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Multicenter Study
. 2017 May 24;12(5):e0176668.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176668. eCollection 2017.

German validation of Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) assessment and associated factors

Nicole von Steinbüchel  1 , Ruben G L Real  1 , Nadine Sasse  1 , Lindsay Wilson  2 , Christiane Otto  1   3 , Ryan Mullins  1 , Robert Behr  4 , Wolfgang Deinsberger  5 , Ramon Martinez-Olivera  6 , Wolfgang Puschendorf  7 , Werner Petereit  8 , Veit Rohde  9 , Holger Schmidt  1   10 , Stephan Sehmisch  11 , Klaus Michael Stürmer  11 , Klaus von Wild  12 , Henning Gibbons  1   13
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

German validation of Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) assessment and associated factors

Nicole von Steinbüchel et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are still poorly understood, and no TBI-specific instrument has hitherto been available. This paper describes in detail the psychometrics and validity of the German version of an internationally developed, self-rated HRQoL tool after TBI-the QOLIBRI (Quality of Life after Brain Injury). Factors associated with HRQoL, such as the impact of cognitive status and awareness, are specifically reported. One-hundred seventy-two participants after TBI were recruited from the records of acute clinics, most of whom having a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 24-hour worst score and a Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) score. Participants had severe (24%), moderate (11%) and mild (56%) injuries as assessed on the GCS, 3 months to 15 years post-injury. The QOLIBRI uses 37 items to measure "satisfaction" in the areas of "Cognition", "Self", "Daily Life and Autonomy", and "Social Relationships", and "feeling bothered" by "Emotions"and "Physical Problems". The scales meet standard psychometric criteria (α = .84 to .96; intra-class correlation-ICC = .72 to .91). ICCs (0.68 to 0.90) and αs (.83 to .96) were also good in a subgroup of participants with lower cognitive performance. The six-subscale structure of the international sample was reproduced for the German version using confirmatory factor analyses and Rasch analysis. Scale validity was supported by systematic relationships observed between the QOLIBRI and the GOSE, Patient Competency Rating Scale for Neurorehabilitation (PCRS-NR), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The German QOLIBRI contains novel information not provided by other currently available measures and has good psychometric criteria. It is potentially useful for clinicians and researchers, in post-acute and rehabilitation studies, on a group and individual level.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Path diagram of the second-order model of the QOLIBRI.
Fig 2
Fig 2. QOLIBRI scale percentage scores (means and 95% confidence intervals) for GOSE groups.
Fig 3
Fig 3. QOLIBRI scale percentage scores (means and 95% confidence intervals) for HADS anxiety groups.
Fig 4
Fig 4. QOLIBRI scale percentage scores (means and 95% confidence intervals) for HADS depression groups.
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