• Validity and reliability of th...

*Result*: Validity and reliability of the Danish and Swedish versions of the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Questionnaires in patients with spondyloarthritis.

Title:
Validity and reliability of the Danish and Swedish versions of the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Questionnaires in patients with spondyloarthritis.
Authors:
Damgaard AJ; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark., Mogard E; Section of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.; Section of Rheumatology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden., Primdahl J; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.; Hospital Sønderjylland, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Aabenraa, Denmark., Bremander A; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.; Section of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.; Spenshult Research and Development Centre, Halmstad, Sweden., Dures E; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.; Academic Rheumatology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK.; School of Health and Social Wellbeing, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK., Lindqvist E; Section of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.; Section of Rheumatology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden., Krarup HF; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Patient research partner, Soenderborg, Denmark., Graversgaard J; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Patient research partner, Soenderborg, Denmark., Knak KL; The Danish Centre for Expertise in Rheumatology, Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg, Denmark.; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Source:
Scandinavian journal of rheumatology [Scand J Rheumatol] 2025 Nov; Vol. 54 (6), pp. 399-411. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Oct 08.
Publication Type:
Journal Article; Validation Study
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0321213 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1502-7732 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03009742 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Scand J Rheumatol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
Original Publication: Stockholm, Almqvist & Wiksell.
MeSH Terms:
Surveys and Questionnaires*/standards , Fatigue*/diagnosis , Fatigue*/etiology , Spondylarthritis*/complications , Spondylarthritis*/psychology, Reproducibility of Results ; Denmark ; Sweden ; Language ; Translations ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Severity of Illness Index
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251008 Date Completed: 20251120 Latest Revision: 20251120
Update Code:
20260130
DOI:
10.1080/03009742.2025.2515689
PMID:
41059950
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Objective: To investigate the validity, reliability, and interpretability of the Danish and Swedish versions of the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multi-Dimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ) and Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) (BRAFs) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA).
Method: The BRAFs were tested for validity and reliability in an online survey. Participants were identified in the national rheumatology databases.
Results: In Denmark, 234/435 participants (53.8%) completed the first survey (T1), of whom 125 (82.2%) also completed the second survey (T2) (mean ± sd age 59.6 ± 13 years, 52.6% women). In Sweden, 183/420 participants (43.6%) completed T1, of whom 171 (93.4%) also completed T2 (age 54.7 ± 13 years, 62.3% female). In both Denmark and Sweden, the content validity was supported for the BRAFs; regarding structural validity for BRAF-MDQ, explanatory factor analysis identified five factors; Cronbach's α (internal consistency) was 0.94/0.95 for BRAF-MDQ and 0.79-0.93/0.76-0.94 for the four subscales; intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were 0.96/0.93 for BRAF-MDQ and 0.84-0.93/0.86-0.90 for the subscales, and ICCs of the three BRAF-NRS scales were 0.70-0.90/0.71-0.89; and Construct validity: 80% of the hypotheses were fulfilled for the BRAFs.
Conclusions: Good content validity, acceptable construct validity, good reliability, and low degree of measurement error were found for BRAF-MDQ and BRAF-NRS V2. BRAF-MDQ had acceptable structural validity, but five factors were identified, instead of four, suggesting caution in distinguishing dimensions of fatigue. The BRAFs are considered valid and reliable for measuring fatigue in Danish and Swedish patients with SpA.*