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(Stroke. 2003;34:1944.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39)

Evaluation of Acceptability, Reliability, and Validity

Katerina Hilari, PhD; Sally Byng, PhD; Donna L. Lamping, PhD Sarah C. Smith, PhD

From the Department of Language and Communication Science, Institute of Health, City University, London, UK.

Reprint requests Dr Katerina Hilari, Department of Language and Communication Science, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK. E-mail k.hilari{at}city.ac.uk

Background and Purpose— Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a key outcome in stroke clinical trials. Stroke-specific HRQL scales (eg, SS-QOL, SIS) have generally been developed with samples of stroke survivors that exclude people with aphasia. We adapted the SS-QOL for use with people with aphasia to produce the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale (SAQOL). We report results from the psychometric evaluation of the initial 53-item SAQOL and the item-reduced SAQOL-39.

Methods— We studied 95 people with long-term aphasia to evaluate the acceptability, reliability, and validity of the SAQOL and SAQOL-39 using standard psychometric methods.

Results— A total of 83 of 95 (87%) were able to complete the SAQOL by self-report; their results are reported here. Results supported the reliability and validity of the overall score on the 53-item SAQOL, but there was little support for hypothesized subdomains. Using factor analysis, we derived a shorter version (SAQOL-39) that identified 4 subdomains (physical, psychosocial, communication, and energy). The SAQOL-39 demonstrated good acceptability, internal consistency (Cronbach’s =0.74 to 0.94), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.89 to 0.98), and construct validity (corrected domain–total correlations, r=0.38 to 0.58; convergent, r=0.55 to 0.67; discriminant, r=0.02 to 0.27 validity).

Conclusions— The SAQOL-39 is an acceptable, reliable, and valid measure of HRQL in people with long-term aphasia. Further testing is needed to evaluate the responsiveness of the SAQOL-39 and to investigate its usefulness in evaluative research and routine clinical practice.

Key Words: aphasia • outcome • quality of life • stroke

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