title: Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life after TBI: Comparison of a Disease-Specific (QOLIBRI) with a Generic (SF-36) Instrument.
abstract: Psychosocial, emotional, and physical problems can emerge after traumatic brain injury (TBI), potentially impacting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Until now, however, neither the discriminatory power of disease-specific (QOLIBRI) and generic (SF-36) HRQoL nor their correlates have been compared in detail. These aspects as well as some psychometric item characteristics were studied in a sample of 795 TBI survivors. The Shannon H (') index absolute informativity, as an indicator of an instrument's power to differentiate between individuals within a specific group or health state, was investigated. Psychometric performance of the two instruments was predominantly good, generally higher, and more homogenous for the QOLIBRI than for the SF-36 subscales. Notably, the SF-36 "Role Physical," "Role Emotional," and "Social Functioning" subscales showed less satisfactory discriminatory power than all other dimensions or the sum scores of both instruments. The absolute informativity of disease-specific as well as generic HRQoL instruments concerning the different groups defined by different correlates differed significantly. When the focus is on how a certain subscale or sum score differentiates between individuals in one specific dimension/health state, the QOLIBRI can be recommended as the preferable instrument.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: von Steinbuechel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Amra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covic
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical College, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polinder
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, Section of Methods in Community Medicine, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kohlmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ugne
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cepulyte
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Poinstingl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Backhaus
authors.affiliation: Hoensbroeck Rehabilitation Centre, Postbus 88, 6430 AB Hoensbroek, Netherlands; Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wilbert
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bakx
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Hospital Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bullinger
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rehabilitation of Brain Injury and Centre for Cognition and Memory, University of Copenhagen, Njalsgade 88, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne-Lise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: IRCCS, Rehabilitation Hospital, Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306-354, 00179 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Formisano
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Schöpfstraße 23a, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Höfer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 5 A, P.O. Box 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koskinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Antwerp University Hospital and University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.affiliation: IFOM, Private University of Witten/Herdecke, Ostmerheimer Straße 200, 51109 Köln, Germany.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neugebauer
authors.affiliation: Goldsmiths College, Department of Psychology, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, UK.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Validia Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology, Mannerheimintie 107, 00280 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarajuuri
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Medicine Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasse
authors.affiliation: Institute for Psychology, Department of Health and Prevention, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Institute for Psychology, Department of Health and Prevention, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mühlan
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty, Westphalian Wilhelms-University, Domagkstraße 3, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: von Wild
authors.affiliation: Martha Jefferson Association Hospital, 459 Locust Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22902, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zitnay
authors.affiliation: Service of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (MPR), Raymond Poincaré Hospital, 104 boulevard Raymond-Poincaré, 92380 Garches, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Truelle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires