Investigating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire ( EQUALI-HPV)

AbstractIntroduction People with human papiloma virus (HPV) struggle with numerous challenges and needs in physical, psychological aspects of quality of life in relation to this virus. Various studies have recommended counseling interventions to improve these people’s quality of life. Also, there is a need for standardized and normalized instruments in Iran to evaluate the effect of educational and therapeutic interventions on these patients’ quality of life. Therefore, this study was conducted in gynecologic cancer clinics in Kerman to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the “quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire”. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study including 580 women infected with HPV referred to Kerman’s gynecologic cancer clinics. The samples were selected using convenience sampling in 2023. The content validity, face validity, and construct validity using explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were evaluated. Results The results of the content validity assessment, which included the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR), indicated strong content validity. Additionally, face validity, confirmed qualitatively, further supports these findings. The results of the EFA revealed that the Persian version of the quality of life questionnaire, with 34 items remaining from the 54 items, has a 6-factor structure. These 6 factors showed a 56.7% variance and were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis using robust root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.054), comparative fit index (CFI = 0.928), and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI = 0.920). The content validity results showed that all the items had a good validity ratio and index. The Cronbach’s alpha and Raykov’s rho were above 0.7 for all the dimensions. Conclusion The findings depicted that the Persian version of the “quality of life of women infected with HPV questionnaire ” had acceptable validity and reliability and can be utilized to measure these people’s quality of life and conduct psychological studies.