PedsQL™ Cognitive Functioning Scale in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients: Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity
08/2011
Journal Article
Authors:
Varni, J.;
Limbers, C.;
Sorensen, L.;
Neighbors, K.;
Martz, K.;
Bucuvalas, J.;
Alonso, E.
Secondary:
Qual Life Res
Volume:
20
Pagination:
913-921
URL:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21184184
Keywords:
Adolescent; Child; Child-Preschool; Executive Function; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Liver Transplantation/psychology; Male; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); quality of life
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The PedsQL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life and disease-specific symptoms. The PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale was developed as a brief generic symptom-specific instrument to measure cognitive functioning. The objective of the present study was to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale in pediatric liver transplant recipients. METHODS: The 6-item PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale and the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were completed by pediatric liver transplant recipients ages 8-18 years (n = 215) and parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients ages 2-18 years (n = 502). Both patient self-report and parent proxy-report were available for 212 cases. The 72-item Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), a widely validated measure of executive functioning, was completed by 100 parents and 56 teachers on a subset of patients. RESULTS: The PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale demonstrated minimal missing responses (0.0%, child report, 0.67%, parent report), achieved excellent reliability (alpha = 0.88 child report, 0.94 parent report), distinguished between pediatric patients with liver transplants and healthy children supporting discriminant validity, and was significantly correlated with the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the BRIEF supporting construct and concurrent validity, respectively. Pediatric liver transplants recipients experienced cognitive functioning comparable to long-term pediatric cancer survivors. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the feasibility, reliability, discriminant, construct, and concurrent validity of the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale in pediatric liver transplant recipients.
