KIDSCREEN-10 Index

The KIDSCREEN-10 index was developed from the KIDSCREEN-27 and operationalizes general health-related quality of life in a single scale.

Please note: the KIDSCREEN is fully open-access. All available versions can be downloaded here.

With only 10 items, the KIDSCREEN-10 index is the shortest version of the KIDSCREEN questionnaires and measures general health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This index can also be calculated if the KIDSCREEN-52 or KIDSCREEN-27 were used. It then provides a useful global measure of health-related quality of life in addition to the individual aspects.

Psychometric Properties

The distribution of the raw values of the KIDSCREEN-10 index corresponds to the theoretically expected normal distribution. The index has good discriminatory power along the HRQoL trait continuum, ceiling or floor effects occur only sporadically and the raw values are interval scaled. In addition to the good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .82), the good test-retest reliability (r = .73; ICC = .72) indicates that the index is a precise and stable measurement instrument for health-related quality of life. Several statistical analyses showed that the KIDSCREEN-10 index can differentiate between different groups. Children and adolescents with low scores on the Family Affluence Scale (FAS, effect size d = 0.47), with behavioral problems (SDQ, effect size d = 1.30), and with above-average psychosomatic complaints (d = 1.69) achieved significantly lower HRQoL scores than children and adolescents from the corresponding comparison groups.

Time to Complete Survey

Answering the KIDSCREEN-10 index takes only a few minutes. The index can also be calculated if the KIDSCREEN-52 or KIDSCREEN-27 have been used. A proxy measure for parents or primary caregivers is also available. For correct scoring and comparison with norm data, additional information can be found under Analysis.