Translation and linguistic validation of the Female Genitourinary Pain Index in Spanish

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis We sought to develop a Spanish translation of the Female Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI) and to validate this instrument in US Latina women. Methods Translation back-translation was performed to create the initial Spanish version. Bilingual women with pelvic and/or genitourinary pain were recruited from clinical sites and social media. Participants reported demographics and completed the Female GUPI in both English and Spanish. Agreement was assessed for each item, subscale and total score. Additionally, we performed cognitive debriefing interviews to further test face validity. A consensus group of bilingual physicians and healthcare personnel utilized comments from the interviews to create a final Spanish version. Results Thirty-four participants completed the questionnaire. Their average age was 33 years, 80% reported attending some college, and 20% reported an undergraduate degree or higher. Most were born in mainland USA (57%) or Mexico (27%). Agreement for the pain, urinary and quality of life subscales between the English and Spanish versions of the measure were excellent (0.91, 0.89 and 0.92, respectively) with 0.96 agreement for the measure as a whole. Despite favorable psychometrics, preferences for alternate wording were reported over 50 times. Based on that feedback, a consensus group was formed, which recommended changes to 13 of the 15 items, 3 of which required complete rewriting. Conclusions The Spanish Female GUPI is strongly correlated with the English original; however, participants reported the language was overly complex. Translation and validation should include review of the measure and feedback by the target audience for optimal clarity and readability.

Pilot Testing Transcreated Spanish-Language Study Materials for Symptom Research With Infants and Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…22 Cognitive interviews are commonly used and play an important role in evaluating survey instruments, particularly when translation is involved. [22][23][24][25] When cross-cultural equivalency is ignored, a serious threat to the comparability of survey results between different language speakers can occur, which limits the usability of the data. 21 Furthermore, it is especially important to assess the reliability of transcreated measures for understandability and cultural sensitivity before use in larger studies.…”

“…Pilot testing in the target population is a crucial step to ensure that the transcreated items are equivalent to the source items,21 identify any problems that respondents have in understanding or responding to questions, and revise to improve participant understanding and ability to respond to survey items 22. Cognitive interviews are commonly used and play an important role in evaluating survey instruments, particularly when translation is involved 22-25. When cross-cultural equivalency is ignored, a serious threat to the comparability of survey results between different language speakers can occur, which limits the usability of the data 21.…”