Psychometric properties and gender invariance of the Chinese version of the self-report pediatric quality of life inventory version 4.0: short form is acceptable

To evaluate the psychometric properties and gender invariance of the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory
(PedsQL) for 8- to 12-year-olds.

Psychometric testing and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used with a convenience sample of 8- to 12-year-old children
(n = 479) for PedsQL full and short forms.

The internal consistency reliability was satisfactory for all subscales and total scores (Cronbach’s α = 0.73–0.90), except
for the school subscale (0.68 [full form], 0.62 [short form]). Test–retest reliability was 0.67–0.84. Convergent validity
was supported by the correlation between the Children’s Depression Inventory and PedsQL psychosocial subscale (r = −0.69). Construct validity determined using CFA showed a better model fit in the short form (RMSEA = 0.06) than in the
full form (RMSEA = 0.08). Measurement invariance across gender determined using nested CFA models showed that all absolute
ΔRMSEA values were <0.01.

The Chinese version of the PedsQL is a relatively reliable and valid instrument, and the PedsQL short form showed a better
construct validity than did the full form. Measurement across gender was invariant; therefore, the comparisons of quality
of life between boys and girls were appropriate.