Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 (PedsQL™) Cancer Module

Background: Pediatric cancer significantly impacts children's physical, emotional, and social well-being, making quality of life (QoL) assessment essential. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 (PedsQL™ 3.0) includes both child self-report and parent proxy versions, which are widely used to evaluate QoL in children with chronic conditions, including cancer. However, validating its psychometric properties across different cultural contexts is necessary. Materials and Methods: A methodological research design was employed for a sample of 200 participants including 100 inpatient children with cancer (mean age ± SD: 9.30 ± 1.85 years) and their mothers (mean age ± SD: 33.61 ± 6.03 years). The content, face, and structural validities of the study were assessed using exploratory factor analyses. The test reliability was also measured through internal consistency calculated with Cronbach's alpha. Moreover, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Results: The results of the study demonstrated acceptable content and face validity for both the child and mother versions of the instrument. The structural validity analysis revealed a five-factor structure for the child version and a six-factor structure for the mother version. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed with satisfactory Cronbach's alpha values (α = 0.85) for both versions, indicating strong internal consistency. Additionally, the inter-rater reliability was assessed with ICC. The assessments yielded the values of 0.87 for the child version and 0.88 for the mother version, suggesting excellent agreement. Conclusion: The Persian version of the PedsQL™ 3.0 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the quality of life in children with cancer and their mothers. Background: Pediatric cancer significantly impacts children's physical, emotional, and social well-being, making quality of life (QoL) assessment essential. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 (PedsQL™ 3.0) includes both child self-report and parent proxy versions, which are widely used to evaluate QoL in children with chronic conditions, including cancer. However, validating its psychometric properties across different cultural contexts is necessary. Materials and Methods: A methodological research design was employed for a sample of 200 participants including 100 inpatient children with cancer (mean age ± SD: 9.30 ± 1.85 years) and their mothers (mean age ± SD: 33.61 ± 6.03 years). The content, face, and structural validities of the study were assessed using exploratory factor analyses. The test reliability was also measured through internal consistency calculated with Cronbach's alpha. Moreover, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Results: The results of the study demonstrated acceptable content and face validity for both the child and mother versions of the instrument. The structural validity analysis revealed a five-factor structure for the child version and a six-factor structure for the mother version. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed with satisfactory Cronbach's alpha values (α = 0.85) for both versions, indicating strong internal consistency. Additionally, the inter-rater reliability was assessed with ICC. The assessments yielded the values of 0.87 for the child version and 0.88 for the mother version, suggesting excellent agreement. Conclusion: The Persian version of the PedsQL™ 3.0 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the quality of life in children with cancer and their mothers.