The Italian McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised (MQoL-R): Psychometrics in Neurological and Neoplastic Populations

Abstract

Background: The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised (MQoL-R) is the gold standard for assessing QoL in end-of-life, chronic patients; however, an Italian standardization is lacking.

Objective: This study aimed at assessing the psychometric properties of the Italian MQoL-R in patients with chronic neurological/oncological conditions.

Methods: 177 inpatients with life-threatening, chronic neurological/oncological conditions were consecutively recruited in 8 clinics in Northern/Southern Italy were administered the MQoL-R and the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). Factorial structure (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA), reliability (Cronbach's α) and construct validity against the KPS (Pearson's coefficients) were examined.

Results: The four-factor model (Physical, Psychological, Existential and Social subscales) was met (comparative fit index = .93; root mean square error of approximation = .07), with all items significantly loading on respective subscales. Internal consistency was good for both the whole scale (Cronbach's α = .83) and subscales (range = .6-.85). The KPS was unrelated to MQoL-R measures, except for the Physical subscale (r = .24).

Conclusions: The Italian MQoL-R is a valid and reliable tool to assess QoL in end-of-life, both neoplastic and neurological, chronic inpatients undergoing palliative care, whose adoption is thus encouraged in both clinical practice and research addressed to such populations.

Keywords: end of life; palliative care; psychometric; quality of life; reliability; validity.