Psychometric properties of measures designed to assess common mental health problems and wellbeing in adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review.
Only four mental-health tests have both solid reliability and validity for adults with mild-moderate ID—stick to CORE-LD, IES-ID, LANTS, or SAI until better data show up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted for every paper that checked if mental-health tests work for adults with intellectual disability.
They kept only studies that reported reliability and validity data on anxiety, depression, or wellbeing tools.
Nine measures met the rules; all were tested with adults who had mild or moderate ID.
What they found
Just four tools passed both hurdles: good reliability and at least some validity evidence.
The winners are CORE-LD, IES-ID, LANTS, and SAI self-report.
The other five either wobbled on reliability or lacked validity proof.
How this fits with other research
Kooijmans et al. (2024) shows why some tools flop: hard words and tiny print trip up clients. Simpler layouts boost accuracy.
Scior et al. (2023) adds a fresh option, the WEMWBS-ID, released after this review. Early data say it works by telehealth and fills a wellbeing gap.
Lindsay et al. (2004) looks like a clash because their IDMS mood scale works in teens, yet the review skipped it. The reason is age: the review covered adults only, so no real fight exists.
Why it matters
You now have a short approved list. Start with CORE-LD or IES-ID when you need to screen anxiety or trauma in adults with mild-moderate ID. Keep the wording plain and print large, following Roel’s tips, and watch for the new WEMWBS-ID if wellbeing is the target. Skip any tool that isn’t on the list until stronger data arrive.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Multiple measures of mental health problems and mental wellbeing for adults with intellectual disabilities are available, but investigations into their reliability and validity are still in the early stages. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an update to previous evaluations of measures of common mental health problems and wellbeing in adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities (ID). METHODS: A systematic search was performed across three databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SCOPUS). The literature search was limited to the years from 2009 to 2021 and to the original English versions. Ten papers evaluating nine measures were reviewed, and the psychometric properties of these measures were discussed using the Characteristics of Assessment Instructions for Psychiatric Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Developmental Disorders as a framework. RESULTS: Four measures had at least one rating of 'good' across both dimensions of reliability and at least one dimension of validity and were deemed to have promising psychometric properties: the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Learning Disabilities, Impact of Events Scale-Intellectual Disabilities, Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scales and Self-Assessment and Intervention (self-report section). Additionally, these measures were developed through consultations with mental health professionals and/or people with IDs and thus were deemed to have good content validity. CONCLUSIONS: This review informs measurement choice for researchers and clinicians while highlighting a need for continued research efforts into the quality of measures available for people with IDs. The results were limited by incomplete psychometric evaluations of measures available. A paucity of psychometrically robust measures of mental wellbeing was observed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2023 · doi:10.1111/jir.13018