Rating scales are widely used in psychiatric practice to screen, diagnose, monitor symptoms, and for research purposes. Most scales utilized in psychiatry have been formulated in the West. Many rating scales are limited with regards to local use, as they have not been culturally adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan setting. We searched all relevant publications in journals indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar and dissertations in the Registry of Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo to identify relevant articles containing details on validation and adaption of rating scales for the Sri Lankan setting. We identified 31 scales validated for use in Sri Lanka.

Background Somatic symptoms in children constitute a major burden in hospital settings and outpatient departments. Somatic symptoms are often a manifestation of internalization of symptoms in children with distress or anxiety spectrum disorders. Furthermore, since cultural background influences the ways in which a person manifests distress, the influence of cultural variability needs to be considered when interpreting somatic symptoms in children. Aims The objective of this study was to adapt the Children's Somatization Inventory-24 (CSI-24) for use among Sri Lankan Sinhalese speaking children. Methods Cultural adaptation and translation of the CSI-24 was done using the Delphi technique. After translation of the scale into Sinhalese, seven experts were chosen to rate the cultural appropriateness and content validity of each stem of the CSI 24 for use among the Sinhalese population, using a five point likert scale. After discussion and consensus, the tool was pre-tested among ten school children, prior to final evaluation. Results The translated tool had twenty-four items, similar to the original tool, resulting in no change in the scoring system. After discussion among the experts, certain items of the scale were modified and adapted to suit the local Sri Lankan context. Conclusions Through this study, we were able to develop a Sinhala translation of the CSI-24, which is culturally acceptable, and which has sound judgmental validity for the measurement of severity of somatic symptoms in Sri Lankan Sinhalese speaking children.