Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life scale

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a pattern of destruction of bones and joints. Quality of life is one of the important psychological factors in the field of public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric indices of the Persian version of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire (RAQoL).

In this descriptive study, 93 patients with RA referred to Hafez hospital Rheumatology Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected through a purposive sampling method and they responded to the RAQoL and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Convergent validity was calculated by measuring the correlation between the quality of life and depression, anxiety, and tension.

The reliability of the scale was confirmed by an Alpha factor of 0.88, indicating a high internal consistency. In assessing convergent validity, the lowest quality of life was associated with depression symptoms (R = -0.75) stress (R = -0.67) and anxiety (R = -0.59) at the 0.01 level of significance.

Our findings indicate that the Persian version of the RAQOL questionnaire has reliability and validity and is sensitive to changes in RA in clinical situations. Furthermore, it can be used as a useful self-assessment tool for research and counseling.