Background: This study aimed to assess whether the Turkish version of the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire v2.1 (MSQ v2.1) is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the impact of migraine on daily functioning and overall quality of life.
Methods: A multicenter, prospective, descriptive study, involving182 migraine patients, each assessed at two visits, four weeks apart. The Turkish MSQ v2.1 was evaluated for comprehensibility, patient-physician reliability, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.
Results: Item comprehensibility was high, with 94% to 97.8% at Visit 1, and from 98.4% to 100% at Visit 2. A strong correlation was observed between self-administered and physician-administered MSQ v2.1 scores at Visit 1 (R = 0.916, p < 0.001). Internal consistency was excellent, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.932 at Visit 1 and 0.912 at Visit 2. Test-retest reliability was moderate (R = 0.468, p < 0.001). Construct validity was supported by strong correlations with the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) (R = 0.751 at Visit 1 and R = 0.772 at Visit 2), monthly headache days (MHDs) (R = 0.453 and 0.553), and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores (R = 0.539 and 0.564), all with p < 0.001.
Conclusions: The Turkish MSQ v2.1 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQL) in migraine patients. It demonstrates excellent internal consistency, moderate test-retest reliability, and strong correlations with established measures of HRQL, headache severity, migraine frequency, and supporting its use in clinical practice and research.
Keywords: Migraine, Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ), Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), Reliability, Validity; Clinical Scale