Translation and Validation of the Premenstrual Assessment Form-Short Form Questionnaire in Hungarian

Olívia Dózsa-Juhász; Alexandra Makai; Viktória Prémusz; Pongrác Ács; Márta Hock

doi:10.1089/whr.2023.0107

Translation and Validation of the Premenstrual Assessment Form-Short Form Questionnaire in Hungarian

Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2024 Mar 27;5(1):286-292. doi: 10.1089/whr.2023.0107. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Olívia Dózsa-Juhász¹, Alexandra Makai¹, Viktória Prémusz¹, Pongrác Ács¹, Márta Hock¹

Affiliation

¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.

Abstract

Introduction: Premenstrual symptoms, including premenstrual syndrome and its more severe form premenstrual dysphoric disorder, are a set of somatic and psychological symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Our research aimed to adapt the Hungarian version of the Premenstrual Assessment Form-Short Form (PAF-SF), a questionnaire suitable for assessing premenstrual symptoms, and to examine its reliability, validity, and applicability.

Methods: The questionnaire was validated according to Beaton's six-step guidelines. Our sample consisted of 198 menstruating women, 50 of whom completed the instrument for a second time to assess reliability. Descriptive statistics were calculated presenting mean (standard deviation), the internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha value, the test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients, Spearman rank correlation was applied to test the criterion validity of the questionnaire, and discriminant validity was examined using the independent-sample t test using IBM SPSS 28.0 software. The structural validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using IBM AMOS 29.0 software. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: Our sample (average age 25.37 ± 4.80 years) scored 28.08 ± 9.49 points out of the maximum 60 points when filling out the PAF-SF questionnaire. The result of Cronbach's alpha calculation, which supports the reliability of the questionnaire, was 0.845. During the CFA, the three-factor structure (Affect, Water Retention, and Pain) was supported (root mean-square error approximation [RMSEA] = 0.054; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.965; Comparative Fit Index = 0.976; χ² = 48.642; df = 31; p = 0.023; χ²/df = 1.569).

Discussion: The PAF-SF questionnaire proved to be a reliable measuring tool for assessing premenstrual symptoms among women of reproductive age.

Keywords: PAF-SF; Premenstrual Assessment Form-Short Form; Women's Health; premenstrual syndrome; validation.