Exploring the psychometric properties of the Intellectual Disability versions of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and Kidscreen10, self-reported by adolescents with intellectual disability.

The team wanted to know if two short wellbeing scales work for teens with intellectual disability. They gave the ID-adapted SWEMWBS and Kidscreen10 to the adolescents. The kids answered the questions themselves, with pictures and easy words.

Next, the researchers ran confirmatory factor analysis. They checked if the scores stayed steady across gender and age. They also looked at internal consistency and test-retest numbers.

Both scales showed strong reliability. Cronbach’s alpha was above 0.80 for each. The factor structure fit the data well, so the scales measure what they claim.

Girls scored a bit higher than boys, but the scales worked the same for both. Test-retest after two weeks was solid, so scores stay stable.

Maïano et al. (2011) did something similar with a 14-item depression scale for ID teens. Their CES-D-ID also used pictures and easy words. Both studies show self-report is possible when you adapt the format.

Sisson et al. (1993) warned that self- and caregiver reports don’t always match. Wilson et al. (2023) did not collect caregiver data, so we still need both views before big decisions.

Davis et al. (2013) validated a quality-of-life scale for teens with cerebral palsy. Like the new wellbeing scales, it had strong psychometrics. Together, these papers build a toolkit of teen-friendly measures across diagnoses.

You can now give adolescents with ID their own voice in mental-health screening. The SWEMWBS-ID and Kidscreen10 take five minutes and need no clinician proxy. Use them during intake, before treatment, and at discharge to track real changes from the teen’s point of view.