Objective: In this study, we aimed to analyse the validity and reliability of the RLS-QoL questionnaire in patients with RLS from our Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic, as well as participants from unpublished prevalence study who agreed to participate in the study. We aimed ensure the feasibility for Turkish society by examining the validity and reliability.

Background: Restless legs syndrome(RLS),as well as problems secondary to RLS,may worsen the qualityof life. Our aim was to modify the Restless Legs Syndrome Quality of Life (RLS-QoL) questionnaire advanced by Abetz (Health Qual Life Outcomes 3:79, 2005) and to analyse the validity and reliability of the questionnaire.

Method: To assess the quality of life and apply the RLS-QoL questionnaire in a Turkish population to determine the reliability and validity, 201 consecutive subjects with RLS [35 (17.4 %) men, 166 (82.6 %) women] were included who were diagnosed with the criteria proposed by the International RLS Research Group [1]. The presence of insomnia in patients was identified using the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-II) criteria [2].

Results: For the RLS subjects, the mean Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score, the International Restless Legs Syndrome Severity Rating Scale (IRLSSG) score and the computed score of the RLS-QoL questionnaire were 22.60 ± 3.39, 24.83 ± 5.28 and 45.93 ± 17.62, respectively. Among the RLS subjects without insomnia, the mean (±standard deviation) ISI score, IRLSSG score and computed score of the RLS-QoL questionnaire were 6.67 ± 2.34, 15.11 ± 4.03 and 41.93 ± 16.12, respectively. A significant difference was identified between both groups on all scores (ISI: p = 0.001, RLS: p = 0.001).

Conclusion: A Cronbach’s alpha of at least 0.70 has been recommended if the measure is considered to be reliable; however, reliability coefficients are susceptible to the number of items within a scale [3,4]. In our study, the Cronbach’s alpha, which is the reliability score of the Turkish translated version of the RLS-QoL, was 0.975.  In our study, consistent with the literature, women comprised the majority of the RLS patients [5 ]. A significant correlation was identified between the ISI and RLS-QoL questionnaire scores.  In conclusion, the Turkish version of the RLS-QoL questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of the quality of life in patients with RLS.

References: 1-Allen, R. P., Picchietti, D., Hening, W. A., Trenkwalder, C., Walters, A. S., & Montplaisi, J. (2003). Restless legs syndrome: Diagnostic criteria, special considerations, and epidemiology. A report from the restless legs syndrome diagnosis and epidemiology work shop at the National Institutes of Health. Sleep Medicine, 4(2), 101–119. 2- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2005). The International Classification of Sleep Disorders: diagnostic and coding manual (2nd ed.). Westchester: American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 3- Walters, A. S., LeBrocq, C., Dhar, A., Hening, W., Rosen, R., Allen, R. P., et al. (2003). Validation of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group rating scale for restless legs syndrome. Sleep Medicine, 4(2), 121–132. 4- Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (Eds.) (1994). The assessment of reliability. In Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill College Division 5- Abetz, L., Arbuckle, R., Allen, R. P., Mavraki, E., & Kirsch, J. (2005). The reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Restless Legs Syndrome Quality of Life questionnaire (RLSQoL) in a trial population. Health Qual Life Outcomes, 3, 79.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/turkish-version-of-the-johns-hopkins-restless-leg-syndrome-quality-of-life-questionnaire-rls-qol-validity-and-reliability-study/