Psychometric Assessment of the Russian-language Version of the Module of Gastrointestinal Symptoms of the General PedsQL Questionnaire in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Background. The health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is one of the key criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of therapy and the organization of medical care. To date, Russia has lacked validated tools for a standardized comprehensive assessment of HRQL in pediatric patients with gastrointestinal tract pathology, which limited the comparability of domestic data with international studies.

The aim of the study is to verify the reliability, validity and sensitivity of the Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the general PedsQL questionnaire and to determine its suitability for assessing HRQL in children with IBD of different age groups.

Patients and methods. The study included 346 patients aged 2 to 18 years with confirmed diagnoses of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In the cross-sectional part, HRQL in children with IBD was evaluated simultaneously, in the cohort part, the dynamics before and after surgery. To analyze the psychometric properties of the module, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, an assessment of the constructive and convergent validity, as well as the sensitivity of the instrument were used.

Results. The Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the general PedsQL questionnaire showed high internal consistency of scales (Cronbach’s alpha from 0.721 to 0.983), reliable validity (the tool differentiates groups of patients with different stages of the disease), as well as sensitivity (statistically significant improvement in HRQL after surgical treatment).

Conclusion. The Russian-language version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the PedsQL general questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric characteristics and can be successfully used to assess HRQL in children with IBD in Russian clinical and scientific practice. The tool expands the possibilities of medical monitoring, makes it possible to objectify the effectiveness of therapy and form personalized approaches to the management of patients in this category.

1. Khavkin AI, Nikolaychuk KM, Lukichev DA, et al. Assessment of the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases depending on the drug therapy performed. Experimental and Clinical Gastroenterology. 2024;(8):258–272. (In Russ). doi: https://doi.org/10.31146/16828658-ecg-228-8-258-272

2. Havkin AI, Novikova VP, Naletov AV, et al. Analysis quality of life of Crohn’s disease patients based on the sf-36 questionnaire. Experimental and Clinical Gastroenterology. 2024;(1):92–98. (In Russ). doi: https://doi.org/10.31146/1682-8658-ecg-221-1-92-98

3. Bolotova EV, Yumukyan KA, Dudnikova AV. Comparative assessment of the quality of life and the level of anxiety and depression in patients with ulcerative colitis. Doctor.Ru. 2023;22(2):51–56. (In Russ). doi: https://doi.org/10.31550/17272378-2023-22-2-51-56

4. Arakelyan AL, Surkov AN, Bessonov EE, et al. The Possibilities of Assessing the Quality of Life in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Pediatricheskaya farmakologiya — Pediatric pharmacology. 2025;22(3):323–332. (In Russ). doi: https://doi.org/10.15690/pf.v22i3.2905

5. Varni JW, Bendo CB, Shulman RJ, et al. Interpretability of the PedsQL™ Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scales and Gastrointestinal Worry Scales in Pediatric Patients with Functional and Organic Gastrointestinal Diseases. J Pediatr Psychol. 2015;40(6):591–601. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsv005

6. Varni JW, Franciosi JP, Shulman RJ, et al. PedsQL gastrointestinal symptoms scales and gastrointestinal worry scales in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease in comparison with healthy controls. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2015;21(5):1115–1124. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000351

7. Arakelyan AL, Surkov AN, Baranov AA, et al. Linguistic accuracy and authenticity of the content of the Russian version of the module of gastrointestinal symptoms of the PedsQL™ questionnaire for pediatric patients. Pediatricheskaya farmakologiya — Pediatric pharmacology. 2023;20(2):112–119. (In Russ). doi: https://doi.org/10.15690/pf.v20i2.2553

8. Turner D, Otley AR, Mack D, et al. Development, validation, and evaluation of a pediatric ulcerative colitis activity index: a prospective multicenter study. Gastroenterology. 2007;133(2):423–432. doi: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2007.05.029

9. Hyams JS, Ferry GD, Mandel FS, et al. Development and validation of a pediatric Crohn’s disease activity index. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1991;12(4):439–447.

10. Metodika validatsii sredstv meditsinskogo anketirovaniya (oprosnikov): Methodological recommendations. Vasiliev YA, Vladimirski AV, Mnatsakanyan MG, et al, contributors. Moscow: State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Scientific and Practical Clinical Center for Children’s Health” of the Moscow Department of Health; 2024. 36 p. (Luchshie praktiki luchevoi i instrumental’noi diagnostiki; Issue 133). (In Russ).