Validation of the Turkish version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Overactive Bladder

The aim was to enable the use of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder (ICIQ-OAB) module in Turkish-speaking women, questionnaires were translated into Turkish, and validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change were evaluated in women suffering from overactive bladder syndrome.

After obtaining permission from the ICIQ Advisory Board, the English version of the questionnaire was translated into Turkish, back-translated into English, and subsequently modified in accordance with the Board's recommendations. Pilot testing was then conducted with 10 women, after which validity (content/face validity and discriminant validity), reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency), and sensitivity to change were evaluated.

This study included 92 women (47 with overactive bladder and 45 controls) who applied to the urogynecology outpatient clinic. All women completed the same questionnaire 15 days later. More than 90% of women found the questions clear, unequivocal, and comprehensive. Missing data constituted less than 1%, indicating adequate content/face validity. Cronbach's α coefficient for this questionnaire was 0.73, which indicates adequate internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient and the kappa values for individual items were > 0.7, indicating adequate test-retest reliability. Symptomatic and asymptomatic women's questionnaires were compared using the area under the ROC curves for discriminant validity, which showed good discriminant validity. Thirty-nine women in the symptomatic group were treated, and the results after 3 months of treatment were analyzed for sensitivity to change. The questionnaire showed a significant improvement in correlation with pre- and post-treatment bladder diary results, indicating good sensitivity to change.

The Turkish version of the ICIQ-OAB demonstrated strong validity and reliability, supporting its use among Turkish-speaking women worldwide in both clinical and research settings.