Do complex psychometric analyses really matter? Comparing multiple approaches using individual participant data from antidepressant trials.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Psychometric methods are used to remove underperforming items and reduce error in existing measures, albeit different approaches can produce different results. This study aimed to determine the implications of applying different psychometric methods for clinical trial outcomes.

Methods

Individual participant data from 15 antidepressant treatment trials from Vivli.org were analyzed. Baseline (pretreatment) and 8-week (range 4-12 weeks) outcome data from the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale were subjected to best-practice factor analysis (FA), item response theory (IRT), and network analysis (NA) approaches. Trial outcomes for the original summative scores and psychometric-model scores were assessed using multilevel models. Percentage differences in Cohen's

SUBMITTER: Byrne D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12527524 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature