Adapting LIFE-H 3.1 to investigate the level of participation of community-dwelling survivors of stroke

Background: The LIFE-H 3.1 is a measure that assesses person-perceived social participation and it has not been psychometrically examined in survivors of stroke. Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the LIFE-H 3.1, including its test–retest reliability, minimal detectable change (MDC) score, convergent and divergent validity, known-group validity, and the optimal cutoff score for distinguishing the level of participation between survivors of stroke and non-stroke older adults. Methods: Thirty-four survivors of stroke and 30 aged-matched non-stroke controls were recruited. The LIFE-H 3.1 and various health-related outcome measures were administered to the survivors of stroke in Day 1 to examine the correlations between them. Following a 7-day interval (Day 7), the LIFE-H 3.1 assessment was repeated in survivors of stroke to evaluate the test–retest reliability and establish the MDC. In non-stroke older adults (n = 30), LIFE-H 3.1 was administered on Day 1 only to examine the known-group validity to determine the cutoff score of LIFE-H 3.1 for distinguishing the level of participation between survivors of stroke and non-stroke older adults. Results: The overall LIFE-H 3.1 scale and its subscales demonstrated moderate-to-good test–retest reliability and significant associations with a functional mobility measure and a health-related quality of life measure. We also established the MDC values of LIFE-H 3.1 and its subscales. Moreover, appropriate cutoff scores for person-perceived participation were established that gave LIFE-H3.1 the ability to distinguish between survivors of stroke and non-stroke older adults. Conclusion: LIFE-H 3.1 is a reliable and valid measure to evaluate the person-perceived social participation of survivors of stroke.