Development and validation of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale in Spanish children and adolescents

Abstract

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are characterized by chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms (GS) that are not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities. FGIDs are related to lower quality of life, increased demands on medical resources, and greater somatization and emotional instability. Furthermore, GS appears to be an indicator of dysbiosis in gut-microbiota, affecting the gut-microbiota-brain relationship. To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a new instrument called the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale (GSSS) using a web-based survey in a sample of neurotypical children and adolescents from Spain. Instrument development and validation processes were applied to the GSSS following its administration as part of an online survey. The sample included 1242 neurotypical children and adolescents. The mean age of participants was 13.95 years, with a standard deviation of 1.37 years. Overall, 13.8% suffered infectious diarrhea, 12.6% suffered abdominal pain, 5% suffered dyspepsia and 2.6% suffered gastro-esophageal reflux. A single-factor model produced good fit indices. Furthermore, internal consistency and test-retest reliability outcomes were acceptable. The GSSS was found to have acceptable metric measurement invariance. Significant correlations with other instruments were produced and were of expected direction and magnitude, confirming scale validity for hypothesis testing. Conclusions: The GSSS shows promising psychometric properties for assessing GS in neurotypical Spanish adolescents and children. What is Known:• To the best of our knowledge, instruments assessing the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adolescents are still too few. What is New:• The GSSS shows promising psychometric properties for assessing GS in neurotypical adolescents and children. The GSSS may help improve understanding of GS involvement in the gut-brain microbiota axis in children and adolescents.

Cross-cultural differences in gastrointestinal symptoms and sensory response in individuals with autism: A comparison of Spain and Colombia.

“…Items are rated along a four-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (none/nothing or this symptom does not occur) to 3 (very frequent and troublesome). The GSSS presents adequate psychometric properties in individuals with autism and in neurotypical children and adolescents [17,18,19]. Internal consistency coe cients of .73 have been reported in children with typical development [19], whilst coe cients between .75 and .61 have been reported in individuals with autism [18].…”

“…The GSSS presents adequate psychometric properties in individuals with autism and in neurotypical children and adolescents [17,18,19]. Internal consistency coe cients of .73 have been reported in children with typical development [19], whilst coe cients between .75 and .61 have been reported in individuals with autism [18]. Two versions of the instrument are available, namely, a version for caregivers-professionals and a self-report version.…”