Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity Questionnaire

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to determine validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity (CISS-T) Questionnaire.

Materials and methods: The translation and back translation steps of the study were based on the Beaton guidelines. Sixty-eight patients between 18 and 65 years old with cold intolerance after amputation, replantation, multiple crush syndrome, and peripheral nerve injury were included in the study. Patients completed the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (DASH), the SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the single questions assessing the cold sensitivity and cold intolerance once and the final version of the CISS-T twice with a 7-day interval.

Results: The internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.844) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.938) of CISS-T were assessed and both were considerably high. Also, the correlations between the scores of the CISS-T, DASH-T, SF-36-T, and the single questions were analyzed by Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The CISS-T showed an excellent correlation with the single questions (rho = 0.8 and 0.877), a good and negative correlation with the pain subscale of the SF-36 (rho = 0.617), and a moderate correlation with the DASH-T (rho = 0.592).

Conclusion: As a result, the CISS-T is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the severity of cold intolerance.