NeuroRehabilitation 38 (2016) 311–319 DOI:10.3233/NRE-161322 IOS Press 311 Psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) across a 3-year period for children and youth with traumatic brain injury Anat Golos a,* and Gary Bedell b a School of Occupational Therapy of Hadassah and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel b Tufts University, Department of Occupational Therapy, Medford, MA, USA Abstract. BACKGROUND: Children with traumatic brain injury are often restricted in their participation due to impairments and environmental barriers. Reliable and valid instruments are essential for monitoring their participation over time. OBJECTIVE: To examine the construct validity and internal consistency of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) across a 3-year period. METHODS: A longitudinal prospective cohort study (USA) that included 926 children (0–18 years) with TBI and arm injury. Three measures were administered at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months post-injury: The CASP, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), and Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale II (ABAS). RESULTS: Associations between the CASP and PedsQL and ABAS were moderate-to-high at all time periods. Internal consistency of the CASP and its sub-sections was high, with a pattern of gradual increase over time. Factor analyses indicated a clearer four factor solution at 3, 12 and 24 months resembling the four CASP sub-sections. CONCUSIONS: Results provide evidence of convergent validity and internal consistency of the CASP and support its use for assessing participation of children with TBI over time. Prudence should be taken when considering use of factor scores due to differences in factor solutions found in this study and prior studies. Keywords: Measurement, participation, children, youth, psychometrics, validity, reliability 1. Introduction Participation is defined in the International Clas- sification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF; WHO, 2001) as involvement in life situa- tions. Participation is an essential and integral part of human development (Simeonsson, Carlson, Hunting- ton, Sturtz-McMillen, & Brent, 2001; WHO, 2001) * Address for correspondence: Anat Golos, School of Occupa- tional Therapy of Hadassah and the Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, P.O.B: 24026, Jerusalem, 91240 Israel. Tel.: +972 50 4935636; E-mail: anat.golos@mail.huji.ac.il. and has become one of the most significant outcomes of rehabilitation, social and educational interventions (Dijkers, 2010). Studies have found that children’s participation in activities affects their health, self- perceptions, social adjustment and quality of life across the life span (Anaby, Law, Hanna, & Demat- teo, 2012; Bedell, 2009; King et al., 2003; Law, Anaby, Dematteo, & Hanna, 2011). Participation of children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been found to be restricted in comparison to their typically-developing peers (Anaby et al., 2012; Law et al., 2011). Partici- 1053-8135/16/$35.00 © 2016 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved