Cross-cultural adaptation, translation, and validation of a Spanish version of the Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale for use following a traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT

Health professionals need linguistically and culturally correct tools with proven validity to effectively assess people in their native language. This study aimed to translate and validate the Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale (WPTAS) into a Spanish version to measure the progression and duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) in Spanish-speaking populations. Seven native Spanish and English translators, 11 therapists and 15 people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and nine people with non-traumatic acquired brain injury participated in the forward–backward translation method to adapt the WPTAS. Participants with a TBI in PTA (n = 20), out of PTA (n = 21), and controls without cognitive impairment (n = 21) participated in the validation test phase by completing the WPTAS, Selective Reminding Test, Short Portable Metal Status Questionnaire, Digit Span, and Agitated Behaviour Scale. The translated version of the WPTAS produced consistent responses and appropriate errors (2%) among all pre-test participants. Results from the validation phase showed that participants in PTA scored significantly lower in all tests (p < .05) when compared with those out of PTA and controls. The Spanish version of the WPTAS created and tested in this study is culturally and linguistically appropriate as well as valid for use with Spanish speakers.

KEYWORDS:

• Memory
• Learning
• Behaviour
• Orientation
• Cognition

Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to thank Dr Josep M. Tormos, Ms Antonia Enseñat Cantallops, and Dr Montserrat Bernabeu Guitart for their continued assistance and support with the administration of this project at the Institut Guttmann.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Hayley Walsh was supported by a seed grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Moving Ahead Centre of Research Excellence in Brain Recovery, Australia.