Abstract
Study design
A cross-sectional psychometric study.
Objective
To translate, culturally adapt and validate the Chinese version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III-Self Report (SCIM-SR).
Setting
Four rehabilitation centers in Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shiyan, China.
Methods
Translation and cultural adaptation of the Chinese version of the SCIM-SR was conducted according to Brislin guidelines. A total of 147 spinal cord injury patients self-rated their functional independence using translated instrument. The psychometric properties of content validity, criterion-related validity, internal consistency reliability, and test–retest reliability were examined.
Results
The content validity index of the new scale was 0.99. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the total SCIM-SR and SCIM III scores was 0.935, and the coefficients for its three subscales were 0.899, 0.760, and 0.942. Bland–Altman analysis showed that the mean difference between the total SCIM-SR and SCIM III scores was 2.35 (95% confidence interval −0.58 to 5.28), and differences for the three subscales were 0.75 (−0.51–2.01), 1.30 (−0.63–3.23), and 0.30 (−0.80–1.40). The Cronbach’s α coefficients for the total scale, the self-care subscale, and the mobility subscale were 0.908, 0.913, and 0.895, respectively. The α for the respiration and sphincter management subscale was 0.581. Test–retest reliability after 2 weeks yielded a Spearman coefficient for the total scale of and subscale values all above 0.73.
Conclusions
Our results indicate acceptable validity and reliability of the Chinese version of SCIM-SR. It may facilitate long-term evaluations of independence in Chinese spinal cord injury patients in the community and at home.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the 4 rehab centers: Sichuan Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital in Chengdu; Guangdong Provincial Work Injury Rehabilitation Hospital in Guangzhou; Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou; and the Taihe Hospital in Shiyan. Special thanks to Min Zhang who provided statistical analysis support.
Funding
The study was supported by China’s National Natural Science Foundation (grant 71603293). The sponsor had no role in the study’s design, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in writing the report or in the decision to submit this article for publication.
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TW drafted and revised the manuscript. JT was responsible for the statistical analysis and reviewed the manuscript. JT, SX, XH, and YW participated in the study’s implementation. TL and MJ were responsible for the translation work and data collection. KL was responsible for the project’s design and implementation, quality control, and manuscript revision.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Statement of Ethics
The study was approved by the ethics committees of the university and the participating rehabilitation centers (2017ZSLYEC-0620). We certify that all applicable institutional and government regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research. The translation of the scale was authorized by the original author of the SCIM-SR.
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Wang, T., Tang, J., Xie, S. et al. Translation and validation of the Chinese version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) Self-Report. Spinal Cord 59, 1045–1052 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00601-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00601-5
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