Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale: validation of the Japanese version

This study was performed to test the validity and value of the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale as an assessment tool in a Japanese-language version (JSQLS). The subjects for the present study were 55 inpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia as defined by DSM-IV. The JSQLS was administered together with two other self-report measures, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey questionnaire (SF-36) and the WHO QOL-26, to assess validity. Psychotic symptoms and extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed using the BPRS and the Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS), respectively. All the scales (psychosocial, motivation/energy and symptoms/side effects) showed good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.93, 0.73 and 0.80, respectively). The correlations of items with their scale total revealed that almost all items were significantly correlated with their own scale score. There were associations with relevant SF-36, WHO QOL-26, and DIEPSS scores. From the results of the testing of the reliability and validity of the JSQLS, it is concluded that the JSQLS is a simple and reliable scale.