Heart Attacks, Bloody Noses, and Other "emotional Problems": Cultural and Conceptual Issues with the Spanish Translation of Self-Report Emotional Health Items

Michael A. Flynn, Donald E. Eggerth, C. Jeffery Jacobson, Sarah M. Lyon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article examines how respondents understood items in the Spanish versions of the Short-Form 36 (SF-36v2). Cognitive interviews of the SF-36 were conducted in 2 phases with 46 Spanish speakers living in the United States. Roughly one-third (17/46) of respondents had difficulty understanding the Role Emotional items upon their initial reading, and almost half (21/46) provided examples that were inconsistent with the intended meaning of the items. The findings of this study underscore the importance of conducting cognitive testing to ensure conceptual equivalence of any instrument regardless of how well validated it appears to be.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalFamily and Community Health
Volume44
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Latinx immigrants
  • SF-36
  • cognitive testing
  • conceptual equivalence
  • mental health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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