Validation of the 12-Item Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale in a Biethnic Stroke Population

The 12-item Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQOL), a shortened version of the original SSQOL, was developed to be an efficient and valid outcome in stroke research. We aimed to assess the validity of this scale in a biethnic ischemic stroke population. Patients with validated ischemic stroke who completed the original 49-item SSQOL at 90 days poststroke were identified from a population-based study, the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the scales. Intraclass correlation coefficients and linear regression were used to assess agreement between the 2 scales. The study cohort comprised 45 patients with ischemic stroke, 56% female and 51% Mexican American, with a mean age of 66.0 +/- 11.3 years. The mean score for the 49-item scale was 3.33 +/- 0.84, compared with 3.31 +/- 0.95 for the 12-item scale. Internal consistency was 0.96 for the 49-item scale and 0.88 for the 12-item scale. The 2 scales were highly correlated (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.98; R-2 = 0.97). This study in patients with ischemic stroke from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds found that the more efficient 12-item SSQOL is a valid alternative to the full 49-item SSQOL for the assessment of health-related quality of life.