Introduction: None of the quantitative scale for public attitudes toward epilepsy was translated to Chinese
language. This study aimed to translate and test the validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the
Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale. Methods: The translation was performed according to
standard principles and tested in 140 Chinese-speaking adults aged more than 18 years for psychometric
validation. Results: The items in each domain had similar standard deviations (equal item variance),
ranged from 0.85-0.95 in personal domain and 0.75-1.04 in general domain. The correlation between an
item and its domain was 0.4 and above for all, and higher than the correlation with the other domain.
Multitrait analysis showed the Chinese PATE had a similar variance, floor and ceiling effects, and
relative relationship between the domains, as the original PATE. The Chinese PATE scale showed
a similar correlation with almost all demographic variable except age. Item means were generally
clustered in the factor analysis as hypothesized. The Cronbach’s α values was within acceptable range
(0.773) in the personal domain and satisfactory range (0.693) in the general domain.
Conclusion: The Chinese PATE scale is a validated and reliable translated version in measuring the
public attitudes toward epilepsy.