ADAPTATION OF THE REVISED FIVE-TO-FIFTEEN (5-15R) QUESTIONNAIRE INTO MALAY-5-15R: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Abstract

Introduction: There is a limited number of teacher and parent-reported questionnaires available for screening developmental and behavioural issues in children and adolescents in the Malay language. Therefore, there is a need for research on the translation and development of such a survey, particularly in the Malay language, to enhance the treatment and intervention process by the related professionals. Objective: The aims of the current study are to translate and adapt the Revised Five-To-Fifteen (5-15R) questionnaire into the Malay language, creating the Malay-5-15R, and to examine the content validity of the Malay-5-15R for potential use as a parent-reported questionnaire for screening purposes. Method: The 5-15R questionnaire was translated into the Malay language through a cross-cultural adaptation and translation process. This process involved several stages, including: 1) forward translation; 2) synthesizing forward translation; 3) backward translation; 4) synthesizing backward translation; 5) expert committee review; and 6) finalization. Results: The initial version of the Malay-5-15R questionnaire demonstrated a high content validity index. The Malay-5-15R questionnaire was found to be culturally acceptable, with all 181 items from the original version retained within specified domains.  Minor amendments were made to several items to improve the sentence structures and to ensure the questionnaire’s clarity and understandability for the Malaysian population, especially Malay speakers. These improvements involved refining the phrases, providing examples and explanations, and correcting the grammatical aspects. Conclusions: Despite the preliminary findings of the adaptation process, the Malay-5-15R questionnaire has significant potential as a screening tool for the Malay-speaking population.