Narcolepsy Quality-of-Life Instrument with 21 Questions: A Translation and Validation Study in Chinese Pediatric Narcoleptics

Objective: This study aimed to translate and validate the narcolepsy quality-of-life instrument with 21 questions (NARQoL-21) in Chinese pediatrics with narcolepsy. Methods: NARQoL-21 was translated following the 10 steps of scale translation. The translated version was tested by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), known-group validity, criterion validity, Cronbach's alpha and test-rest reliability. Results: The Chinese version of NARQoL-21 consisted of two factors: (psychosocial factors and future outlook factor), including 20 items. EFA yielded 3 domains for psychosocial factors and 1 domain for future outlook factor. The Chinese version had a negative correlation with the overall Modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale (r = -0.518, p<0.001) and meaningful difference in score between drug naive and treated group (p<0.05). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was higher than 0.7 and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.75 to 0.905, indicating that it had good reliability. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the NARQoL-21 is available and can be used to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of pediatric narcoleptics, despite that there is a shift in factors compared to the English version due to cultural differences. Future studies are recommended to further validate the scale in Chinese pediatrics with narcolepsy.

Automated summary

The study translated and validated the Narcolepsy Quality of Life Instrument with 21 questions (NARQoL-21) in Chinese pediatric patients, finding that the Chinese version demonstrated good reliability and validity, despite differences in factors compared to the English version.