Validation of the side effect and life satisfaction (SEALS) inventory

Diminished quality of life (QOL) is a common feature of epilepsy. It is gen erally more severe among patients with poor seizure control but prevalent, to a clinically significant degree, even among those whose seizures are wel l controlled. People with epilepsy frequently report diminished socializati on, negative self image, feelings of stigmatization, reduced earnings poten tial, and diminished hope and ambition. Problems with antiepileptic drug (A ED) therapy are common, and AED therapy is recognized as an important deter minant of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A clinically efficient ps ychometric instrument is needed to measure its impact. The Side Effect and Life Satisfaction (SEALS) inventory is a 38-item, patient-completed questio nnaire designed to measure satisfaction with AED therapy. We tested its con struct validity in comparison with three widely used psychometric instrumen ts of similar design, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Hospital Anxie ty and Depression (HAD) scale, and the Medical Outcomes Study-Cognitive Fun ctioning (MOS-COG) scale. All four instruments were completed by 307 epilepsy patients. A matrix of P earson's correlations was produced for the SEALS inventory and the comparat ive instruments. A statistically significant correlation was found for each planned comparison. We conclude that the SEALS inventory is a valid psycho metric instrument, well suited for use in clinical investigations of AED th erapy and in the practical, long-term management of epilepsy. (C) 2000 BEA Trading Ltd.