Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Function in Sitting Test (FIST-T) in stroke

Background: Trunk control in sitting position after stroke is one of the most important determinants of independence in daily living activities and there is no gold standard assessment used to measure sitting postural control. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Function in Sitting Test (FIST-T). Methods: After translation was conducted, Function in Sitting Test, Berg Balance Scale, Functional Independent Measure and Trunk Impairment Scale were applied to 72 stroke patients (mean age was 59.26 +/- 16.38 years; post-stroke time was 95.93 +/- 59.64 days). For reliability and validity analysis the spearman correlation analysis was used. Results: A positive, high correlation was found between the first application and repetition of Function in Sitting Test-T (ICC = 0.97, r = 0.95, p = .001). The internal consistency was high (Cronbach Alpha = 0.97), interrater correlation was high (Cronbach Alpha = 0.98) and a positive, high correlation was found with the scores obtained from the Berg Balance Scale (r = 0.82, p = .001), Functional Independent Measure (r = 0.84, p = .001) and Trunk Impairment Scale (r = 0.80, p = .001). Conclusions: It is concluded that the Turkish version of Function in Sitting Test is a valid and reliable scale for use in stroke patients, in clinical and scientific researches.