Extending the PROMIS item bank "ability to participate in social roles and activities": a psychometric evaluation using IRT.

objectiveOur objective was to explore whether the extension of the PROMIS item bank Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (APSRA) with new items would result in more effective targeting (i.e., selecting items that are appropriate for each individual's trait level), and more reliable measurements across all latent trait levels.

methodsA sample of 1,022 Dutch adults completed all 35 items of the original item bank plus 17 new items (in Dutch). The new items presented in this publication have been translated provisionally from Dutch into English for presentation purposes. We evaluated the basic IRT assumptions unidimensionality, local independence, and monotonicity. Furthermore, we examined the item parameters, and assessed differential item functioning (DIF) for sex, education, region, age, and ethnicity. In addition, we compared the test information functions, item parameters, and θ scores, for the original and extended item bank in order to assess whether the measurement range had improved.

resultsWe found that the extended item bank was compatible with the basic IRT assumptions and showed good reliability. Moreover, the extended item bank improved the measurement in the lower trait range, which is important for reliably assessing functioning in clinical populations (i.e., persons reporting lower levels of participation).

conclusionWe extended the PROMIS-APSRA item bank and improved its psychometric quality. Our study contributes to PROMIS measurement innovation, which allows for the addition of new items to existing item banks, without changing the interpretation of the scores and while maintaining the comparability of the scores with other PROMIS instruments.