Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Sinhala Translation and Validation Study

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has a negative impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of affected women. There are no studies conducted on HRQoL of women with PCOS in Sri Lanka, partly due to non-availability of a disease-specific validated tool. Objectives: To translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified polycystic ovary syndrome health-related quality of life questionnaire (M - PCOSQ) among Sri Lankan women with PCOS Methods: The M-PCOSQ was translated into Sinhala language and content and consensual validity was assessed using modified Delphi process. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Sinhala version and translated M-PCOSQ were completed by 94 participants attending three different clinics at a maternity hospital in Sri Lanka. Convergent validity was measured using SF-36 while divergent validity was not measured due to the absence of a suitable tool. Ethical issues were adequately addressed. Retest was done in 10% of the sample two weeks later. Results: With the modified Delphi process, items 4, 10 and 27 of M-PCOSQ Sinhala version were stated as positive statements and scoring changed accordingly. The mean age of the sample was 27.13 years and the majority (77.1% had no children). All six domains of M-PCOSQ had high intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.97 to 0.99 demonstrating excellent test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha was 0.67 or more for four of the six domains indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Construct validity was observed by the high correlation between emotion subscale of M-PCOSQ and emotional well-being scale of SF-36 (r=0.63; p<0.01). Conclusions and Recommendations: M-PCOSQ-Sinhala version is a valid and reliable tool to measure HRQoL of PCOS women.