Validity and consistency of the ECAVIPEP and CAVE scales to assess quality of life in paediatric patients with epilepsy

Epilepsy has a high impact on the quality of life of the child, so it is important to have validated and consistent instruments to evaluate it. To compare the validity and reliability of a new quality of life scale for paediatric epileptic patients (ECAVIPEP) from a Mexican hospital against the widely validated CAVE scale. A comparative study was conducted to test the validity and realiability of a new scale for evaluating epilepsy in children. The test, conducted on a sample of epileptic children between 4 and 10 years of age, involved the application of a new quality of life scale and comparing it with the widely validated CAVE scale. Cronbach's alpha and Spearman's rho were used for validity and consistency. There were 114 patients, 72 (63.2%) male and 42 (36.8%) female. Internal consistency yielded a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.673. For the analysis of convergent validity, scores obtained by CAVE and ECAVIPEP Spearman's rho correlation was 0.670 (p lower than 0). ECAVIPEP scale is valid and consistent to assess epilepsy in children from 4 to 10 years.