Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia (S-CGQoL) in Latin America

Objectives: The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Schizophrenia Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire (S-CGQoL) for use in the Hispanic-American population from the caregiver's perspective. Methods: A cross-sectional instrumental model was used, with a sample of 253 caregivers of patients suffering of Schizophrenia in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. The psychometric properties of the S-CGQoL were tested through construct validity, reliability and some aspects of external validity. In addition, in order to assess the nature of the different items across the three countries, a Differential Performance Analysis (DPA) was conducted. Results: A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale structure was well correlated to the initial structure of the QoL-MDS. The results confirmed the existence of adequate reliability indicators (α> .70 and ω> .80) and the absence of FIDs supporting the invariance of item calibrations among the three Latin American countries. Conclusions: The adaptation and validation of the S-CGQoL questionnaire demonstrate adequate psychometric properties to assess the quality of life of caregivers in samples of middle-income countries in Latin America.