The psychometric properties of Chinese version of the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome-quality of life scale (GTS-QOL) for children and adolescents.

Background: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a persistent neurological disorder that profoundly affects the quality of life for afflicted individuals, however, tailored health-related quality of life (QOL) measures for Chinese pediatric GTS patients are lacking. This pioneering study aims to develop a QOL scale for Chinese children with GTS.

Methods: A cohort of 1,121 children (aged 6-16 years) diagnosed with GTS participated in scale development. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to assess the factor structure of the GTS-QOL-Chinese, examining goodness-of-fit indices, factor loadings of individual items, and covariances between factors. Validity was determined through interscale correlations and comparisons with external measures to establish convergent and discriminant validity.

Results: Following reliability and validity analyses, a Chinese version of the 24-item GTS-specific quality of life scale was conclusively established, encompassing five subscales (psychological, compulsive, cognitive, physical, social). The scale demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.93, and validity was substantiated through interscale correlations ranging from 0.46 to 0.68. EFA identified five factors, explaining 61.26% of the total variation. CFA further confirmed the scale's robustness, with all goodness-of-fit indicators meeting acceptable criteria (AGFI = 0.86, PCFI = 0.78, GFI = 0.89, CFI = 0.89, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.06).

Conclusions: The Chinese version of the GTS-QOL scale has exhibits robust reliability and validity and is valuable for assessing the quality of life of Chinese children and adolescents with GTS. This scale may assist in tailoring interventions and improving patient care.