title: Validation of the 12-item stroke-specific quality of life scale in a biethnic stroke population.
abstract: The 12-item Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQOL), a shortened version of the original SSQOL, was developed to be an efficient and valid outcome in stroke research. We aimed to assess the validity of this scale in a biethnic ischemic stroke population. Patients with validated ischemic stroke who completed the original 49-item SSQOL at 90 days poststroke were identified from a population-based study, the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. Cronbach's α was used to assess the internal consistency of the scales. Intraclass correlation coefficients and linear regression were used to assess agreement between the 2 scales. The study cohort comprised 45 patients with ischemic stroke, 56% female and 51% Mexican American, with a mean age of 66.0±11.3 years. The mean score for the 49-item scale was 3.33±0.84, compared with 3.31±0.95 for the 12-item scale. Internal consistency was 0.96 for the 49-item scale and 0.88 for the 12-item scale. The 2 scales were highly correlated (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.98; R2=0.97). This study in patients with ischemic stroke from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds found that the more efficient 12-item SSQOL is a valid alternative to the full 49-item SSQOL for the assessment of health-related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Program, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kerber
authors.forename: Devin L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lesli E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Skolarus
authors.forename: Lewis B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.forename: Melinda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Nelda M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Lynda D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lisabeth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D013781:Texas; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D044465:White People