Validation of the Spanish Life Support Preference Questionnaire (LSPQ)

Purpose: To translate and validate the Life Support Preference Questionnaire (LSPQ) for use with Spanish-speaking adults, and to further validate the English version of the LSPQ. Methods: Two samples were included: community-dwelling Hispanic and non-Hispanic adults who were monolingual or bilingual Spanish speakers, and an English-speaking sample, all living in south-central United States. Validation included calculation of internal consistency, stability, and alternate forms reliability estimates for two language versions of the LSPQ. Factorial validity was studied for both language versions and regression and t test analyses were done to explore ethnic differences in selection of the life support choices in the scale. Findings: Both language versions of the LSPQ showed strongly supportive measurement properties. Differences were found between ethnic groups on four of the item choices, indicating that Hispanics in this sample preferred interventions to actively support life more than did the non-Hispanic adults. Conclusions: Both the English and Spanish versions of the LSPQ have been validated for use in research and practice. Additional validation will be necessary in other samples.