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Evaluating Psychometric Properties of the Spanish-version of the Pediatric Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Perceived Cognitive Function (pedsFACIT-PCF)

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Abstract

Purpose

The pediatric Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Perceived Cognitive Function (pedsFACIT-PCF) is a 13-item short-form derived from the pediatric Perceived Cognitive Function item bank (pedsPCF), which was developed to measure children’s daily cognitive behaviors and was validated on the US general population and children with cancer. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of Spanish language pedsFACIT-PCF and the measurement equivalence between Spanish and English versions.

Methods

pedsFACIT-PCF items were translated into Spanish using a standard iterative methodology. A total of 1358 English- and 604 Spanish-speaking children aged 8–17 years who completed English and Spanish versions of pedsFACIT-PCF, respectively, were administered through an Internet survey company. Unidimensionality was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Item responses were modeled using item response theory. The presence and impact of differential item functioning (DIF) were evaluated using ordinal logistic regression.

Results

Unidimensionality of the pedsFACIT-PCF was supported. One of the 13 items demonstrated statistically significant DIF by language; however, impacts of language DIF on both individual scores and at the test level were negligible. No Spanish items showed DIF with respect to age and gender.

Conclusions

The 13-item pedsFACIT-PCF demonstrated stable measurement properties on language, gender and age and can be used for future trials.

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Abbreviations

CFA:

Confirmatory factor analysis

DIF:

Differential item functioning

GRM:

Graded response model

IRT:

Item response theory

PRO:

Patient-reported outcomes

pedsFACIT:

Pediatric Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy

PCF:

Perceived Cognitive Function

SE:

Standard error

TCC:

Test characteristic curve

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (#R01CA125671; PI: Jin-Shei Lai). First author’s efforts were supported in part by grants from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, US Department of Education (#H133F140037) and Craig H. Neilsen Foundation (#290474). We certify that no party having a direct interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on us or on any organization with which we are associated AND, if applicable, we certify that all financial and material support for this research and work are clearly identified in the manuscript. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

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Correspondence to Jin-Shei Lai.

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Wong, A.W.K., Lai, JS., Correia, H. et al. Evaluating Psychometric Properties of the Spanish-version of the Pediatric Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Perceived Cognitive Function (pedsFACIT-PCF). Qual Life Res 24, 2289–2295 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-0949-z

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