Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3448152 | Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 2015 | 10 Pages |
ObjectiveTo develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an item set measuring economic quality of life (QOL) for use by individuals with disabilities.DesignSurvey.SettingCommunity settings.ParticipantsIndividuals with disabilities completed individual interviews (n=64), participated in focus groups (n=172), and completed cognitive interviews (n=15). Inclusion criteria included the following: traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or stroke; age ≥18 years; and ability to read and speak English. We calibrated the items with 305 former rehabilitation inpatients.InterventionsNone.Main Outcome MeasureEconomic QOL.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit indices (comparative fit index=.939, root mean square error of approximation=.089) for the 37 items. However, 3 items demonstrated local item dependence. Dropping 9 items improved fit and obviated local dependence. Rasch analysis of the remaining 28 items yielded a person reliability of .92, suggesting that these items discriminate about 4 economic QOL levels.ConclusionsWe developed a 28-item bank that measures economic aspects of QOL. Preliminary confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis results support the psychometric properties of this new measure. It fills a gap in health-related QOL measurement by describing the economic barriers and facilitators of community participation. Future development will make the item bank available as a computer adaptive test.