Translation and Validation of the Chinese Version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) Self-Report

Study Design: A cross-sectional psychometric study.

Objective: To translate, culturally adapt and validate the Chinese version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III-Self Report (SCIM-SR).

Setting: Four rehabilitation centers in Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shiyan, China.

Methods: Translation and cultural adaptation of the Chinese version of the SCIM-SR was conducted according to Brislin guidelines. A total of 147 spinal cord injury patients self-rated their functional independence using translated instrument. The psychometric properties of content validity, criterion-related validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability were examined.

Results: The content validity index of the new scale was 0.99. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the total SCIM-SR and SCIM III scores was 0.935, and the coefficients for its three subscales were 0.899, 0.760, and 0.942. Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean difference between the total SCIM-SR and SCIM III scores was 2.35 (95% confidence interval -0.58 to 5.28), and differences for the three subscales were 0.75 (-0.51-2.01), 1.30 (-0.63-3.23), and 0.30 (-0.80-1.40). The Cronbach's α coefficients for the total scale, the self-care subscale, and the mobility subscale were 0.908, 0.913, and 0.895, respectively. The α for the respiration and sphincter management subscale was 0.581. Test-retest reliability after 2 weeks yielded a Spearman coefficient for the total scale of and subscale values all above 0.73.

Conclusions: Our results indicate acceptable validity and reliability of the Chinese version of SCIM-SR. It may facilitate long-term evaluations of independence in Chinese spinal cord injury patients in the community and at home.