Enabling six- to ten-year-old children to self-report their wellbeing and quality of life: development and psychometric investigation of an age-adapted and video-assisted version of the KIDSCREEN-27.

Purpose: Identifying the underlying factors that contribute to poor wellbeing and developing strategies for early intervention are essential for promoting overall wellbeing. Many important aspects of wellbeing and quality of life are subjective experiences and therefore require self-report. The KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire is widely used for this purpose. However, the self-report versions have mainly been validated for children aged 12 to 18 years. This study aims to develop a video-assisted format the KIDSCREEN-27 that enable self-report of wellbeing by children aged six to ten years and to test its psychometric properties.

Methods: The Danish-translated version KIDSCREEN-27 was slightly adapted in wording and items (N=12) and a video-format, including audio, illustrations, and smiley-supported scales, was developed, and tested. Next, a psychometric investigation of this version (KIDSCREEN-VIDEO) was conducted on 788 Danish children aged six to ten years (49.8% girls).

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable to good model-fit: X² = 727.053; df = 242; P <0.001; root mean squared error of approximation=0.05; the comparative fit index = 0.98; and the Tucker-Lewis index = 0.98, and factor loadings ranged from 0.40 to 0.88. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.65 to 0.89, suggesting acceptable to good internal reliability of the scales. Linear mixed model analyses, and Pearson's r correlation coefficients showed positive associations with the global and physical self-worth scales, indicating convergent validity. The test for measurement invariance indicated the model fit for the five-factor model was consistent across sex and age groups.

Conclusion: Based on our results, the KIDSCREEN-VIDEO provides a promising self-reported measure for wellbeing among children aged six to ten.