Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report Research Articles

Evaluation of psychosocial aspects in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The relationship between psychological factors and the overall health of patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is evident, yet the specific impact of the presence of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) signs or symptoms is not fully understood. This article seeks to elucidate the current knowledge of the relationship between TMJ signs and symptoms, psychosocial factors, and broader clinical manifestations in JIA patients. To investigate this relationship further, the present article will also present the results of a study including a total of 73 JIA patients, consisting of 56 females and 17 males (mean age 12.2 ± 2.8 years old; range 6–16). These patients were examined according to the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD). Self-reported questionnaires were used to investigate the psychosocial aspects of stress, anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing. General quality of life and disease activity were assessed with the JAMAR questionnaire (Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report). For inferential statistics, the Pearson r coefficient, linear regression models and T test for unpaired data were used. The level of significance was P<0.05. Increased general disease activity and significant impacts on quality of life were associated with increased psychological distress. The four psychosocial factors examined, including anxiety, stress, catastrophizing, and depression, all had a negative impact on the quality of life, symptomatology, and disease activity. Specifically, anxiety and catastrophizing influenced the relationship between the presence of symptoms and the reported quality of life where higher levels of anxiety and catastrophizing increased the impact of the symptoms on the quality of life. Finally, the presence of TMJ signs and/or symptoms did not exacerbate the psychosocial domains but affected the functional aspect of the patient.

The Impact of a Physiotherapy Tele-Rehabilitation Program on the Quality of Care for Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

To investigate the applicability and impact of a physiotherapy tele-rehabilitation program (TRP) on children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and their families. Thirty JIA patients, applying an individualized home-exercise program (HEP), were randomly divided in the tele-rehabilitation (TRG, n=15) and control group (CG, n=15). Each TRG patient participated in a 30-minute tele-session, under a paediatric physiotherapist's supervision, twice a week, for 12 weeks. Before and after the TRP (T1 and T2, respectively), all participants and a parent/guardian completed the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) questionnaire and a questionnaire regarding the HEP implementation and compliance. Residual disease was estimated at T1 and T2. At T2, TRG patients/parents completed a questionnaire evaluating the TRP. One month after T2, a reassessment of compliance with the HEP was performed. The patients' median age was 12.8 (8-16) years. At T2, the TRG patients performed the HEP significantly more frequently (p=0.023), for a longer time (p=0.034) and with less urging (p=0.004), compared to T1. Moreover, they exhibited significantly increased compliance with HEP (p=0.001), better functionality (p=0.008), better quality of life (p=0.007) and less pain (p=0.017). The CG patients showed no significant changes. Residual disease improved in both groups (TRG:p=0.002, CG:p=0.018), but more in the TRG (p=0.045). TRP's applicability and total benefit were rated as excellent by patients/parents. Finally, one month after T2, compliance with the HEP was still greater than at T1(p=0.001). An interactive physiotherapy TRP can be implemented effectively for JIA patients, providing an additional tool for their rehabilitation.

Current Validated Clinical and Patient Reported Disease Outcome Measures in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a common chronic illness in childhood and comprises seven categories based on the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) criteria. Accurate assessment and measurement of the clinical, functional, and quality of life outcomes of patients with JIA are paramount for understanding the disease course and formulating effective treatment strategies. Interest in the development and use of outcome measurements specifically focused on rheumatologic conditions has greatly expanded over the last two decades, adding to and improving upon the established disease measures. Furthermore, many of these measures have been validated using the widely accepted Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) core principles of instrument validation, allowing researchers and clinicians to gain confidence in these tools. This review summarizes the current validated disease outcome measures in JIA, including clinical, imaging, patient-reported, and functional outcome measurement tools, and highlights ongoing work that continues to refine and improve upon the available tools. The clinical disease outcome measures discussed in this review include physician global assessment (PhGA), American College of Rheumatology (ACR, Wallace) criteria for clinical inactive disease and clinical remission, juvenile arthritis disease activity scores (JADAS), juvenile spondyloarthritis disease activity index (JSPaDA), juvenile arthritis damage index (JADAI), and the ACR pediatric response scores. The imaging outcome measures discussed include the Dijkstra composite scores, childhood arthritis radiographic score of the hip (CARSH), and Poznanski Score. The patient-reported disease outcome measures discussed include patient global assessment (PtGA), patient-reported outcome measurement information system for JIA (PROMIS), juvenile arthritis parent/child centered disease assessment index (JAPAI, JACAI), juvenile arthritis multidimensional assessment report (JAMAR), and the Pediatric quality of life inventory rheumatology module (PedsQL). The functional outcome tools discussed include the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), juvenile arthritis functionality scale and index (JAFS and JASI), and Juvenile Arthritis Functional Assessment Report and Scale (JAFAS and JAFAR).

Patients' and parents' satisfaction to improve patient care in JIA: factors determining acceptable symptom state measured with JAMAR.

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with patients' and parents' reported satisfaction with JIA care, measured with the juvenile arthritis child and parent acceptable symptom state (JA-CASS and JA-PASS, respectively). A prospective cohort of 239 JIA patients and 238 parents in a tertiary centre who completed the juvenile arthritis multidimensional assessment report (JAMAR) was analysed cross-sectionally. The primary outcomes were positive JA-CASS and JA-PASS, respectively. Items in the JAMAR, as well as JIA subtype, demographics, and disease activity parameters, were analysed in univariate analysis. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to build models explaining the variance of the primary outcome as a dependent variable. According to the JAMAR, 141 (59.0%) of 239 patients and 149 (62.6%) of 238 parents were satisfied with their or their child's current condition. For patients, the determinants in the final model were a shorter duration of morning stiffness (P = 0.001), a lower age at disease onset (P = 0.044), a longer disease duration (P = 0.009) and a higher rating of the patient's well-being measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS) (P = 0.004). For parents, the determinants were the current state of disease activity (current state of persistent activity P = 0.002, relapse P < 0.005), problems at school (P = 0.002) and the items regarding quality of life (QoL) (P = 0.005). Our data highlight the importance of patients' and parents' opinions in the evaluation of disease activity, and support their integration into the shared decision-making in daily clinical practice to improve the quality of medical care.

Real-world comparison of the effects of etanercept and adalimumab on well-being in non-systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a propensity score matched cohort study

BackgroundEtanercept (ETN) and adalimumab (ADA) are considered equally effective biologicals in the treatment of arthritis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) but no studies have compared their impact on patient-reported well-being. The objective of this study was to determine whether ETN and ADA have a differential effect on patient-reported well-being in non-systemic JIA using real-world data.MethodsBiological-naive patients without a history of uveitis were selected from the international Pharmachild registry. Patients starting ETN were matched to patients starting ADA based on propensity score and outcomes were collected at time of therapy initiation and 3–12 months afterwards. Primary outcome at follow-up was the improvement in Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) visual analogue scale (VAS) well-being score from baseline. Secondary outcomes at follow-up were decrease in active joint count, adverse events and uveitis events. Outcomes were analyzed using linear and logistic mixed effects models.ResultsOut of 158 eligible patients, 45 ETN starters and 45 ADA starters could be propensity score matched resulting in similar VAS well-being scores at baseline. At follow-up, the median improvement in VAS well-being was 2 (interquartile range (IQR): 0.0 – 4.0) and scores were significantly better (P = 0.01) for ETN starters (median 0.0, IQR: 0.0 – 1.0) compared to ADA starters (median 1.0, IQR: 0.0 – 3.5). The estimated mean difference in VAS well-being improvement from baseline for ETN versus ADA was 0.89 (95% CI: -0.01 – 1.78; P = 0.06). The estimated mean difference in active joint count decrease was -0.36 (95% CI: -1.02 – 0.30; P = 0.28) and odds ratio for adverse events was 0.48 (95% CI: 0.16 –1.44; P = 0.19). One uveitis event was observed in the ETN group.ConclusionsBoth ETN and ADA improve well-being in non-systemic JIA. Our data might indicate a trend towards a slightly stronger effect for ETN, but larger studies are needed to confirm this given the lack of statistical significance.

A Diagnostic Prediction Model for Separating Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome

To develop and validate a diagnostic prediction model that can distinguish between juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome (CMPS) based on patient-reported outcomes. This retrospective cohort study evaluated whether the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) performs well in distinguishing JIA from CMPS. We analyzed JAMARs completed by 287 patients at their first visit to the pediatric rheumatology department of Wilhelmina Children's Hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Relevant JAMAR items for predicting a diagnosis of JIA were selected in a penalized multivariable model suitable for clinical application. The model was subsequently validated with new data from the same center. A total of 196 JAMARs (97 JIA, 99 CMPS) were collected in the model development data, and 91 JAMARs (48 JIA, 43 CMPS) were collected in the validation data. Variables in the prediction model that were strongest associated with a diagnosis of JIA instead of CMPS were asymmetric pain/swelling in the shoulder (OR, 2.34), difficulty with self-care (OR, 2.41), skin rash (OR, 2.07), and asymmetric/pain swelling in the knee (OR, 2.29). Calibration and discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.92) of the model in the validation data were good. Several items from the JAMAR questionnaire can potentially distinguish JIA from CMPS in patients with corresponding symptoms. We present an easy-to-use, adjusted, and validated model to separate these 2 diagnoses early at presentation based on patient-reported outcomes to facilitate proper referral and treatment.

Familial aggregation of juvenile idiopathic arthritis with other autoimmune diseases: Impact on clinical characteristics, disease activity status and disease damage.

To evaluate the impact of family history of autoimmune diseases (FHADs) on the clinical characteristics and outcome of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We retrospectively reviewed children with JIA seen in 7 pediatric rheumatology clinics from 6 Arab countries. All included patients met the International League of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria for JIA and had a disease duration greater than 1 year. Data were collected at the last follow-up visit and comprised clinical findings, including FHADs. Disease activity and disease damage were assessed by Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report, and juvenile arthritis damage index (JADI) respectively. Disease activity was categorized as remission off treatment, remission on treatment, or active disease. A total of 349 (224 females) JIA patients with a disease duration of 5 (interquartile range 2.9-7.5) years were included. The most frequent JIA categories were polyarticular JIA and oligoarticular JIA, followed by systemic JIA. There were 189 patients with FHADs and 160 patients without FHADs. The most frequent FHADs were diabetes mellitus (21.2%), JIA (18.5%), rheumatoid arthritis (12.7%). Among patients with FHADs, 140/189 (74.1%) achieved clinical remission, while 131/160 (81.9%) patients without FHDs had clinical remission (odds ratio [OR]=1.2, 95% CI 0.97-1.5). Rate of consanguinity, enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and psoriatic arthritis were higher in patients with FHADs (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9 and OR=1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4). Also, articular JADI correlated significantly with presence of FHADs (OR=1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1). This study shows that autoimmune diseases cluster within families of patients with JIA with a high proportion of ERA and psoriatic arthritis. JIA patients with FHADs are likely to have more disease damage.

Cumulative Damage in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: AMulticenter Study From the Pediatric Rheumatology ArabGroup.

To report the cumulative articular and extraarticular damage in Arab children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and to identify variables that correlate with disease damage. We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study among 14 pediatric rheumatology centers from 7 Arab countries. JIA patients who met the International League of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria and had a disease duration of >1 year were enrolled. Disease activity status was assessed using the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report. Disease damage was assessed by the Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index, articular (JADI-A) and extraarticular (JADI-E). A total of 702 (471 female) JIA patients with a median age of 11.3 years (interquartile range [IQR] 8.0-14.0 years) were studied. Median age at disease onset was 5 years (IQR 2.0-9.0 years) and the median disease duration was 4 years (IQR 2.0-7.0 years). The most frequent JIA categories were oligoarticular JIA (34.9%), polyarticular JIA (29.5%), and systemic JIA (24.5%). Clinical remission was achieved in 73.9% of patients. At the last clinic visit, 193 patients experienced joint damage, with a mean ± SD JADI-A score of 1.7 ± 4.5, while 156 patients had extraarticular damage, with a mean ± SD JADI-E score of 0.5 ± 1.1. Patients with enthesitis-related arthritis had the highest JADI-A score. JADI-A correlated significantly with the presence of a family history of JIA. JADI-A and JADI-E had a significant correlation with long disease duration. Cumulative damage was common in this Arab JIA cohort, and consanguinity and JIA in a sibling were frequent findings and were associated with a greater cumulative damage.

Quality of life in children and adults with Idiopathic juvenile arthritis: cross-sectional study in Brazilian patients

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic rheumatic disease which may persist into adulthood. Pain and joint deformities affect quality of life (QoL). The objective was to study the influence of JIA in QoL of children and adults, comparing the two groups. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 47 JIA patients (20 children and 27 adults) using the following questionnaires: Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) in adults and Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire CHAQ) in children. Epidemiological, clinical and treatment data was collected. RESULTS: No differences were found in gender, arthritis subset, presence of uveitis and fever, visual analog scale for pain and duration of morning stiffness. Adult patients required more biologics in the treatment (p=0.02) and had higher age at disease onset than children (p=0.001). About 45% of children and 51.8% of adults complained having pain and 40% of children and 48% of adults were not satisfied with the current status of their disease. CONCLUSION: Children and adult patients with JIA had similar degree of pain, morning stiffness and functional impairment. Functional impairment was considered mild but the level of pain found was higher than in other studies. Almost half of patients were not satisfied with the treatment.

Quality of life in children suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis.

Uveitis (JIA-U), the most common extra-articular manifestation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), may cause severe impairment of vision in children and affect their quality of life (QoL). Considering the lack of uveitis-related QoL assessment questionnaire, and multidimensional nature of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR), commonly used for monitoring and assessing the health status of children with JIA, we performed a cross-sectional study to investigate the potential of the JAMAR in estimation of QoL in children suffering from JIA-U. The study included 42 children with JIA, 21 of whom had JIA-U. Both children and their parents completed the JAMAR. We compared two groups of children (JIA-U and JIA without uveitis) and their parents against five extracted questionnaires items (QoL, functional ability, pain level, disease activity estimation, and current emotional state of the child) using the independent-samples t test to verify the differences and the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the strength of a linear association between variables. No significant statistical difference in any of the examined variables was found between the two groups of children. In the groups of parents, current emotional state of children with JIA-U was assessed to be significantly worse (t = 2.05, p < 0.05) and the overall level of functioning significantly lower (t = 2.03, p < 0.05) than children without uveitis. Our results suggest the need for adding the uveitis-specific questionnaires items to JAMAR to improve its sensitivity and specificity in the assessment of QoL in children suffering from JIA-U, as well as designing a second assessment tool such as uveitis-specific questionnaires.

Serum, synovial and mRNA expression of interleukin-33 in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients: Potential role as a marker of disease activity and relation to musculoskeletal ultrasound

Aim of the workTo measure interleukin-33 (IL-33) serum and synovial fluid (SF) levels as well as its relative expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients and to study their relation to clinical, laboratory and musculoskeletal ultrasound characteristics, disease activity and functional status. Patients and methodsThe study included 60 JIA patients and 60 healthy controls and SF levels were measured in 20. Juvenile arthritis disease activity score (JADAS27) and Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) were assessed; Ten-joint grey scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD) MSUS score was performed. Rheumatoid factor (RF) titer and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured. ResultsIn JIA patients, serum IL-33 levels (median 12.6; 7.4–23.8 ng/l) and its relative mRNA expression (median 3.3; 2.5–3.7) were significantly higher than their levels in the controls (median 1.7; 0.8–2.4 ng/l and median 1 ng/ml; p < 0.001). Polyarticular subtype (n = 20) had higher IL-33 serum levels compared to oligoarticular (n = 28, p < 0.001) and systemic-onset (n = 12, p = 0.006) subtypes. In JIA patients, the serum and SF levels of IL-33 significantly correlated with JADAS27 (p < 0.001 and 0.002 respectively), CRP (p < 0.001 and 0.007 respectively), GS (p < 0.001 and 0.001 respectively) and PD (p < 0.001 and 0.005 respectively). Serum IL-33 correlated with RF (p = 0.039) while, SF IL-33 correlated with physical function (p = 0.02). ConclusionsJIA patients have significantly elevated IL-33 serum concentrations and mRNA expression that considerably correlated with different inflammatory parameters, RF and physical function suggesting that it could be a valuable marker of JIA disease activity and implies a possible prognostic role.

Validity and feasibility of the self-report EQ-5D-Y as a generic Health-Related Quality of Life outcome measure in children and adolescents with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Western Cape, South Africa.

BackgroundHealth-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) data together with clinical findings allow for monitoring of intervention efficacy and the effect on HRQoL. Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) experience symptoms often persisting into adulthood, emphasising the need to track HRQoL.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the EuroQol five-dimensional youth questionnaire (EQ-5D-Y) in children with JIA.MethodsA cross-sectional, analytical study design was used. Children 8 to 15 years were recruited, completing the self-report EQ-5D-Y and two other HRQoL questionnaires. Known group validity was established by comparing the effect size between children with different disease severities. Concurrent validity was tested using Kruskal–Wallis to compare the ranking of scores on different questionnaires. Feasibility was assessed by number of missing responses and time to complete each questionnaire.ResultsAll questionnaires were able to distinguish between children with different JIA severity. There was a significant difference in ranking of most Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report dimension scores across EQ-5D-Y levels, (p < 0.05), indicating concurrent validity. There was poor concurrent validity with the PedsQL dimensions tested with EQ-5D-Y, except for ‘pain’ (p = 0.001). The EQ-5D-Y was the quickest to complete with no missing values.ConclusionThis study showed that the EQ-5D-Y is valid and feasible in measuring HRQoL in JIA children and adequately responsive to detect change over time.Clinical implicationsIt is quick and easy to use in a busy clinical setting, allowing for effective JIA management monitoring.

Correction to: The Italian version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR).

The family name of author Francesco La Torre was incorrect in the published article. The correct family name should read as La Torre F.

The Swiss French version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Swiss French language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in ten JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data, and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the three Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 98 JIA patients (3.1% systemic, 43.9% oligoarticular, 16.3% RF negative polyarthritis, 36.7% other categories), and 64 healthy children were enrolled in a paediatric rheumatology centre. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Swiss French version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.

The Italian version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Italian language.The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents.The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the 3 Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity).A total of 1296 JIA patients (7.2% systemic, 59.5% oligoarticular, 21.4% RF negative polyarthritis, 11.9% other categories) and 100 healthy children, were enrolled in 18 centres. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients except for the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) Psychosocial Health (PsH) subscales. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances.In conclusion, the Italian version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.

The Ecuadorian Spanish version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Ecuadorian Spanish language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the 3 Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 23 JIA patients (17.4% systemic, 17.4% RF negative poly-arthritis, 17.4% RF positive poly-arthritis, and 47.8% other categories) and 23 healthy children were enrolled in the paediatric centre of Guayaquil. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. Notably, there is no significant difference between the healthy subjects and their affected peers in the school-related problems variable. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Ecuadorian Spanish version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.

The Canadian English and French versions of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Canadian varieties of English and French. The reading comprehension of the questionnaires were tested in a probe sample of ten parents and ten JIA patients for Canadian English and other ten parents and ten JIA patients for Canadian French. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the 3 Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 208 JIA patients (2.9% systemic, 41.8% oligoarticular, 27.9% RF negative polyarthritis, 27.4% other categories) and 152 healthy children, were enrolled at two paediatric rheumatology centres. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. Notably, there was no significant difference between the healthy subjects and their affected peers in the psychosocial quality of life variable. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Canadian English and French versions of the JAMAR are valid tools for the assessment of children with JIA and are suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.

The German version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the German language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients. The participating centres were asked to collect demographic and clinical data along the JAMAR questionnaire in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the three Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 319 JIA patients (2.8% systemic, 36.7% oligoarticular, 23.5% RF negative polyarthritis, and 37% other categories) and 100 healthy children were enrolled in eight centres. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the German version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and in clinical research.

The Brazilian Portuguese version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Brazilian Portuguese language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the three Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, test–retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 231 JIA patients (14.7% systemic, 43.3% oligoarticular, 22.5% RF negative polyarthritis, 19.5% other categories) and 72 healthy children, were enrolled in three centres. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Brazilian Portuguese version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.

The Chilean Spanish version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Chilean Spanish language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in ten JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the three Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, interscale correlations, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 49 JIA patients (12.2% systemic, 24.5% oligoarticular, 22.5% RF-negative polyarthritis, 40.8% other categories) and 70 healthy children, were enrolled. The JAMAR components discriminated well healthy subjects from JIA patients. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Chilean Spanish version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research.