EDEN Papers

The Psoriasis Family Index: Preliminary Results of Validation of a Quality of Life Instrument for Family Members of Patients with Psoriasis
A.M. Eghlileb, M.K.A. Basra, A.Y. Finlay

Department of Dermatology, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK

Address of Corresponding Author

Dermatology 2009;219:63-70 (DOI: 10.1159/000209234)

  Key Words

• Psoriasis Family Index
• Family members
• Partners
• Psoriasis, secondary impact
• Quality of life
• Dermatology Life Quality Index
• Psoriasis Disability Index
• 'Greater Patient'

  Abstract

Background: Psoriasis can have a major impact on the lives of patients, the members of their families and their partners. Objectives: To develop and validate a disease-specific instrument to measure the secondary impact of psoriasis on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of family members of psoriasis patients. Methods: The development of the new questionnaire involved a number of different stages: qualitative interviews with family members/partners, formulation of the first draft, refinement, initial validation, further refinement and finally revalidation of the questionnaire. Results: Items for the measure were generated from the content analysis of interview transcripts. The psychometric evaluation of the final draft of the Psoriasis Family Index (PFI-15) was carried out in a new cohort of participants. The PFI-15 demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's = 0.86) and high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93). The construct validity was assessed by testing a number of a priori hypotheses about its construct; a moderate to strong correlation was seen between families' PFI scores and patients' Dermatology Life Quality Index scores (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and Psoriasis Disability Index scores (r = 0.59, p < 0.01), and between families' PFI scores and patients' Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores (r = 0.43, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The PFI is a simple and practical measure to assess the HRQoL of family members/partners of patients with psoriasis.

Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. A.M. Eghlileb
Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine
Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN (UK)
Tel. +44 29 2074 4721, Fax +44 29 2074 4312
E-Mail ahmed_eghlileb@yahoo.com, finlayay@cf.ac.uk or drkhurshid69@hotmail.com

  Article Information

Received: July 16, 2008
Accepted: December 30, 2008
Published online: March 13, 2009
Number of Print Pages : 8
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 25