Reliability and Validity of Psychological General Well-Being Index in Turkish Population

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) in healthy and patient population. Materials and Methods: Fifty healthy individuals (Group 1) and 194 patients (Group 2) were included in the study. Group 2 comprised patients with low back pain and neck pain (n=50, Group 2a), osteoarthritis (n=50, Group 2b), fibromyalgia syndrome (n=50, Group 2c) and stroke (n=44, group 2d). The PGWBI was translated into Turkish according to standard adaptation procedure. This index consisted of 6 subscales (anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality) and 22 items. The PGWBI was administered to subjects twice a week for testing reliability. Validity was based on correlating the PGWBI scores with that of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Results: The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were found to be good in healthy individuals and patient groups separately (Cronbach's alpha range: 0.93-0.92; intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.88-0.99). The total scores of the PGWBI in healthy individuals showed significant correlations with all subareas of the NHP (r range:-0.38-0.70, p<0.05), except for pain (r:-0.16, p>0.05). The total PGWBI scores had significant correlations with all subscores of the NHP in patient groups (range from r:-0.29-0.64, p<0.05). Conclusion: The Turkish version of the PGWBI is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating quality of life in healthy and patient population. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2010;56:161-9