Adaptation of the Quality of Life Adolescent Cleft Questionnaire for Spanish children and adolescents with cleft lip and/or palate

Abstract

Background: The Quality of Life Adolescent Cleft Questionnaire is a measure of quality of life in cleft lip/palate (CL/P) including items on pre- treatment and post- treatment status. Items, however, were originally organized in a factor structure that prevents a formal pre- treatment to post- treatment comparison. Additionally, the questionnaire was tested in older patients.Aim: We aimed to explore a factor structure that allows a comparison of pre- to post- treatment status in children and adolescents with CL/P.Design: The sample comprised 60 children and adolescents with CL/P. The scale was divided into two groups of items (24 comparing pre- treatment and post- treatment sta-tus and 26 measuring current quality of life). Two different exploratory and confirm-atory analyses were conducted (one for each group of items). Sources of criterion validity were investigated with measures of self- esteem and self- efficacy.Results: The results supported a 6- factor structure for the pre- treatment and post- treatment items. In the second group of items, 9 items were removed due to inad-equate functioning and a final 4- factor solution was obtained. The criterion validity of factors was good.Conclusion: The proposed factor solution might be more useful to detect the per-ceived satisfaction in different areas and can be used in younger patients.