Quality of Life Questionnaire (NeuroQOL).
abstract: Several studies were undertaken to assess the psychometric properties (reliability and initial convergent and discriminant construct validity) of the Neurological Quality of Life Questionnaire (NeuroQOL). The NeuroQOL contains 114 items answered in self report Likert format, with higher scores reflecting better quality of life. Study one compared the questionnaire with existing quality of life measures (Symptom Distress Scale, Sickness Impact Profile) and a significant (p<0.05) correlation was found. Studies two through five evaluated the relationship between the NeuroQOL and disease stage, psychological, neuropsychological and neurological measures, and a significant correlation was also found with each domain. The internal consistency reliability (alpha=0.96), split half reliability (r(12)=0.97), and test-retest reliability (coefficients were 0.78 for 6 months and 0.67 for one year intervals between test and retest) were all found to be high and adequately stable. Overall, these results indicate acceptable reliability and initial construct validity for the NeuroQOL.
authors.affiliation: The AIDS Neurological Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7025, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Alyssa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Braaten
authors.forename: Wendy T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Colin D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires