Validation of the Japanese version of the quality of life in life threatening illness- family carer version scale for caregivers of home-based patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A cross-sectional study

This study aimed to validate the Japanese version of the Quality of Life in Life-Threatening Illness-Family Carer Version (J-QOLLTI-F) tool for caregivers of ventilated home-based ALS patients. In collaboration with the Japan Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association and the National Intractable Disease Support Center, a self-administered survey was administered to 107 caregivers of home-based ALS patients who consented to participate in this study. The survey included data concerning participant and patient characteristics derived from the J-QOLLTI-F, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Japanese Version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI). This was a cross-sectional study. The Cronbach's α for the J-QOLLTI-F was 0.85. Regarding reproducibility, a strong item-total (I-T) correlation (α = 0.90) was observed. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 16 items and three factors, with eigenvalues ≥ 1 and factor loadings ≥ 0.4. A significant correlation was also found for validity using Pearson's coefficient. The reliability of the J-QOLLTI-F was confirmed through the Cronbach α coefficient and I-T correlation. Validity was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis and Pearson's correlation in relation to the SF-36 and J-ZBI. Based on these findings, this 16-item J-QOLLTI-F can be considered a valid and reliable QOL measurement scale for caregivers of home-based ALS patients.