French validation of the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale and further psychometric properties exploration among 168 people with osteoarthritis.

Objective: To validate the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale-French version (ASES-F) of the ASES questionnaire designed to evaluate self-efficacy in arthritis population and to confirm its psychometric properties. Design: The translation/back-translation procedure was done in line with cross-cultural adaptation international guidelines. Prospective multicenter validation was performed on 168 patients with osteoarthritis who filled out the ASES-F. Function subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD), Knee Osteoarthritis Fears and Beliefs Questionnaire, and pain on visual analog scale were collected. Acceptability, internal consistency, reproducibility, internal and external structure validity, and sensitivity following a self-management program focused on physical activity were analyzed. The retest was performed 15 days later. Results: A culturally adapted version was obtained following the validation procedure. The final translated questionnaire is available within the full article. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was at 0.95 for the overall ASES-F. Regarding the test-retest reproducibility, Lin's concordance coefficient was at 0.84. The internal and external validity was also explored with correlations at -0.50 between ASES-F and (WOMAC), and significant correlations between ASES-F and HAD. Sensitivity shown significant improvement at three months for the subscale function only (+2.65, P < 0.01). Conclusion: The ASES-F, French version of the ASES, available in supplemental data, was validated in knee osteoarthritis patients and could be used in clinical practice and research for French-speaking patients. Sensitivity needs to be more explored.