Background: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has developed the Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-SWB32) for assessment of spirituality in palliative care for cancer. We aimed to translate and validate this tool in Finnish and to study the relationship between spirituality and quality of life (QOL).
Methods: Finnish translation was produced according to the guidelines of EORTC and included forward- and back-translations. Face-, construct- and convergence/divergence validity and reliability were studied in a prospective manner. QOL was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30 and 15D questionnaires.
Sixteen individuals participated in the pilot testing. 101 patients with cancer from oncology units, and 89 individuals with other chronic diseases from spiritual communities participated in the validation part in different parts of the country. Sixteen people participated in the retest phase. Inclusion criteria were that the individual had either a defined palliative care plan or suitability to a such plan, as well as capability to understand and communicate in Finnish.
Results: The translation appeared understandable and acceptable. The factorial analysis identified four scoring scales with high Cronbach alfa values: Relationship with Self (0.73), Relationship with Others (0.84), Relationship with Something Greater (0.82), Existential (0.81), and, additionally, a scale on Relationship with God (0.85). There was a significant correlation between spiritual well-being and QOL in all participants.
Conclusions: Spiritual well-being is correlated with QOL in cancer and non-cancer patients eligible for palliative care. The Finnish translation of EORTC QLQ-SWB32 is a valid and reliable measure both for research and clinical practice.