Objectives: The Huntington's Disease Quality of Life Battery for Carers (HDQoL-C) evaluates caregiver quality of life. This study aims to develop and validate the Korean version (K-HDQoL-C) to assess the burden on Korean caregivers of HD patients.
Methods: Nineteen HD caregivers (7 females, mean age 55.4±14.6 years) participated. The K-HDQoL-C, a translation of the English version, consisted of demographic information, caring aspects, life satisfaction, and feelings about life. It was administered twice, two weeks apart. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's α, and test-retest reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients. The relationship with the Zarit Burden Interview-12 (ZBI-12) was analyzed.
Results: Internal consistencies of K-HDQoL-C were 0.771 (part 2), 0.938 (part 3), and 0.891 (part 4). Test-retest reliability ranged from 0.908 to 0.936. Part 3 negatively correlated with ZBI-12, and part 4 positively correlated (R = -0.780, 0.923; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The K-HDQoL-C effectively evaluates challenges faced by HD caregivers, particularly in care aspects and life satisfaction.