The Community Integration Questionnaire: factor structure across racial/ethnic groups in persons with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE To examine the factor structure and construct validity of the Community Integration Questionnaire, a widely used measure of community participation among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), among 3 racial/ethnic groups. DESIGN Prospective longitudinal cohort study. SETTING Enrollment in acute inpatient TBI rehabilitation with follow-up at 1 year after injury. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1756 persons with TBI enrolled in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) national Database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Community Integration Questionnaire at 1 year after injury. RESULTS The goodness of fit for the factor structure of the Community Integration Questionnaire, separating items into Home Competency, Social Integration, and Productive Activity, was satisfactory for whites but not for blacks or Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and researchers should take race/ethnicity into account when utilizing measures of community integration.