Validation of the WHOQOL-Bref/Libras for assessing the quality of life of the deaf

With the constant growth of the population and life expectancy, the number of persons with disabilities grows proportionally, among them people with hearing impairment and deafness. The study of the consequences of deafness may be based on the assessment of the quality of life and by the use of international classifications of diseases and of functioning. There are not, otherwise, validated instruments for assessment of the quality of life of the deaf. Hence, the need for validation of an assessing instrument that takes into account the characteristics of the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and the identity and cultural peculiarities of the deaf. Thus, the objective of this research is to validate the psychometric properties of the WHOQOLBref/Libras, an instrument to assess the quality of life of the deaf who communicate through Libras. In addition to the exploratory study, it’s held a field research, of quantitative and crosssectional approach, based on the theory of classical Psychometrics. We adopted yet the validation methodology proposed by the World Health Organization. The subjects of the research are mature deaf people, with ages between 18 and 65 years, and that communicate through Libras. The sample covers 311 deaf people from different social segments of the five main regions of Brazil. Data collection is done by means of a demographic survey and the application of the instrument itself to be validated, both recorded in a software, since the WHOQOL-Bref/Libras instrument presents questions to respondents in the form of videos, storing their answers into a database. Results show satisfactory psychometric values for reliability, internal consistency and temporal stability of the instrument; discriminant validity for the variables years of study, sex and monthly income, but not for the age variable; and efficient construct validity for the variable perception of health. Although recognizing the need for expansion of studies in this area, we can consider t...