Initial Evidence for Reliable and Valid Use of Scores on the 8-Item Econ-QOL Short Form to Measure Economic Quality of Life in Caregivers of Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury.
Noelle E Carlozzi, Christopher Graves, Jonathan P Troost and 6 others
PMID 35944601WHAT IT FOUND
The 8-item Econ-QOL short form seems a dependable way to ask caregivers of persons with TBI about economic quality of life.
It identified caregivers below or possibly below the poverty line as having worse economic well-being.
Key findings
01The Econ-QOL short form showed evidence of reliable scoring in civilian, SMV, and combined caregiver groups.
02Caregivers below or possibly below the poverty line had worse economic quality of life scores than those above the poverty line.
03There were no important floor or ceiling effects; floor effects ranged from 1.8 to 4.2% and ceiling effects from 4.3 to 9.4%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Male caregivers were underrepresented, so results may not apply as well to male caregivers. All care recipients were at least one year post injury, so the measure was not evaluated during the more volatile first year after TBI. The study did not show whether Econ-QOL scores change over time, so sensitivity to change is unknown. The sample was mostly white and female, and the authors note further validation is needed with racially and ethnically diverse groups. In the SMV caregiver group, the correlation between Econ-QOL scores and positive affect and well-being was r=0.36, slightly above the expected small threshold for discriminant validity.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest declaration appears in the supplied text. The publication types list NIH extramural and U.S. government non-PHS research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this paper proves the Econ-QOL short form improves caregiver or patient care. It evaluates how well the questionnaire measures economic quality of life in caregivers of persons with TBI, not the effect of any treatment.