The Cultural Adaptation of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Research Version for Latino Children and Adolescents

We reviewed the Spanish translation of the Youth Quality of Life InstrumentResearch Version (YQOL-R) and culturally adapted the measure with Puerto Rican and Mexican American children and adolescents. The YQOL-R is a self-reported measure that includes four domains: Sense of Self, Social Relationships, Environment, and General Quality of Life. A total of 10 focus groups were conducted with children aged 9 to 11, adolescents aged 12 to 17, their parents, and mental health providers. Five focus groups were conducted in San Diego, California and five in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Eligible participants were recruited from children’s outpatient psychiatry clinics. We followed an iterative and recursive process in reviewing changes and modifications to the instrument using a bilingual committee and a Multi National Bilingual Committee. Greater semantic, content, and technical equivalence of the Spanish and English versions for the YQOL-R was achieved for the two largest U.S. Latino subgroups: Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. The cultural adaptation process revealed several important issues regarding the measurement of quality of life in different age groups. Additional items for school, relationships (both family and friends) and spare time suggested L. M. Chavez ( ) University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, Behavioral Sciences Research Institute, PO Box 365067, San Juan, PR 00936-5067 e-mail: [email protected] L. Matı́as-Carrelo University of Puerto Rico, Behavioral Sciences Research Institute, San Juan, PR C. Barrio School of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego G. Canino Department of Pediatrics, Behavioral Sciences Research Institute, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR