PROMIS Pediatric Psychological Stress Measure: Validity for immigrant Latino youth.

OBJECTIVE

This study assesses the psychometric properties of the four- and eight-item versions of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Psychological Stress Measure (PPSM) for use with Latino immigrant adolescents.

BACKGROUND

Immigrant Latino youth are exposed to numerous stressors that can have consequences affecting health well into adulthood. However, few studies have assessed the suitability of psychosocial measures for this group.

METHODS

Participants included 286 first- and second-generation immigrant Latino youth in middle school in an urban school district in the United States. Analyses included tests for reliability, validity, item characteristics, and measurement invariance across differing levels of acculturation and gender groups.

RESULTS

Both the four- and the eight-item PPSM are internally consistent, have strong construct validity, and strict factorial invariance across differing levels of acculturation. The four-item PPSM demonstrates strict invariance, but the eight-item version shows only configural invariance by gender.

CONCLUSION

The PPSM is a rigorous measure when assessing immigrant Latino youth stress level. The four-item PPSM is brief, simple to administer, and appropriate for use with Latino youth across differing levels of acculturation and gender groups.

IMPLICATIONS

The four-item PPSM lessens respondent fatigue and may be incorporated into tools practitioners and researchers use to assess perceived stress among immigrant Latino youth.