Methodological and statistical considerations for threats to internal validity in pediatric outcome data: response shift in self-report outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To examine conceptual models of response shift, research design, and internal validity issues in the context of longitudinal outcome research using self-report measures such as pediatric quality of life.


METHODS
Growth modeling was introduced and illustrated using a previously published data set (Clay, Wood, Frank, Hagglund, & Johnson, 1995) of adjustment in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and healthy controls.


RESULTS
Demonstrations revealed that growth modeling may detect response shift and may also model the time and shape of the response shift.


CONCLUSIONS
Growth modeling provides one avenue to investigate response shift, thereby addressing an important threat to internal validity in longitudinal outcome research such as quality of life in children with chronic illness.
Brossart
Daniel F
DF
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4225, USA. brossart@tamu.edu
Clay
Daniel L
DL
Willson
Victor L
VL
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002666:Psychology, Child / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design