Linkage between the PROMIS ® pediatric and adult emotional distress measures

Purpose Research studies that measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in both children and adults and longitudinal studies that follow children into adulthood need measures that can be compared across these age groups. This study links the PROMIS pediatric and adult emotional distress measures using data from participants with diverse health conditions and disabilities. Methods Analyses were conducted and compared in two separate samples to confirm the stability of results. One sample ( n = 874) included individuals aged 14–20 years with special health care needs and who require health services. The other sample ( n = 641) included individuals aged 14–25 years who have a physical or cognitive disability. Participants completed both PROMIS pediatric and adult measures. Item response theory-based scores were linked using the linear approximation to calibrated projection. Results The estimated latent-variable correlation between pediatric and adult PROMIS measures ranged from 0.87 to 0.94. Regression coefficients β 0 (intercept) and β 1 (slope), and mean squared error are provided to transform scores from the pediatric to the adult measures, and vice versa. Conclusions This study used a relatively new linking method, calibrated projection, to link PROMIS pediatric and adult measure scores, thus expanding the use of PROMIS measures to research that includes both populations.