A adaptação de instrumentos psicológicos é um processo complexo que requer elevado rigor metodológico. Por não haver consenso na literatura sobre suas etapas, o presente artigo discute alguns aspectos essenciais concernentes à adaptação transcultural de instrumentos psicológicos e propõe diretrizes aos pesquisadores sobre os diferentes passos desse processo. São apresentadas, também, algumas considerações referentes à validação do instrumento adaptado. Nesta etapa, são discutidos os aspectos referentes à estrutura fatorial do instrumento, a qual requer avaliação por meio de procedimentos estatísticos, como análises fatoriais exploratórias e confirmatórias, sendo fornecidas algumas diretrizes gerais para a validação de instrumentos psicológicos em diferentes culturas.

Spirituality has been identified as an important dimension of quality-of-life. The objective of this study was to review the literature on quality-of-life and spirituality, their association, and assessment tools. A search was conducted of the keyterms ‘quality-of-life’ and ‘spirituality’ in abstract or title in the databases PsycINFO and PubMed/Medline between 1979–2005, complemented by a new search at PUBMED from 2006–2016. Quality-of-life is a new concept, which encompasses and transcends the concept of health, being composed of multiple domains: physical, psychological, environmental, among others. The missing measure in health has been defined as the individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of culture and value system in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns. There is consistent evidence of an association between quality-of-life and religiosity/spirituality (R/S), through studies with reasonable methodological rigour, using several variables to assess R/S (e.g. religious affiliation, religious coping, and prayer/spirituality). There are also several valid and reliable instruments to evaluate quality-of-life and spirituality. Further studies are needed, however, especially in Brazil. Such studies will provide empirical data to be used in planning health interventions based on spirituality, seeking a better quality-of-life. In the last 10 years, research is consistently growing about quality-of-life and spirituality in many countries, and also in many areas of health research.