Date of Award

2021-08-01

Degree Name

M.P.H.

Department

Public Health

Advisor(s)

Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia

Abstract

Background: In 1999, an instrument was developed to assess quality of life (QoL) among adolescences with epilepsy. To our knowledge there is not a validated Spanish version of this questionnaire. There is a gap in the literature about QoL and epilepsy among speaking Spanish populations. Objectives: 1) To conduct an English-Spanish translation of the QOLIE-AD-48; 2) to evaluate the reliability of the Spanish version of the QoLIE-AD-48; and 3) to assess the validity of the Spanish version of the QoLIE-AD-48. Method: Phase 1 translation: Methods followed the published work of Sousa and Rojjanasrirat (2010). Phase 2 Pilot study: the sample population was comprised of speaking Spanish adolescents with a history of epilepsy who were members of the two Facebook groups about epilepsy that were selected. The inclusion criteria included: being between the ages of 10 and 19 years; diagnosed with epilepsy for at least 2 years; active epilepsy; Spanish speaking; able to read Spanish texts; currently attending school. Descriptive analyses and correlations across the sample were conducted. A sociodemographic survey and the Illness Severity Index (ISI) were also administered to all participants. Results: 78 individuals participated in our survey. Only 6 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The age range was 12-19 years, mean age of 15.8 years (SD=3.11 years). 50% presented a high illness severity, and 50% had a moderate illness severity. Statistical analyses indicate some high reliability and validity correlations indicating that the Spanish instrument is usable Conclusion: Even though our sample was small, we concluded that the Spanish version of the QOLIE-AD-48 can be used among individuals of Spanish speaking countries, including the Latin population in the United States. We believe that a third phase should be conducted among a larger sample to verify the validity of our instrument and describe the quality of life among adolescents with epilepsy.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

116 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Perla Michelle Martinez

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