Cultural adaptation and validation of the scleroderma health assessment questionnaire into Arabic language

Background Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune multisystem disorder which affects the patients’ physical and psychological functioning. Scleroderma health assessment questionnaire used to measure physical disability in systemic sclerosis patients. It consists of Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index plus five visual analogue scores related to systemic sclerosis symptoms. There is no Arabic questionnaire specifically measuring physical disability in Arabic systemic sclerosis patients; therefore, this study aimed to translate the scleroderma health assessment questionnaire, culturally adapt it, and test its reliability and validity. Method The scleroderma health assessment questionnaire was translated into Arabic according to translation and cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Convergent validity is measured by correlation of scleroderma health assessment questionnaire scores for 56 patients with short-form health survey scores, while discriminate validity is tested by stratifying clinical manifestations of patients and disease subtypes. Reliability measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient by interviewing patients twice 14 days apart. Results There was a strong correlation between the short-form health survey scores: physical component score and Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire global scores ( r = − 0.659**, − 0.727**), while a moderate correlation between the short-form health survey scores physical component score, and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire, visual analogue scores, and all scleroderma health assessment questionnaire visual analogue score subtypes except for Raynaud’s and digital ulcer, was found ( r = − 0.495**, − 0.458*, − 0.495**, − 0.403*). The mental component score of the short-form health survey scores was moderately correlated with Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire global scores ( r = − 0.507**, − 0.51**), while it was mildly correlated with scleroderma health assessment questionnaire visual analogue score and only its subtype overall severity score ( r = − 0.398*, − 0.375*). Also, statistically significant association is between diffuse disease type and digestive visual analogue score ( p = 0.001). The Arabic edition of scleroderma health assessment questionnaire has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.845. Conclusion The translated Arabic version is a valid and reliable questionnai