Translation and Brazilian adaptation of the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ)

To describe the process of translating and adapting the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) from English into Brazilian Portuguese and to present the results of its test-retest reliability using the version developed for interview application.

The process was based on the guidelines of the International Society for Pharmaeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), which propose 10 steps for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of self-administered instruments. The original authors of the RSQ have agreed to the translation. The interview version was applied to a sample of 43 healthy elders (≥60 years old) enrolled in a primary health care program in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, and then reapplied. The scores of the two applications were compared using the paired sample t-test.

Only 6 of the 30 items required the adaptation of words or expressions to maintain its conceptual and semantic equivalence. The self-administered form of the RSQ posed difficulties for elders due to visual deficiencies and lower education level, both common in this age group, demonstrating a need for the development of a version of the RSQ in a structured interview format. Only the measure for secure attachment presented significant differences after the application of the retest, indicating reliability of the version being proposed.

Translation of the RSQ is the first step towards the validation of an attachment evaluation instrument for use in the elderly population in Brazil, allowing for future studies on this topic.