Affiliation:
1. Department of Paediatric Surgery, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg Sweden
2. Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy Gothenburg University Gothenburg Sweden
3. Department of Paediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg Sweden
4. Department of Paediatrics Angered Local Hospital Gothenburg Sweden
Abstract
AbstractAimThere is no validated symptom scale for Swedish children with gastrointestinal disorders. Our aim was to validate the Swedish version of the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) gastrointestinal symptoms scale and symptoms module.MethodsFamilies were recruited from two hospitals in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1 March 2021 to 31 October 2022. The instruments were completed by 115 children with functional, congenital or organic acquired gastrointestinal disorders and 149 of their parents. These were the gastrointestinal symptoms scales, symptoms module and the 4.0 Generic core scale. Data were analysed for feasibility, construct validity and reliability, including internal consistency, re‐test reliability and child–parent agreement.ResultsFeasibility was good, with a failure to respond of ≤5%. Construct validity showed strong correlation in the PedsQL gastrointestinal symptoms module. The known‐group validity agreed with the expectations associated with the disease characteristics (p < 0.05). Cronbach's alpha was 0.96, which indicated excellent internal reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the child self‐report and parent‐proxy report was 0.74, which indicated good agreement.ConclusionThe Swedish PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scales, the symptoms module provided acceptable measurement properties and can be used to evaluate symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders and quality of life during clinical work or research projects.