Reliability and Concurrent Validity of Korean Version of the Trunk Control Measurement Scale (K-TCMS) for Children with Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to develop a Korean version of the trunk control measurement scale (TCMS) and examine the reliability and concurrent validity of the K-TCMS in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: Subjects for the study were 23 children with cerebral palsy (CP)(mean age 84.70 months) recruited from one CP clinic. For the interrater and test-retest reliabilities, four raters (A, B, C, D) measured the K-TCMS two times using video clips with an interval of two weeks. For the concurrent validity, the Korean version of the gross motor function measure (K-GMFM) was chosen. Inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the three K-TCMS subscale (static sitting balance, dynamic sitting balance and dynamic reaching) scores and the total scores were investigated using the intra-correlation coefficient (ICC₃,₁). Spearman's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated to investigate the concurrent validity. RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability of the K-TCMS subscales and total scores were all high (ICC₃,₁=0.968-0.992). For the test-retest reliability, ICC₃,₁=0.827–0.962. The concurrent validity between the K-TCMS's total and three subscale scores and K-GMFM's total score were r=0.600–0.667. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the K-TCMS can be used in clinical and research settings as a standardized tool for CP children. The K-TCMS might be also useful for selecting treatment goals and planning interventions for children with cerebral palsy.