Validation of the Korean version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire.

Introduction: We evaluated the reliability and validity of an adapted Korean version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire.

Materials And Methods: Translation/retranslation of the English version of SRS-22 was conducted, and all steps of the cross-cultural adaptation process were performed. The Korean version of the SRS-22 questionnaire and the previously validated Short Form-36 (SF-36) outcome instruments were mailed to 102 patients who had been treated surgically for idiopathic scoliosis. Eighty-two patients responded to the first mailing of questionnaires and 64 of the first-time responders returned their second survey. The average age of the 64 patients (56 females and 8 males) was 18.3 years. Reliability assessment was determined by estimating Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing SRS-22 domains with relevant domains in the SF-36 questionnaire using Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results: The study demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.80-0.89) for function/activity, pain and mental health, and good consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.50-0.79) for the remaining domains. The ICC of all domains demonstrated excellent test/retest reproducibility. Considering concurrent validity, 3 domains showed excellent correlation, 9 domains good, 25 domains moderate, and 3 domains poor.

Conclusion: The adapted Korean version of the SRS-22 questionnaire was successfully translated and showed acceptable measurement properties, and as such, is considered suitable for treatment outcome assessments in the Korean-speaking patients with idiopathic scoliosis.