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Health-related quality of life questionnaire for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOSQ-50): development and psychometric properties

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Abstract

Purpose

The determinants of the health-related quality of life of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive instrument to assess the health-related quality of life of Iranian women with PCOS and to assess its psychometric properties.

Methods

We used a mixed-method, sequential, exploratory design including both qualitative [in-depth interview to define the components of health-related quality of life questionnaire (PCOSQ)] and quantitative approaches (to assess the psychometric properties of PCOSQ).

Results

A preliminary questionnaire was developed including 147 items which emerged from the qualitative phase of the study. Considering the optimum cutoff points for content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), and impact score, items of the preliminary questionnaire were reduced from 147 to 88 items. Finally, by excluding highly correlated items using the exploratory factor analysis, a 50-item questionnaire was obtained. The Kaiser criteria (eigenvalues >1) and Scree plot tests demonstrated that six factors were optimum with an estimated 47.3 % of variance. Assessment of the psychometric properties of the questionnaire demonstrated a mean CVI = 0.92, CVR = 0.91, Cronbach’s alpha for whole questionnaire = 0.88 (0.61–0.88 for subscales), Spearman’s correlation coefficients of test–retest = 0.75, and the intra-class correlation coefficient for the PCOS questionnaire subscales ranging from 0.57 to 0.88. Eventually the final questionnaire included 50 items in six domains, ‘psychosocial and emotional,’ ‘fertility,’ ‘sexual function,’ ‘obesity and menstrual disorders,’ ‘hirsutism,’ and ‘coping’ and rated on a 5-point Likert scale.

Conclusion

The PCOSQ-50 is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of quality of life of women with PCOS, capable of assessing some obscure aspects overlooked by previous HRQL questionnaires.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to each of the study participants for the substantial time and effort contributed to this study. Acknowledgement is also due to Ms. Niloofar Shiva, an academic faculty member of the RIES, for critical editing of English grammar and syntax of the manuscript. This article is written based on the first author’s Ph.D. dissertation at the Department of Reproductive Health in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and official support of the university is hereby acknowledged. This study was funded by the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Author contributions

F.N.A and F.R.T contributed to the study design and execution, data analysis, manuscript drafting and critical discussion. M.S. contributed to the data analysis, manuscript drafting and critical discussion. A.M contributed to the data analysis and manuscript drafting. R.A.M.T contributed to the data analysis, manuscript drafting. All authors were involved in the preparation of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Grant Number 243-1392).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Midwifery, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Fatemeh Nasiri-Amiri

  2. Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 24 Parvaneh, Yaman Street, Velenjak, P.O. Box 19395-4763, Tehran, 1985717413, Iran

    Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani

  3. Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Masoumeh Simbar

  4. Mental Health Research Group, Health Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Montazeri

  5. Department of Biostatistics, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Reza Ali Mohammadpour

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  1. Fatemeh Nasiri-Amiri
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  2. Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani
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Correspondence to Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani.

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The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Nasiri-Amiri, F., Ramezani Tehrani, F., Simbar, M. et al. Health-related quality of life questionnaire for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOSQ-50): development and psychometric properties. Qual Life Res 25, 1791–1801 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1232-7

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