Psychometric Assessment of the Russian-language Version of the Module of Gastrointestinal Symptoms of the General PedsQL Questionnaire in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Background. The health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is one of the key criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of therapy and the organization of medical care. To date, Russia has lacked validated tools for a standardized comprehensive assessment of HRQL in pediatric patients with gastrointestinal tract pathology, which limited the comparability of domestic data with international studies. The aim of the study is to verify the reliability, validity and sensitivity of the Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the general PedsQL questionnaire and to determine its suitability for assessing HRQL in children with IBD of different age groups. Patients and methods . The study included 346 patients aged 2 to 18 years with confirmed diagnoses of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In the cross-sectional part, HRQL in children with IBD was evaluated simultaneously, in the cohort part, the dynamics before and after surgery. To analyze the psychometric properties of the module, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, an assessment of the constructive and convergent validity, as well as the sensitivity of the instrument were used. Results. The Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the general PedsQL questionnaire showed high internal consistency of scales (Cronbach’s alpha from 0.721 to 0.983), reliable validity (the tool differentiates groups of patients with different stages of the disease), as well as sensitivity (statistically significant improvement in HRQL after surgical treatment). Conclusion. The Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the PedsQL general questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric characteristics and can be successfully used to assess HRQL in children with IBD in Russian clinical and scientific practice. The tool expands the possibilities of medical monitoring, makes it possible to objectify the effectiveness of therapy and form personalized approaches to the management of patients in this category.