title: Development and psychometric evaluation of a diabetes-specific quality-of-life (D-QOL) scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to develop a diabetes-specific quality-of-life (D-QOL) scale and to determine its psychometric properties.
  
  
  METHODS
  An initial pool of items was generated based on a conceptual construct and attributes of health-related quality of life. The items were reviewed by experts, and a pilot test was conducted. A content-validated preliminary D-QOL scale was verified for use with psychometric tests on 402 patients who were recruited from 3 hospitals in Korea. The data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach's alpha, generalizability coefficients, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From exploratory analyses, a total of sixteen items clustered four factors were extracted. The four-factor structure was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was established with the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. As hypothesized, the D-QOL scores were worse in severely or moderately depressed patients than in those who were either less depressed or not depressed, implying satisfactory known-groups validity. The reliability of the D-QOL scale was supported by Cronbach's alpha and generalizability coefficients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The D-QOL scale is a simple and brief scale, the use of which is feasible in practice. It demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, and so may also be used in clinical research.
authors: Graduate School of Public Health, Ajou University, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon, Republic of Korea. ehlee@ajou.ac.kr
authors: Eun-Hyun
authors: EH
authors: Lee
authors: Young Whee
authors: YW
authors: Lee
authors: Kwan-Woo
authors: KW
authors: Lee
authors: Dae Jung
authors: DJ
authors: Kim
authors: Soo-Kyung
authors: SK
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires