What makes the difference in people's lives when they have a mental disorder?

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify which environmental factors are the most responsible for the disability experienced by persons with mental disorders and whether they differ (1) from those in cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory conditions, diabetes, and cancer, and (2) depending on the capacity level-a proxy for the impact of health conditions on the health state of individuals.

Methods: Nationally representative data from 12,265 adults in Chile collected in 2015 with the WHO Model Disability Survey was analyzed.

Results: The availability of personal assistance, frequency of receiving personal assistance, and assistive devices for mobility were the most important environmental factors across mental and other non-communicable diseases.

Using the refined ICF Linking Rules to compare the content of existing instruments and assessments: a systematic review and exemplary analysis of instruments measuring participation.

Background: Existing instruments measuring participation may vary with respect to various aspects. This study aimed to examine the comparability of existing instruments measuring participation based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by considering aspects of content, the perspective adopted and the categorization of response options.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify instruments that have been commonly used to measure participation.

Toward standardized reporting for a cohort study on functioning: The Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study.

Objective: Functioning is an important outcome to measure in cohort studies. Clear and operational outcomes are needed to judge the quality of a cohort study. This paper outlines guiding principles for reporting functioning in cohort studies and addresses some outstanding issues.

Metric properties of the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-Participation) in persons with spinal cord injury living in Switzerland.

Objective: To examine the metric properties of the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-Participation) in persons with spinal cord injury in Switzerland from a classical and item response theory perspective.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Subjects: Persons with spinal cord injury living in the Swiss community (n = 1,549).

Metric properties of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure - Self Report in a community survey.

Objective: The Spinal Cord Independence Measure - Self Report (SCIM-SR) is a self-report instrument for assessing functional independence of persons with spinal cord injury. This study examined the internal construct validity and reliability of the SCIM-SR, when administered in a community survey, using the Rasch measurement model.

Methods: Rasch analysis of data from 1,549 individuals with spinal cord injury who completed the SCIM-SR.

Setting up a cohort study of functioning: From classification to measurement.

Objective: Cohort studies are an appropriate method for the collection of population-based longitudinal data to track people's health and functioning over time. However, describing and understanding functioning in its complexity with all its determinants is one of the biggest challenges faced by clinicians and researchers.

Design: This paper focuses on the development of a cohort study on functioning, outlining the relevant steps and related methods, and illustrating these with reference to the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI).

Psychometric properties of the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory Short Form.

Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory Short Form using Rasch analysis; to determine its construct validity and internal consistency; and to develop a metric for scoring.

Design: Cross-sectional psychometric study. Construct validity of the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory Short Form, including model fit, person and item fit, local item dependence, dimensionality, and differential item functioning (DIF), was investigated with Rasch analysis.

Determining the most robust dimensional structure of categories from the international classification of functioning, disability and health across subgroups of persons with spinal cord injury to build the basis for future clinical measures.

Objective: To determine the most robust dimensional structure of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories relevant to spinal cord injury (SCI) across subgroups of lesion level, health care context, sex, age, and resources of the country.

Design: A multidimensional between-item response Rasch model was used. The choice of the dimensions was conceptually driven using the ICF components from the functioning chapters and splits of the activity and participation component described in the ICF.

Towards the development of clinical measures for spinal cord injury based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health with Rasch analyses.

Objectives: To determine whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories relevant to spinal cord injury (SCI) can be integrated in clinical measures and to obtain insights to guide their future operationalization. Specific aims are to find out whether the ICF categories relevant to SCI fit a Rasch model taking into consideration the dimensionality found in previous investigations, local item dependencies, or differential item functioning.

Design: All second-level ICF categories collected in the Development of ICF Core Sets for SCI project in specialized centers within 15 countries from 2006 through 2008.

Setting up a cohort study on functioning: deciding what to measure.

The objectives of this article were to (1) answer the question of what to measure in a cohort study in which the main focus is the understanding of functioning over time for a specific population and to (2) describe the process of determining what to measure using a theory-informed selection of domains of functioning based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study, a cohort study being carried out in Switzerland for a population of persons with spinal cord injury, was used as an example. A set of domains for the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study was identified demonstrating the application of the methodology.

A systematic literature review of outcome measures for upper extremity function using the international classification of functioning, disability, and health as reference.

Objective: To provide information regarding the (1) responsiveness and reliability of different outcome measures used with persons who have impairments in upper extremity function and (2) their content validity based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).

Data Sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases were systematically searched for studies on outcome measures used to evaluate upper extremity function; only studies written in English and published between July 1997 and July 2010 were considered.

Study Selection: One investigator reviewed titles and abstracts of the identified studies to determine whether the studies met predefined eligibility criteria (eg, study design, age <18 years).

Visual perception and appraisal of persons with impairments: a randomised controlled field experiment using photo elicitation.

Purpose: Visual cues from persons with impairments may trigger stereotypical generalisations that lead to prejudice and discrimination. The main objective of this pilot study is to examine whether visual stimuli of impairment activate latent prejudice against disability and whether this connection can be counteracted with priming strategies.

Methods: In a field experiment, participants were asked to rate photographs showing models with mental impairments, wheelchair users with paraplegia, and persons without any visible impairment.