Cardiff Acne Disability Index: cross-cultural translation in Korean and its relationship with clinical acne severity, pathological patterns, and general quality of life

Abstract Objective To culturally translate the cardiff acne disability index (CADI) into Korean, and to examine its relationship with clinical acne severity, pathological patterns, and general quality of life (QoL). Methods The CADI was culturally and linguistically translated into Korean via translation, back-translation, and face validity test process. Two hundred and fifty-four Korean adolescents were asked to complete the Korean version of the CADI (K-CADI), the Phlegm Pattern, the Cold-Heat Pattern, and the Korean version of the General Health Questionnaires. A clinician estimated acne severity for the adolescents, using the Korean Acne Grading System. Finally, reliability and validity of the K-CADI was examined, and the relationships between acne severity, Phlegm, Cold, and Heat patterns, and QoL level were examined via pathway analysis. Results The K-CADI had satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.827). The examination of construct validity indicated that the K-CADI had one factor (explaining 59.6% of the total variance). Pathway analysis showed satisfactory model fit (NFI = 0.960 and CFI = 0.983), and acne-related QoL was determinant to Phlegm, Heat, and Cold patterns (0.13-0.27 of β), and Phlegm and Heat patterns lowered one's QoL level (0.17–0.34 of β). Conclusion The K-CADI is a valid and reliable instrument. Phlegm and Heat patterns should be managed when treating acne since they have a moderating effect on general QoL aggravation.