Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Moroccan Arabic dialect (Darija) version of the thyroid cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire (THYCA-QoL)

Purpose Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome in thyroid cancer survivors. The THYCA-QoL is a disease-specific instrument developed to assess HRQoL. This study aimed to perform a cross-cultural adaptation and preliminary psychometric validation of its Moroccan Arabic version. Methods A total of 100 thyroid cancer survivors were included in this cross-sectional study. Psychometric evaluation included acceptability, internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), item-scale correlations, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using minimum residual extraction with oblimin rotation. Results The questionnaire showed good acceptability with a response rate of 83.3%. Internal consistency was acceptable for most scales (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.60), except for throat/mouth problems (α = 0.44) and sensory dimensions (α = 0.59). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure rather than the original seven-domain model. Most items showed adequate loadings; however, several items demonstrated cross-loadings, and one item (sexual interest) showed no significant factor loading. Conclusion The Moroccan Arabic version of the THYCA-QoL demonstrates preliminary evidence of reliability and partial structural validity. However, the relatively small sample size and the absence of test–retest reliability assessment limit the robustness of these findings. Further studies with larger and more diverse populations are needed to confirm its psychometric properties.