Validity and reliability of a revised Japanese version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales version 2 (AIMS2)

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Japanese version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales, version 2 (AIMS2) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Japanese version of the AIMS2 questionnaire was administered to 1643 patients with classical or definite RA at 11 hospitals nationwide in Japan. Reliability was assessed by a test-retest procedure, 4 weeks apart, using 75 randomly selected patients. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's α, and factor analysis was used to obtain the proportion of variance explained by the first factor in principal component analysis. The validity of the AIMS2 scales was assessed by internal standards. Internal consistency (α coefficients, 0.84-0.94), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients, 0.75-0.93), and factor analysis (0.62-0.85) of the AIMS2 health status scales proved that they are highly reliable in the Japanese version. Validity, as measured by the relationships among the scores on the questionnaire items, was also sufficiently secured. The validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the AIMS2 are sufficient for all practical purposes when compared with the original and with other translated versions of the questionnaire.

Development of web‐based qualitative and quantitative data collection systems: Study on daily symptoms and coping strategies among Japanese rheumatoid arthritis patients

“…This system was developed to collect quality of life data from RA patients by using the AIMS2 questionnaire (Meenan et al ., 1992; Sato et al ., 1995) and the Internet. Participants were sent the questionnaire by email, and data were collected through the Internet.…”

The relationship between fatigue, coping behavior, and inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

“…The social support status of each RA patient was assessed according to the social support scale of the Japanese version of Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Japanese-AIMS). 6,7 The disease-related information, including the duration of disease, complications, medication, clinical laboratory data, functional status, and Steinbrocker radiographic stage, 8 was obtained through interview with the patient's physician and a review of medical records.…”