I am
working with a pediatric sample with some participants who will be
young adults (ages 18-24). Should I use the pediatric or
adult instruments for young adults?
There isn’t a
perfect answer here yet. The pediatric items will likely work
in this age range, but they haven’t yet been tested. The
pediatric items are targeted towards an 8-18 age range and some of
the wording may feel a little “young”. The adult items are
appropriate for young adults, but then you are using two different
measures in one sample. The PROMIS network is conducting
multiple studies that will link the pediatric and adult scales so
that in the future it won’t matter which scale is used.
Review the banks of interest to determine what is best for your
study.