Emotion assessment using the NIH Toolbox

Abstract

One of the goals of the NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function was to identify or develop brief measures of emotion for use in prospective epidemiologic and clinical research. Emotional health has significant links to physical health and exerts a powerful effect on perceptions of life quality. Based on an extensive literature review and expert input, the Emotion team identified 4 central subdomains: Negative Affect, Psychological Well-Being, Stress and Self-Efficacy, and Social Relationships. A subsequent psychometric review identified several existing self-report and proxy measures of these subdomains with measurement characteristics that met the NIH Toolbox criteria. In cases where adequate measures did not exist, robust item banks were developed to assess concepts of interest. A population-weighted sample was recruited by an online survey panel to provide initial item calibration and measure validation data. Participants aged 8 to 85 years completed self-report measures whereas parents/guardians responded for children aged 3 to 12 years. Data were analyzed using a combination of classic test theory and item response theory methods, yielding efficient measures of emotional health concepts. An overview of the development of the NIH Toolbox Emotion battery is presented along with preliminary results. Norming activities led to further refinement of the battery, thus enhancing the robustness of emotional health measurement for researchers using the NIH Toolbox. Neurology In everyday terms, the word "emotion" evokes connotations of strong feelings, often negative and distressing when they tax our capacity to maintain our poise. It is unpleasant when we are extended beyond our usual resources by stressful life events including poverty, unemployment, oppression, discrimination, and disease. However, positive emotions can be reflections of well-being in our lives, and positive social relationships can buffer stress and enhance health. Recognizing the full spectrum of emotional life and its impact on health, the mandate for the NIH Toolbox was to develop assessments with a broad focus, beyond just negative emotion, or emotional distress. The original Request for Proposals alluded to several additional aspects of the experience and expression of emotion relevant to health in the general population including the importance of psychological well-being, the role of important aspects of positive functioning, such as adaptability, resilience, and self-efficacy, and the importance of the interpersonal and social context in which emotions arise and may be expressed.Feedback provided through an NIH Toolbox Expert Request for Information (RFI) was also consistent with this desire for a broad emphasis on emotional health. As part of this RFI, we obtained input from 147 experts (64% of 232 invited experts), including key opinion leaders from the NIH research program staff and NIH-funded investigators with a broad focus in neurologic and behavioral

Assessment of stress and self-efficacy for the NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function

“…Another factor leading to exclusion of a measure was the existence of intellectual property issues that prevented free use in future research. A final criterion was that measures for each of the emotional health domain had to be brief enough so that respondents could complete the total Emotion Domain battery within 30 minutes (Gershon, et al, 2010; Salsman et al, 2013). The resulting short list included six measures that assessed stressful events or perceived stress, 3 that assessed self-efficacy, 4 that assessed emotion regulation and 31 that assessed coping.…”

“…The development of the overall NIH Toolbox project is described in Gershon et al, (2010; 2013) and the development of the Emotion domain is described in Salsman et al, 2013. The emotion domain was intended to include a wide spectrum of concepts related to emotion, including positive and negative emotion.…”

“…The NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox; nihtoolbox.org) initiative was developed to identify, create when necessary, and validate measures in the broad domains of cognitive function, emotional health, motor function, and sensory function for use large-scale epidemiological studies (Gershon, et al, 2010; Gershon, et al 2013; Salsman, et al, 2013). Based on a multi-level process, involving content experts and potential end-users (Nowinski, Victorson, Debb, & Gershon, 2013), several subdomains were identified within each of these broad domains.…”

Active and Adjusted: Investigating the Contribution of Leisure, Health and Psychosocial Factors to Retirement Adjustment

“…Many clinical trials and studies typically use NA as a measure of outcome, focusing on depressive mood or affect (e.g., Salsman, Butt, & Pilkonis, 2013). PA and NA are identified as somewhat negatively correlated and are relatively orthogonal dimensions (Crawford & Henry, 2004).…”

Input on NIH Toolbox inclusion criteria

“…Subdomain selection for each of these areas is discussed in the domain-specific articles found later in this supplement. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Request for information #2. This sample of experts was asked how much cost there should be for the equipment needed to administer the NIH Toolbox, as well as persubject costs to gather data.…”