title: Measuring psychological outcomes following pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization: psychometric analysis of the Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Critically ill children are at risk for psychological sequelae following pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization. This article reports on the psychometric testing of the first self-report measure of psychological distress for 6-12-yr-old children post-pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization: The Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale. This 23-item scale takes approximately 15 mins for children to complete.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychometric testing based on Classic Test Theory and guidelines for health measurement scale development.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pediatric intensive care units of four Canadian pediatric hospitals and the ear, nose, and throat clinic of one participating hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 172 children (pediatric intensive care unit group, n = 84; ear, nose, and throat group, n = 88) aged 6-12 yrs and their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We assessed the factor structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale and conducted contrasted group comparisons and convergent and concurrent validation testing. Fit indices and internal consistency were best for a three-factor solution, suggesting three dimensions of psychological distress: 1) worries about getting sick again, 2) feeling things have changed, and 3) feeling anxious and fearful about hospitalization. As expected, Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale scores were positively correlated with child anxiety and medical fear scores. The ear, nose, and throat group scores were higher than expected. Higher Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale scores in older children may reflect a better understanding of the situation and its complexity and meaning, and younger children's tendency to provide more positive self-evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale is a promising new self-report measure of psychological distress with demonstrated reliability and validation testing in 6-12-yr-old children post-pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization. This new measure has potential to advance the evidence base for pediatric intensive care unit and post-pediatric intensive care unit health promotion interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Research, The Montreal Children's Hospital, Canada. janet.rennick@muhc.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rennick
authors.forename: C Celeste
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Sylvie D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Judy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rashotte
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Earle
authors.forename: Bonnie J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tewfik
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wood-Dauphinee
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*