Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire Chinese version 2.1 (MSQv2.1-C): psychometric evaluation in patients with migraine

BACKGROUND: Migraine ranks as the third most prevalent disease and the seventh most common cause of disability worldwide. To better understand the impact of migraine on the quality of life of individuals with this diagnosis, and how these might differ from one country or culture to another, reliable and valid measures of quality of life that are available in different languages are needed. To address this need, here we (1) translated the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire into Chinese (MSQv2.1-C), and (2) examined the psychometric properties of the measure. METHODS: Forward and backward translation was conducted using four bilingual experts. One native speaker finalized the translation. Cognitive testing was performed by interviewing 11 monolingual migraineurs, and modifications were made to the MSQv2.1-C, as appropriate. Next, 174 individuals with a history of migraine completed the MSQv2.1-C, along with the SF-12, Migraine Disability Assessment Scale, and numerical rating scale s assessing pain intensity. We then evaluated the reliability and validity of the MSQv2.1-C by performing analyses to evaluate its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity, and construct validity. RESULTS: The MSQv2.1-C scales demonstrated (1) good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha s ≥ 0.81); (2) good 1-week test-retest reliability (intra-class coefficients ≥0.69 and Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients ≥0.74); (3) convergent validity (positive correlations with the MSQ and SF-12 scales [rho range = 0.27 to 0.37, ps < 0.05]); (4) criterion validity (negative correlations [rho range = − 0.51 to − 0.25, ps < 0.05]) between the MSQv2.1-C scales and pain-related criterion variables; and (5) construct validity (item factor loadings ranging from 0.71 to 0.96 [> 0.5]). CONCLUSIONS: The MSQv2.1-C exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity in a sample of individuals with migraine who speak Chinese. The availability of this measure will facilitate research, including cross-cultural research, on the quality of life of individuals with migraine.