Linking the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to the TBI-QOL Anxiety and Depression item banks

Model System:

TBI

Reference Type:

Journal

Accession No.:

Journal:

Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

2019 , 34, 5, 353-363

Publication Website:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31498233

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To link scores on commonly used measures of anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale; GAD-7) and depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9) to the Traumatic Brain Injury Quality of Life (TBI-QOL) measurement system.

SETTING: 5 Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 385 individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (31% complicated mild; 14% moderate; and 54% severe).

DESIGN: Observational cohort.

MAIN MEASURES: GAD-7, PHQ-9, TBI-QOL Anxiety v1.0 and TBI-QOL Depression v1.0.

RESULTS: Item response theory-based linking methods were used to create crosswalk tables that convert scores on the GAD-7 to the TBI-QOL Anxiety metric and scores on the PHQ-9 to the TBI-QOL Depression metric. Comparisons between actual and crosswalked scores suggest that the linkages were successful and are appropriate for group-level analysis. Linking functions closely mirror crosswalks between the GAD-7/PHQ-9 and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), suggesting that general population linkages are similar to those from a TBI sample.

CONCLUSION: Researchers and clinicians can use the crosswalk tables to transform scores on the GAD-7 and the PHQ-9 to the TBI-QOL metric for group-level analyses.

Author(s):

Angelle M. Sander , Mark Sherer , Allen W. Heinemann, Tamara Bushnik, Nancy Chiaravalloti, Aaron J. Boulton , Callie E. Tyner , Seung W. Choi , Pamela A. Kisala , David S. Tulsky