title: Validation of the Italian Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth (QoLISSY) questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth (QoLISSY) questionnaire is a disease-specific instrument developed to assess health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in children with short stature. While the original instrument was simultaneously developed in five European countries, this study describes the results of the Italian QoLISSY translation, cultural adaptation, and validation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus group discussions and a cognitive debriefing process with children (N = 12) diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic short stature and one parent each, as well as parents of younger children (N = 20) were conducted to examine the linguistic and content validity of the Italian version. Psychometric testing was performed using data from the subsequent field- and re-test (N = 32).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the qualitative testing of the Italian sample revealed comparability of content to data of the original five European countries. The following field- and re-test results were psychometrically satisfactory including good item and scale operating characteristics, sufficient evidence of reliability, and acceptable evidence of construct validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the Italian QoLISSY HrQoL-dimensions are comparable to other European countries. The psychometric quality of the Italian QoLISSY version is satisfactory and the instrument is ready for use in Italian patients and their parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. j.quitmann@uke.de.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quitmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giammarco
authors.affiliation: Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maghnie
authors.affiliation: Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Napoli
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Università "G.d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Di Giovanni
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Università "G.d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bullinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Children and parents; Cultural adaptation; Health-related quality of life; Short stature