Validation of the quality of life after brain injury in Chinese persons with traumatic brain injury in Taiwan

Abstract

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of the Quality of Life After Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) in Chinese persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Taiwan.

Participants: Three hundred one patients with TBI were interviewed face-to-face at baseline; of these, 132 completed a follow-up assessment 1 year later.

Settings: Neurosurgery clinics of 6 teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan.

Measure: The 37-item QOLIBRI, including 6 domains of Cognition, Self, Daily Life and Autonomy, Social Relationships, Emotions, and Physical Problems.

Results: A small percentage (<1%) of responses were missing, except the Sex Life item under the Social domain (5.9%). The QOLIBRI achieved adequate percentages for the floor value (0%-4%), ceiling value (1%-3.3%), internal consistency (0.79-0.95), and test-retest reliability (0.81-0.89). For construct validity, correlation coefficients (rs) for the QOLIBRI domains and selected clinical measures conceptually related to that domain were all 0.4 or more, except rs for QOLIBRI Cognition and Mini-Mental State Examination scores. A principal components analysis found that one item (Loneliness) of the Emotions domain did not converge with its corresponding domain of the original QOLIBRI (loading score <0.4). Effect sizes of responsiveness to changes in the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended over the 1-year period were clinically meaningful for all the QOLIBRI domains except the Emotions domain.

Conclusion: With modifications to the Emotions domain, the QOLIBRI would be suitable for use with Chinese people in Taiwan who have TBI.