Validation of the traditional Chinese version of the Menopausal Rating Scale with WHOQOL-BREF

Abstract

Objective To assess the criterion validity, construct validity and test–retest reliability of the traditional Chinese language version of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS-TC version).

Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional study covering hospital and community samples of 317 women aged 39–62 years. Two questionnaires were administered, namely, the MRS-TC version, made up of 11 items in three dimensions, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to examine the test–retest reliability of the questionnaire on two separate occasions, 2 weeks apart. The internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's α. To evaluate criterion validity, the relationship between the individual items and dimension scores of both instruments was estimated. Pearson's correlation was used to assess convergent and discriminant validity; construct validity was evaluated by comparing the mean scores of menopausal and non-menopausal women for each of the MRS dimensions.

Results The final questionnaire comprised 11 items in three dimensions. The intra-class correlation (ICC) for the test–retest reliability ranged from 0.83 to 0.93; values of Cronbach's α for psychological, somatic, and urogenital symptom domains were 0.88, 0.68, and 0.59, respectively. For the convergent and discriminant validity, the correlations between the individual questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF were significant; those with the MRS dimensions were significantly negatively associated for the physical, psychological, social and environmental domains.

Conclusion The MRS-TC version using the traditional Chinese language is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing menopausal symptoms and global quality of life in climacteric women.

Key words::

• MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
• CLIMACTERIC
• QUALITY OF LIFE
• MENOPAUSAL RATING SCALE – TRADITIONAL CHINESE VERSION
• WHOQOL-BREF
• RELIABILITY
• VALIDITY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are most grateful to all the subjects of this study for their valuable participation. The authors would like to thank Jui-Hsuan Yu and Tzu-Fang Chang for their professional assistance in collecting the participants.

Conflict of interest None of the authors has any conflicts of interest with other individuals or organizations that may have inappropriately influenced this work.

Source of funding We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the support provided for this project in the form of grants from the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital (Grant no. TCRD-TPE-102-36). The sponsors of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report. H.C.W., S.H.W., J.S.H. and S.C.H. had full access to all the data in the study and all authors had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.

Supplementary materials available online

Supplementary Appendix