Validation of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 in adults with spinal cord injury in Taiwan: a psychometric study

• Published in: Spinal cord 2019-06, Vol.57 (6), p.516-524
• Main Authors: Chiu, Tzu-Ying, Finger, Monika E., Fellinghauer, Carolina S., Escorpizo, Reuben, Chi, Wen-Chou, Liou, Tsan-Hon, Yen, Chia-Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/700; Adult; Anatomy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disability Evaluation; Domains; Factor analysis; Female; Human Physiology; Humans; Injuries; Male; Neurochemistry; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; Psychometrics - standards; Quantitative psychology; Rehabilitation; Schedules; Secondary analysis; Spinal cord injuries; Spinal Cord Injuries - diagnosis; Spinal Cord Injuries - epidemiology; Taiwan - epidemiology; World Health Organization
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/s41393-018-0231-7

Study design Psychometric study including exploratory factor analysis and Rasch analysis. Objective The aim of the present study was to examine the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) in terms of its dimensionality and metric properties in a sample of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting Two hundred and thirty-nine hospitals in Taiwan Methods Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the National Disability Determination System in Taiwan, including data of individuals with more than 1-year chronic spinal cord injury and over 18 years of age. We would ask the all 6 domains of WHODAS 2.0, except those participants who were not working in present, based on the WHODAS 2.0 manual. Results Data from 521 persons were included. The internal consistency of WHODAS 2.0 was high for all six domains (Cronbach’s α between 0.87–0.99). The exploratory factor analysis supported the original six domain structure of WHODAS 2.0 to a large extent. Rasch analysis provided domain scores usable for measurement at the individual level and an overall WHODAS 2.0 score that takes into account the multidimensionality of the instrument. Conclusions WHODAS 2.0 provides a reliable and valid instrument to measure relevant aspects of “activity and participation” in the context of functioning in people with SCI in Taiwan and may guide their rehabilitation.