Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Prolapse Quality of Life Questionnaire in the United Arab Emirates

Background: Given the extensive translation of the Prolapse Quality of Life Questionnaire (P-QoL) into many languages, it is imperative to develop an Arabic version to facilitate the study of pelvic organ health within the Arabian culture. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the P-QoL. Study Design: This study involved cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing. Methods: A total of 90 participants were included in the study. This cross-sectional study was carried out in two phases; during phase I, the P-QoL was translated and adapted from English into Arabic. The Arabic version was psychometrically validated during phase II using the test-retest reliability and internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha coefficient, convergent construct (CC) validity among the four study tools using Spearman's coefficient (r), and discriminative validity using Mann-Whitney test to find the differences between the means of the two samples. Results: A satisfactory level of semantic, conceptual, idiomatic, and content comparability was reached in the cross-cultural adaptation of the Arabic version of the P-QoL. The internal consistency was high in terms of psychometric validation, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.971 for the P-QoL. The test-retest results showed high reliability, with the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the P-QoL determined as 0.987. The convergent construct validity was highly acceptable (moderately strong), reflecting a positive correlation between the Arabic version of the P-QoL and the Australian Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Questionnaire (APFD) (r = 0.68; p < 0.001). Similarly, a significant convergent validity of the Arabic version of the P-QoL and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (r = 0.47; p < 0.001) was observed, as well as a correlation between the APFD and the VAS (r = 0.46; p < 0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between the 12-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-12), the P-QoL, the APFD, and the VAS. Conclusion: Based on the significant correlation found between the Arabic APFD and the VAS, the results reveal good reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. It is recommended that Arabic-speaking females with pelvic organ prolapse use the Arabic version of the P-QoL. More research is needed to assess the responsiveness of the P-QoL.