Psychometric properties of a child health status questionnaire for Thai children with lupus: Nursing practice implications.

BACKGROUND

Perceived child health status is an important factor related to quality of life and clinical outcomes of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While culturally appropriate Child Health Status Questionnaire (CHSQ) instruments exist for Thai children, their psychometric properties have not been established for pediatric SLE populations.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the validity and reliability of the Child Health Status Questionnaire (CHSQ) Form-I (child self-report) and Form-II (parent proxy-report) among Thai children with SLE and their parents, establishing psychometric properties for nursing assessment and clinical practice applications.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 320 participants: 80 children with SLE, 80 parents of children with SLE, 80 healthy children, and 80 parents of healthy children. Construct validity was assessed using the known-groups approach, convergent validity through correlations with the Thai Quality of Life in Children questionnaire, and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha.

RESULTS

Construct validity was supported by significant differences between the SLE and healthy groups (t = 6.68, p < .001). Concurrent validity showed moderate correlations with overall quality of life (r = 0.352-0.408, p < .01) and strong correlations with the physical (r = 0.752-0.829), psychological (r = 0.693-0.765), and social (r = 0.574-0.844) domains. Both versions of the CHSQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93-0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The CHSQ demonstrates strong psychometric properties for assessing perceived health status in Thai children with SLE, providing culturally appropriate measurement tools for nursing assessment and clinical practice.

IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: CHSQ informs individualized care in adolescents with SLE.