Structural validity of the French version of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP-Fr) and factors influencing the participation of children with neuromuscular diseases.

Purpose: (1) To examine the structural validity of the French version of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP-Fr) in children with neuromuscular diseases (NMD). (2) To determine the influence of demographic and clinical factors on the participation of children with NMD.

Materials And Methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study in 3 centres in France. The CASP-Fr was completed by parents of children with NMD (age 3-18 years). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to evaluate the structural validity. Total CASP-Fr score was used to evaluate participation and the effect of relevant clinical factors on participation was determined using multivariate analysis.

Results: We included 138 children. Median (Q1-Q3) age: 10.6 (8.0-13.1 years); median CASP-Fr total score: 88.5 (81.3-94.1). CASP-Fr evaluated the self-care, communication, mobility and advanced activities constructs of participation. Only motor function was significantly associated with participation in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: The CASP-Fr evaluates slightly different constructs in children with NMD than the original CASP. The participation of children with NMD was relatively high. The association with motor function suggests a major influence of the environment that should be further explored to improve the involvement in life situations of children with NMD.