Validity and reliability of a modified utian quality of life scale for Indonesian postmenopausal women

Decreasing levels of estrogen in postmenopausal women can affect their quality of life. The Utian quality of life (UQOL) scale is one instrument used to measure the quality of life (QOL) in menopausal women. This research aimed to test the validity and reliability of an Indonesian version of the UQOL (UQOL-I) scale. The subjects of this study were postmenopausal women (n = 146) aged 50-65 years, who were living in Jakarta and Depok, Indonesia. After translating the instrument into Indonesian, we conducted psychometric testing. The Indonesia translation captured the content of the original instrument. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach a) for the QOL domains were: 0.67 total score; 0.63 occupation; 0.18 health; 0.48 emotional; and 0.45 sexual. The test-retest reliability of the UQOL-I scale was satisfactory with scores of: 0.82 total score; 0.79 occupation; 0.79 health; 0.51 emotional; and 0.59 sexual. The construct validity of the UQOL-I was confirmed by significance between the scores of (1) the UQOL scale and the health question (r = -0.10-0.47, p < 0.05) except for the emotional domain; and (2) the UQOL scale and the dental health question (r = -0.12-0.43, p < 0.05) except for the emotional domain. The questionnaire could differentiate the sexual domain between early and late menopause, which showed adequate discriminant validity of the UQOL-I scale. The UQOL-I scale is currently not reliable enough and lacks validity to accurately measure postmenopausal women's QOL in Indonesia. Therefore, further research is recommended to develop this instrument for application in Indonesia.