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Published on: September 25, 2014
Construct validity and reliability of the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire
Sophie Eyres1, Amy Carey, Gill Gilworth
1Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Leeds, 36 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9NZ, UK.
Clinical Rehabilitation
|December 6, 2005
Summary
The Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) requires modification for accurate measurement of head injury symptoms. Splitting the RPQ into two scales, RPQ-13 and RPQ-3, improves reliability and validity for post-concussion symptom assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychometrics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) is used to assess symptom severity after head injuries.
- Evidence regarding its psychometric properties, including reliability and validity, needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and construct validity (internal and external) of the RPQ.
- To determine if the RPQ meets current psychometric standards for measuring post-concussion symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 369 adult patients with head injuries was conducted.
- Internal construct validity was assessed using the Rasch Measurement model.
- Test-retest reliability and external construct validity (correlation with RHFUQ) were also evaluated.
Main Results:
- The original 16-item RPQ showed poor fit to the Rasch model, indicating a lack of unidimensionality.
- After removing specific items, the modified 13-item (RPQ-13) and 3-item (RPQ-3) scales demonstrated good fit.
- Both RPQ-13 and RPQ-3 showed good test-retest reliability and adequate external construct validity.
Conclusions:
- The original 16-item RPQ does not meet modern psychometric standards for a single score.
- The revised RPQ-13 and RPQ-3 scales form unidimensional constructs.
- These scales offer reliable and valid measurement of post-concussion symptoms at three months post-injury.
