Development and validation of the Post-COVID Symptom Scale for Children/Youth (PCSS-C/Y)

• Published in: European journal of pediatrics 2024-12, Vol.184 (1), p.81, Article 81
• Main Authors: Tso, Winnie Wan Yee, Wang, Yuliang, Fong, Daniel Yee Tak, Kwan, Mike Yat Wah, Ip, Patrick, Chan, Jasper Fuk Woo, Leung, Lok Kan, Chan, Jason Ying Kuen, Tsao, Sabrina Siu Ling, Chau, Christy Shuk Kuen, Yip, Ka Man, Hui, Ka Yi, Duque, Jaime Sou Rosa, Lau, Yu Lung, Lee, Tatia Mei Chun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Child; Children; Children & youth; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Long COVID; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Parents - psychology; Pediatrics; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Psychometrics - methods; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Reproducibility of Results; SARS-CoV-2; Self Report; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 1432-1076; 0340-6199; 1432-1076
• DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05913-9

This study aims to develop and validate the Post-COVID Symptom Scale for Children/Youth (PCSS-C/Y), which is a comprehensive tool for measuring the symptom burden of post-COVID-19 conditions—persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, commonly known as Long COVID—and its impact on health-related quality of life among children and adolescents. Parents of children and adolescents, adolescents, and young adults with and without a history of COVID-19 were invited to fill in a questionnaire from October 2022 to June 2023. There were 386 valid parent proxy-reported responses, 433 valid adolescent self-reported responses, and 324 valid young adult self-reported responses included in the final analysis. The PCSS-C/Y demonstrated stable factor structure and good internal consistency in different sampling groups. The scale score was negatively associated with Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) scores (young adult self-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.394; adolescent self-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.219; parent-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.292), while it was positively associated with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores (young adult self-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.195; adolescent self-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.154; parent-report, adjusted R 2  = 0.239). The scale can also discriminate the post-infected cases and control cases, Cohen’s d  = 0.41, 0.50, and 0.38 for adult self-report, adolescent self-report, and parent-report, respectively. Conclusions : The PCSS-C/Y is a valid and reliable tool for quantifying the diverse symptomatology of post-COVID-19 conditions in children and adolescents. It provides quantifiable measurements that enable clinicians to monitor post-COVID-19 symptoms in children and young people and facilitates the development of interventions for post-COVID-19 conditions.