Validity of adapted GAD-7 and PHQ-9 measures for adults with LD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  An investigation of the validity of the adapted GAD-7 and PHQ-9 clinical measures for adults with learning disabilities

• IRAS ID

  202468

• Contact name

  Jennifer Breen

• Sponsor organisation

  Royal Holloway University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Although government policy states that psychology services must be accessible to everyone, people with learning disabilities (LD) face many barriers to accessing psychological support due to a lack of ‘reasonable adjustments’ in services. One significant issue is that the standard clinical questionnaires used by services to measure recovery from common mental health problems are judged to be unsuitable for many people with LD. Two of the most commonly used questionnaires are the GAD-7, which covers symptoms related to anxiety, and the PHQ-9, which covers symptoms related to depression. Concerns have been widely raised by clinicians working with adults with LD about the format of these questionnaires (e.g. that they involve complex and lengthy sentences which need to be read and responses written) and how they are delivered (e.g. individuals are typically asked to complete questionnaires independently in the waiting room). The GAD-7 and the PHQ-9 have been adapted to increase accessibility and piloting with service users with LD has received a positive response, yet no formal investigations of validity have been completed to date.

  This project aims to determine if these adapted measures address the main concerns raised about the original PHQ-9 and GAD-7 and assess whether there is evidence that they are appropriate for use with LD populations. Adults with LD will be interviewed about the adapted measures using a structured cognitive interviewing approach and recommendations made to further adapt the measures if appropriate. Following this, initial psychometrics of the adapted PHQ-9 and GAD-7 measures will be completed with a small sample of participants with LD to investigate assess whether there is quantitative evidence that they are appropriate for use with this population.

  This study also aligned with recommended future areas for development highlighted by a number of reports (DoH 2008, 2009) and LD organisations.

• REC name

  Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/YH/0147

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Apr 2016

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion