Assessing hand and global disability in a cohort of Algerian patients with systemic sclerosis: Construct validities of the Arab Hand Function Index and the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire

Nouria Benmostefa; Rachid Malek; Marie Robert; Benjamin Chaigne; Samy Slimani; Samir Rouabhia; Daoud Roula; Mallem Djamel; Luc Mouthon

doi:10.1177/23971983241231082

Assessing hand and global disability in a cohort of Algerian patients with systemic sclerosis: Construct validities of the Arab Hand Function Index and the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire

J Scleroderma Relat Disord. 2024 Jun;9(2):134-142. doi: 10.1177/23971983241231082. Epub 2024 Feb 28.

Authors

Nouria Benmostefa^{1

2

3}, Rachid Malek^{1

2}, Marie Robert³, Benjamin Chaigne³, Samy Slimani^{4

5}, Samir Rouabhia^{5

6}, Daoud Roula^{7

8}, Mallem Djamel^{5

6}, Luc Mouthon³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Setif University Hospital, Setif, Algeria.
² Faculty of Medicine, Ferhat Abbas Setif University 1, Setif, Algeria.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, Centre de référence des maladies auto-immunes et auto-inflammatoires systémiques rares d'Ile de France, de l'Est et de l'Ouest, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris-Centre (APHP-CUP), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
⁴ Department of Orthopedics, Batna University Hospital, Batna, Algeria.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Batna University 2, Batna, Algeria.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, Batna University Hospital, Batna, Algeria.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Constantine University Hospital, Constantine, Algeria.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine, Salah Boubnider Constantine University 3, Constantine, Algeria.

PMID: 38910602
PMCID: PMC11188850 (available on 2025-06-01)
DOI: 10.1177/23971983241231082

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to assess the construct validity of the Arab Hand Function Index and the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire in Algerian patients with systemic sclerosis.

Methods: Consecutive Algerian patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria for systemic sclerosis were included. In addition to disease characteristics, global disability and hand disability were assessed using the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Arab Hand Function Index, respectively. Construct validity was assessed by convergent and divergent validity (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient) and factor analysis. The scale reliability was assessed using the Cronbach's alpha.

Results: We evaluated 100 systemic sclerosis patients (83 females) of mean ± standard deviation age 46.7 ± 12.3 years, including 59 limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis and 41 diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Raynaud's phenomenon was detected in 99 patients and digital ulcers in 25. Gastrointestinal tract involvement and interstitial lung disease were detected in 86/100 (86%) and 46/72 (63.9%) patients, respectively. Anti-topoisomerase I and anti-centromere antibodies were detected in 33/76 (43.4%) and 23/76 (30.3%) patients, respectively. The Arab Hand Function Index had a good construct validity with a total score explaining 61% of the variance of the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire which also had a good construct validity. Factor analysis of the Arab Hand Function Index and the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire items extracted two factors explaining 64% of the variance for the Arab Hand Function Index and one factor explaining 55% of the variance for the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire. The Arab Hand Function Index and the Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire were reliable questionnaires with a Cronbach's alpha >0.8.

Conclusion: In Algerian patients with systemic sclerosis, Arab Hand Function Index and Arabic Health Assessment Questionnaire have a good construct validity and reliability.

Keywords: Arab Hand Function Index; Systemic sclerosis; construct validity; disability; hand; health assessment; outcome measures.