A new measure of contemporary life stress: development, validation, and reliability of the CRISYS.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and validate a measure of contemporary life stressors.


METHODS
Three interview studies: Study 1 (pilot), 32 caregivers receiving case management services for a child with chronic illness; Study 2 (validation), 311 caregivers of children receiving general pediatric care at a university clinic; Study 3 (reliability), 17 caregivers of children with a complex medical diagnosis.


METHODS
Study 1: item development via discussions with case managers; piloted with caregivers. Study 2 examined psychometric properties of the measure and correlated it with the CES-D, a measure of depressive symptomatology and the PRQ85-Part 2, a measure of perceived social support, to establish its convergent construct validity. Study 3 established the test-retest reliability of the measure over two weeks by correlating two administrations of the index.


METHODS
Face-to-face interviews in homes (Study 1) or in clinic waiting rooms (Studies 2 and 3) and by telephone (Study 3 retest).


RESULTS
The CRISYS is a flexible, multidimensional tool that demonstrates strong face, content, and construct validity, and excellent test-retest reliability. The format is easy to use and well accepted by respondents and is suitable for low-income populations.


CONCLUSIONS
Researchers will find the CRISYS useful when evaluating the success of a clinical model or a healthcare system, and the effectiveness of an insurance plan or a government program. Clinicians may also find that the CRISYS is an effective screen for family needs.
Shalowitz
M U
MU
Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Berry
C A
CA
Rasinski
K A
KA
Dannhausen-Brun
C A
CA
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D017281:Cost of Illness; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data