Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Somatic symptoms in children constitute a major burden in hospital settings and outpatient departments. Somatic symptoms are often a manifestation of internalization of symptoms in children with distress or anxiety spectrum disorders. Furthermore, since cultural background influences the ways in which a person manifests distress, the influence of cultural variability needs to be considered when interpreting somatic symptoms in children. AIMS: The objective of this study was to adapt the Children’s Somatization Inventory-24 (CSI-24) for use among Sri Lankan Sinhalese speaking children. METHODS: Cultural adaptation and translation of the CSI-24 was done using the Delphi technique. After translation of the scale into Sinhalese, seven experts were chosen to rate the cultural appropriateness and content validity of each stem of the CSI 24 for use among the Sinhalese population, using a five point likert scale. After discussion and consensus, the tool was pre-tested among ten school children, prior to final evaluation. RESULTS: The translated tool had twenty-four items, similar to the original tool, resulting in no change in the scoring system. After discussion among the experts, certain items of the scale were modified and adapted to suit the local Sri Lankan context. CONCLUSIONS: Through this study, we were able to develop a Sinhala translation of the CSI-24, which is culturally acceptable, and which has sound judgmental validity for the measurement of severity of somatic symptoms in Sri Lankan Sinhalese speaking children.
