Detailled Information

Varni JW, Seid M, Smith Knight T, Burwinkle T, Brown J, Szer IS. The PedsQL in pediatric rheumatology: reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales and Rheumatology Module. Arthritis Rheum 2002;46:714–25.

The PedsQL: measurement model for the pediatric quality of life inventory

Disease control and health-related quality of life in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Measures of Health Status and Quality of Life in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. 

The Italian version of the PedsQL in children with rheumatic diseases

Spanish translation and validation of the Neuromuscular Module of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL): evaluation of the quality of life perceived by 5-7 years old children with neuromuscular disorders and by their parents

Health related quality of life of Dutch children: psychometric properties of the PedsQL in the Netherlands

In 1999, Varni et al designed the PedsQL Generic Core Scales as a generic HRQoL measure for use across the heterogeneous pediatric population, including healthy children and children with diseases. However, in 2002, Varni et al developed the PedsQL Rheumatology Module 3.0 to measure pediatric rheumatology–specific HRQoL. The Rheumatology Module measures HRQoL aspects uniquely important to children with rheumatic diseases and complements the core scales. The Rheumatology Module fits within Varni and colleagues’ broader efforts to measure HRQoL in pediatric health conditions using the PedsQL Generic Core Scales.

The 22-item Rheumatology Module measures the following five dimensions: pain and hurt, daily activities, treatment, worry, and communication. For children ages 2 to 5 years, the parent proxy report does not include the worry and communication scales.

Items are reverse coded and linearly transformed to a 0 to 100 scale (eg, 0 = 100 to 4 = 0). Each scale score equals the average of the transformed items answered on a given scale. For scales with more than 50% missing data, one does not compute a scale score. However, research suggests little missing data occur.

Children ages 5 to 7 years answer using a simplified three-point scale, with each response anchored to a happy-to-sad faces scale. A self-report form does not exist for children ages 2 to 5 years, relying instead on parent proxy report to measure HRQoL for this age group.