This study translated and culturally adapted the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale for Manual Wheelchair Users (WheelCon-M) and the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale for Power Wheelchair Users (WheelCon-P) into Arabic and examined their reliability and validity. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined, and concurrent validity was evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients with the Arabic versions of the Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair (FEW) and the Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA). The Arabic translated versions of the WheelCon-M (WheelCon-M-A) and the WheelCon-P (WheelCon-P-A) were administered to 33 adult wheelchair users. Cronbach's α was 0.94 (p < 0.01) for the WheelCon-M-A and 0.95 (p < 0.01) for the WheelCon-P-A. The WheelCon-M-A and WheelCon-P-A were reliable with respect to test-retest with an ICC of 0.974 (p < 0.01) and 0.965 (p < 0.01), respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the WheelCon-M-A scores was 0.776 with the FEW scores and 0.685 with the FMA scores (p < 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficient of the WheelCon-P-A scores was 0.782 with the FEW scores and 0.654 with the FMA scores (p < 0.01). This study has provided preliminary evidence of new valid, reliable, and useful tools for healthcare professionals to help measure confidence with wheelchair use among Arab wheelchair users.
Keywords: adult wheelchair user; confidence; cultural adaptation; occupational therapist; reliability; translation; validity.
The Arabic versions of the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale (WheelCon) are now available for Arabic healthcare professionals and can be used with Arabic-speaking manual and power wheelchair users in clinical practice and research.The Arabic WheelCon can be used to measure Arabic-speaking wheelchair users’ confidence with wheelchair use and provide useful information about an individual’s belief in their ability to perform wheelchair related tasks.This study is the first to fill the gap in identifying areas of low confidence for Arabic-speaking adult manual and power wheelchair users. This will help clinicians make informed decisions when prescribing and training wheelchair users in wheelchair use and providing confidence-enhancing interventions.