Psychometric Properties of the Quality of Life Scale in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (QOLASD-C) in the Iranian Society

Afrooz, Gholamali; Jafarzadeh, Hossein; Sakhtemani, Fatemeh

doi:10.30470/ijpa.2026.733148

Psychometric Properties of the Quality of Life Scale in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (QOLASD-C) in the Iranian Society

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Gholamali Afrooz ¹

Hossein Jafarzadeh ²

Fatemeh Sakhtemani ³

¹ Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Exceptional Children Education, Department of Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Master of School Counseling, Department of Counseling, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

³ Ph.D. in Psychology and Exceptional Children Education, Department of Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.30470/ijpa.2026.733148

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is among the most prevalent developmental disorders in children, significantly impacting their quality of life due to challenges in social interaction, communication difficulties, and repetitive behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Quality-of-Life Scale for Children with Autism within the Iranian society. This study was an applied study conducted using factor analysis. Its statistical population included children aged 5 to 10 years with autism in Tehran who had referred to specialized autism centers in 2024. Among them, 300 children (177 girls and 123 boys) were selected using convenience sampling, and their parents completed the questionnaires in person or online. The research instrument was the Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Parent Version and the Quality-of-Life Scale for Children with Autism (QOLASD-C). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .81 for the entire scale and the test-retest coefficient was .87 after a one-week interval, confirming the desirable validity of the scale. Also, the content validity was confirmed qualitatively and quantitatively by experts. For all items, the CVR index was more than .80 and the CVI index was more than .90. Convergent validity was negatively correlated with the Autism Children's Anxiety Scale -.29 and construct validity was examined and confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. The results of factor analysis showed that the three-factor structure (emotional well-being, interpersonal communication, and self-determination) of the scale has a good fit with the data. Explanation of the findings indicates that this scale can be considered a valid tool for assessing the quality of life of children with autism spectrum disorder in Iranian society.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder

quality of life

psychometric properties

factor analysis