Validity of the SS-QOL in Germany and in Survivors of Hemorrhagic or Ischemic Stroke

Objective: The Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL) is a
recently developed measure to assess health-related quality of life
in stroke patients. The objective of this study was to translate
the American version of the SS-QOL and examine the validity of the
German proxy version, in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
survivors. Methods: The translation was conducted according to
published guidelines. The validation was performed in consecutive
adult stroke survivors. Data were obtained 1 year after discharge.
To examine the dimensionality of the SS-QOL, factor analyses were
conducted. The validity was examined by the associations of the
subscales with the Functional Independence Measure and Short Form
36. Results: The literal translation revealed no major changes
between the American and the German versions of the SS-QOL. Three
hundred seven stroke survivors were included in the study. Unlike
the 1st validation study, most of the variance could be explained
by 8 instead of 12 factors; therefore, the 8-factor solution was
further examined. The validity of the SS-QOL total score and
“observable” scales such as “activities” was shown. Conclusions.
For the German proxy version of the SS-QOL, an 8-factor solution
was found to be the most appropriate. The psychometric properties
of these 8 subscales were good or excellent with respect to
internal consistency. The validity of the total score was shown,
but some subscales(energy, mood, and thinking) failed the
hypothesized associations. Therefore, the SS-QOL needs to be
further explored in other settings and populations.