Citation

Snell D, Iverson GL, Panenka W, Silverberg ND. J. Neurotrauma 2017; 34(23): 3256-3261.

Affiliation

UBC, Medicine , 4255 Laurel St , Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada , V5Z 4R2 ; noah.silverberg@vch.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

28895491

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability, factor structure, and validity of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0 12-item version) in a sample of patients who were slow to recover from a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Participants were 79 adults with MTBI recruited from one of four specialty outpatient clinics in Vancouver, Canada. The WHODAS 2.0 12-item version is a disease-non-specific measure of disability representing six International Classification of Disability, Functioning, and Health activity and participation domains including cognition, mobility, self-care, interpersonal functioning, life activities, and participation.

RESULTS of analyses showed the WHODAS 2.0 had high internal consistency and adequate construct and concurrent validity. A three-factor structure emerged in this sample. The scale differentiated between patients with good and poor outcomes based on post-concussion syndrome, psychiatric, and pain status. Participants with multiple comorbidities reported the most disability on the WHODAS. Concurrent validity was also supported by lower WHODAS scores in participants who had returned to work versus those who had not. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the WHODAS 2.0 in a sample of people with MTBI. In summary, the WHODAS was sensitive to the post-concussion syndrome after MTBI, as well as to health conditions that commonly co-occur with MTBI (e.g., mental health problems and chronic pain).

Language: en

Keywords

ADULT BRAIN INJURY; OUTCOME MEASURES; REHABILITATION