| Popis: |
Demand is increasing for quality of life measures available for cross-national comparison or aggregation of data across cultures. It is important, therefore, to ensure that an instrument developed in one culture is valid in another. To illustrate an approach to validation, we present a case study of the development of a cross-cultural, quality of life measure specific to genital herpes. The achievement of cross-cultural comparability requires attention to the following issues: 1) the content of the questionnaire and its conceptual basis, 2) the method of translation, and 3) the testing and comparison of reliability, validity, responsiveness, and effect size within each country or culture. In addition to methodological problems, practical considerations include communication difficulties among investigators and the additional expenses involved. Recruiting comparable samples of persons in different countries is also a major challenge to cross-cultural validation. Overcoming these problems will require a higher level of cooperation and coordination between countries. Such studies are lengthy and expensive, requiring commitment of resources and time for the development of valid, reliable, and responsive cross-cultural quality of life measures. |
