Assessing measurement invariance of the diabetes stress questionnaire in youth with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Diabetes Stress Questionnaire (DSQ), a measure of diabetes-specific stress, across sex, age (<9th grade vs. ≥9th grade), and glycemic control (optimal vs. suboptimal). METHODS Data from 318 adolescent participants were pooled from four archival data sets and the ongoing Predicting Resiliency in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes study in which the DSQ was completed. Confirmatory factor and measurement invariance analyses were conducted to confirm the proposed factor structure and measurement invariance across sex, age, and glycemic control. RESULTS The DSQ factor structure was found to have an acceptable fit, which was invariant across sex, age, and glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS When using the DSQ, differences in diabetes-related stress with respect to sex, age, or glycemic control can be considered meaningful. This study supports the DSQ as an evidence-based and well-established assessment of perceived diabetes stress in youth with type 1 diabetes.