Translation, Adaptation, and Validation of the Young Spine Questionnaire for the Italian Children

PURPOSE: Low back and neck pain are increasing worldwide, even in children. However, Italy lacks validated tools for the assessment of children and adolescents with spine disorders. The Young Spine Questionnaire (YSQ) seems to be an appropriate option. The aim of this study was to translate, adapt, and validate the YSQ to develop an Italian version of it. METHODS: One hundred thirty-three participants were recruited in the area of Trieste, aged between 9 and 12 years old. The YSQ and the KIDSCREEN-10 were assessed with regard to their reliability, test-retest reliability from 3 to 4 days, and construct validity. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 10.25 (±1.5), with a slight prevalence of females (62.7%). The internal consistency was high, with an alpha score ranging from 0.62 to 0.92 and a total score of 0.82. The test-retest showed good reproducibility. The total score of the YSQ showed a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.87. For the dimensions and the items of the questionnaire, the scores ranged from 0.52 to 0.79. Construct validity showed a strong correlation between the questionnaires, with a score of 0.61. CONCLUSIONS: The YSQ seems to be a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess spinal pain in Italian children. According to the results of the psychometric proprieties, the use of this questionnaire is recommended.