Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12, translation, adaptation and validation for the Persian language population

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Neurology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) is a crucial patient-reported outcome measure for assessing walking impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
• Validating the MSWS-12 in different linguistic populations, such as Persian speakers, is essential for its global clinical utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian translation of the MSWS-12 in individuals with MS.
• To confirm the psychometric properties of the Persian MSWS-12 for use in clinical and research settings.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 100 participants (50 MS patients, 50 healthy controls).
• Forward-backward translation and expert review for Persian adaptation of the MSWS-12.
• Test-retest reliability assessed in 30 MS patients over 7 days; internal consistency evaluated using Cronbach's alpha; construct validity examined via known-groups comparison; factor analysis performed.

Main Results:

• Excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.96-0.97) and test-retest reliability (ICC 0.98) were observed.
• No significant floor or ceiling effects were detected.
• The Persian MSWS-12 demonstrated strong construct validity, differentiating between MS patients and healthy individuals. Factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure for the 9-item scale.

Conclusions:

• The Persian MSWS-12 is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing the impact of MS on walking ability in Persian-speaking populations.
• This validated scale can be effectively used for clinical assessment and research involving Persian-speaking MS patients.