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Assessing measurement invariance of MSQOL-54 across Italian and English versions

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Abstracts

Purpose

The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) is a specific multiple sclerosis (MS) health-related quality of life inventory consisting of 52 items organized into 12 subscales plus two single items. No study was found in literature assessing its measurement invariance across language versions. We investigated whether MSQOL-54 items provide unbiased measurements of underlying constructs across Italian and English versions.

Methods

Three constrained levels of measurement invariance were evaluated: configural invariance where equivalent numbers of factors/factor patterns were required; metric invariance where equivalent factor loadings were required; and scalar invariance where equivalent item intercepts between groups were required. Comparative fit index (CFI), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) fit indices and their changes between nested models were used to assess tenability of invariance constraints.

Results

Overall, the dataset included 3669 MS patients: 1605 (44%) Italian, mean age 41 years, 62% women, 69% with mild level of disability; 2064 (56%) English-speaking (840 [41%] from North America, 797 [39%] from Australasia, 427 [20%] from UK and Ireland), mean age 46 years, 83% women, 54% with mild level of disability. The configural invariance model showed acceptable fit (RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.904, SRMR = 0.046); imposing loadings and intercepts equality constraints produced negligible worsening of fit (ΔRMSEA < 0.001, ΔCFI = − 0.002, ΔSRMR = 0.002 for metric invariance; ΔRMSEA = 0.003, ΔCFI = − 0.013, ΔSRMR = 0.003 for scalar invariance).

Conclusions

These findings support measurement invariance of the MSQOL-54 across the two language versions, suggesting that the questionnaire has the same meaning and the same measurement paramaters in the Italian and English versions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the PwMS who participated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Neuroepidemiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Giordano, Ambra Mara Giovannetti & Alessandra Solari

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Andrea Giordano, Silvia Testa & Rosalba Rosato

  3. Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Aosta Valley , Aosta, Italy

    Silvia Testa

  4. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Università di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Marta Bassi

  5. Multiple Sclerosis Center, University Polyclinic Hospital G. Rodolico, Catania, Italy

    Sabina Cilia

  6. Neurology & Regional Referral Multiple Sclerosis Centre (CReSM), University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, Orbassano, Italy

    Antonio Bertolotto

  7. Department of Neuroscience, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy

    Maria Esmeralda Quartuccio

  8. Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. D’Annunzio, Chieti, Italy

    Erika Pietrolongo

  9. Servizio di Psicologia e Neuropsicologia, UO di Neurologia e Riabilitazione Specialistica, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy

    Monica Falautano

  10. Laboratory of Clinical Neuropsychology, Psychology Unit, ASST Lariana, Como, Italy

    Monica Grobberio

  11. IRCCS Fondazione Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy

    Claudia Niccolai

  12. Department of NEUROFARBA, Section of Neurosciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Claudia Niccolai

  13. Multiple Sclerosis Center, Neurology Unit, Hospital of Vaio, Fidenza, Italy

    Beatrice Allegri

  14. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Rosa Gemma Viterbo

  15. Unit of Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

    Paolo Confalonieri & Ambra Mara Giovannetti

  16. Department of Medical Science and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Eleonora Cocco

  17. Multiple Sclerosis Center, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy

    Eleonora Cocco

  18. Multiple Sclerosis Unit, IRCCS S. Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

    Maria Grazia Grasso

  19. UOSI Riabilitazione Sclerosi Multipla, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Alessandra Lugaresi

  20. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Alessandra Lugaresi

  21. UOC Psicologia Ospedaliera, AUSL di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Elisa Ferriani

  22. Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    Ugo Nocentini

  23. Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS S. Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

    Ugo Nocentini

  24. Multiple Sclerosis Centre, ASST Valle Olona, Gallarate, Italy

    Mauro Zaffaroni

  25. Neuroepidemiology Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Alysha De Livera & George Jelinek

Authors
  1. Andrea Giordano
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  2. Silvia Testa
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  3. Marta Bassi
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  4. Sabina Cilia
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  8. Monica Falautano
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  9. Monica Grobberio
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  21. Alysha De Livera
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  22. George Jelinek
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  23. Alessandra Solari
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Correspondence to Alessandra Solari.

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Giordano, A., Testa, S., Bassi, M. et al. Assessing measurement invariance of MSQOL-54 across Italian and English versions. Qual Life Res 29, 783–791 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02352-0

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