Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Intermittent Self-Catheterization Questionnaire (ISC-Q)

Background The intermittent self-catheterization questionnaire (ISC-Q) is a valid and reliable tool to assess the quality of life (QOL) in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) who engage in ISC. The aim of this research is to culturally adapt the ISC-Q and evaluate its psychometric properties within the Chinese patient population. Methods The cross-sectional research was meticulously conducted in two pivotal stages: initially, the focus was on cross-cultural adaptation, followed by an extensive phase of psychometric testing. This comprehensive analysis involved 405 Chinese patients with NLUTD who use ISC. Various analyses, including evaluations of the floor and ceiling effects, item analysis, content validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA), assessments of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Additionally, Cronbach’s alpha was utilized to determine internal consistency, and test-retest reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results No floor and ceiling effects were observed. The content validity index was 0.967. The EFA identified four factors, accounting for 64.953% of the total variance, and this four-factor structure was confirmed by the CFA. The fit indices in CFA were favorable, with χ2/df = 1.999, root mean square error of approximation = 0.070, comparative fit index = 0.916, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.900, goodness-of-fit index = 0.863, and incremental fit index = 0.917. The average variance extracted for the four factors ranged from 0.466 to 0.565, with composite reliability values ranging from 0.776 to 0.859. The ISC-Q showed a positive correlation with the intermittent self-catheterization acceptance questionnaire (r = 0.557, P < 0.001). The ICC overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.821, and the for test-retest reliability was 0.951 (95% CI [0.900–0.976] P < 0.001). Conclusion The validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the ISC-Q have been verified, making it suitable for measuring the QOL in NLUTD patients who practice ISC.