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Measurement invariance of physical, mental, and social health PROMIS measures across individuals with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury

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Abstract

Purpose

The present study tested the fit and comparability of the tripartite model of health (Physical Health, Mental Health, and Social Health) proposed by the NIH PROMIS for adults with SCI and TBI.

Methods

Participants were 630 adults with spinal cord injury (SCI; n = 336) and traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 294) who completed 8 PROMIS short forms. The Physical Health domain is composed of the Physical Function, Pain Interference, and Fatigue scales. The Mental Health domain included the Depression, Anxiety, and Anger scales. Social Health included the Social Emotional Support scale.

Results

Confirmatory factor analyses supported the tripartite model of health over a unifactorial model of health for both SCI and TBI groups. Measurement invariance testing indicated the tripartite model met the level of configural and metric invariance for TBI and SCI groups, suggesting comparable structure and factor loadings. Failure to meet the level of scalar invariance indicated unequal intercepts across groups. Physical Function was identified as the source of noninvariance, and a partial scalar invariance model permitting different Physical Function intercepts across conditions was supported.

Conclusion

Consistent with theory, findings supported construct validity of the PROMIS tripartite structure of health composed of Physical, Mental, and Social Health. PROMIS measures appeared to tap domains of health consistent with what is accepted for SCI and TBI populations, although the measurement of Physical Function was not equivalent across groups. Findings support the utility of PROMIS broadly as well as the need for condition-optimized measurement.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (U01AR057929). All authors have contributed significantly to the design, analysis and writing of this article. The contents represent original work and have not been published elsewhere. No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated. PROMIS® was funded with cooperative agreements from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Initiative (Northwestern University, PI: David Cella, U54AR057951, U01AR052177; Northwestern University, PI: Richard C. Gershon, U54AR057943; American Institutes for Research, PI: Susan (San) D. Keller, U54AR057926; State University of New York, Stony Brook, PIs: Joan E. Broderick, and Arthur A. Stone, U01AR057948, U01AR052170; University of Washington, Seattle, PIs: Heidi M. Crane, Paul K. Crane, and Donald L. Patrick, U01AR057954; University of Washington, Seattle, PI: Dagmar Amtmann, U01AR052171; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, PIs: Harry A. Guess, Darren A. DeWalt, U01AR052181; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PI: Christopher B. Forrest, U01AR057956; Stanford University, PI: James F. Fries, U01AR052158; Boston University, PIs: Alan Jette, Stephen M. Haley, and David Scott Tulsky (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), U01AR057929; University of California, Los Angeles, PIs: Dinesh Khanna (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and Brennan Spiegel, U01AR057936; University of Pittsburgh, PI: Paul A. Pilkonis, U01AR052155; Georgetown University, PIs: Carol. M. Moinpour, (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle) and Arnold L. Potosky, U01AR057971; Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, PI: Esi M. Morgan DeWitt, U01AR057940; University of Maryland, Baltimore, PI: Lisa M. Shulman, U01AR057967; and Duke University, PI: Kevin P. Weinfurt, U01AR052186). NIH Science Officers on this project have included Deborah Ader, Vanessa Ameen, Susan Czajkowski, Basil Eldadah, Lawrence Fine, Lawrence Fox, Lynne Haverkos, Thomas Hilton, Laura Lee Johnson, Michael Kozak, Peter Lyster, Donald Mattison, Claudia Moy, Louis Quatrano, Bryce Reeve, William Riley, Peter Scheidt, Ashley Wilder Smith, Susana Serrate-Sztein, William Phillip Tonkins, Ellen Werner, Tisha Wiley, and James Witter. The contents of this article use data developed under PROMIS®. These contents do not necessarily represent an endorsement by the U.S. Federal Government or PROMIS®. See https://www.healthmeasures.net/explore-measurement-systems/promis for additional information on the PROMIS® initiative. This work was supported by the Wayne State University Initiative for Maximizing Student Development NIGMS/NIH grant R25 GM 058905 – 21 (IMSD; Patrick) and the Wayne State Graduate School. Thank you to Lisa J. Rapport, Ph.D. and R. Ty Partridge, Ph.D. (Wayne State University, Psychology Department) for consultation on this work.

Funding

The funded was provided by National Institutes of Health, Grant Nos. (U01AR057929, R25 GM 058905), Wayne State University

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Sarah D. Patrick & Gavin Sanders

  2. Center for Health Assessment Research and Translation, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

    Aaron J. Boulton

  3. Departments of Physical Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Health Assessment Research and Translation, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

    David S. Tulsky

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  1. Sarah D. Patrick
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  4. David S. Tulsky
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Contributions

All authors have contributed significantly to the design, analysis and writing of this article. The contents represent original work and have not been published elsewhere. No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.

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Correspondence to Sarah D. Patrick.

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Patrick, S.D., Sanders, G., Boulton, A.J. et al. Measurement invariance of physical, mental, and social health PROMIS measures across individuals with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. Qual Life Res 31, 2223–2233 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-022-03114-1

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