Acta Paediatr. 2022 Aug;111(8):1621-1627. doi: 10.1111/apa.16403. Epub 2022 May 27.

Maria Lalouni ^1 2 3, Ola Olén ^1 4, Johan Bjureberg ^2 5, Marianne Bonnert ^2 5 6, Trudie Chalder ⁷, Erik Hedman-Lagerlöf ³, Silje Endresen Reme ⁸, Eva Serlachius ^2 5, Brjánn Ljótsson ^3 5

Author information

¹Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

²Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.

³Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

⁴Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Sachs' Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

⁵Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

⁶Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

⁷Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

⁸Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

Aim: To validate child-adapted shortened versions of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Behavioural Responses Questionnaire (IBS-BRQ; short scale denoted BRQ-C) and the Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI; short scale denoted VSI-C) for children with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs).

Methods: A child psychologist supervised by a child gastroenterologist was responsible for shortening the scales (BRQ-C, 11 items; and VSI-C, 7 items). Then, a sample of 89 children aged 8-12 years with FAPDs was used in the validation. Construct validity was assessed with correlations. Measures included gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, pain intensity and anxiety. Also, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, administration time and factor structure were assessed.

Results: Internal consistency for the BRQ-C and the VSI-C was α = 0.84 and α = 0.80, respectively. Correlations with related scales were similar between child-adapted scales and original scales, indicating construct validity equivalence. Correlations between short scales and original scales were high. Mean administration time was reduced by 47% (BRQ-C) and 42% (VSI-C), compared with original scales. Test-retest reliability was r = 0.72 for BRQ-C and r = 0.83 for VSI-C. BRQ-C had two factors (Avoidance and Bowel control). VSI-C had a unifactorial structure.

Conclusion: The BRQ-C and the VSI-C were found to be time-saving, reliable and valid for children with FAPDs.