Psychometric Validation of the Independent Living Skills Measure for Care-Experienced Young People

Purpose: This study addressed the need for a psychometrically validated independent living skills measure for care-experienced young people. Existing instruments lack adequate validation and do not reflect the diverse developmental and contextual realities of out-of-home care. Method: An initial pool of 193 items was refined to 42 through expert review and pilot testing with young people aged 14 to 25 years. The measure was administered to 122 care-experienced participants in Western Australia. Psychometric evaluation followed the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement outcomes (COSMIN) framework and included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency reliability, hypothesis testing for construct validity, and interpretability. Results: The final instrument comprised 28 items across eight domains and demonstrated good structural validity, acceptable model fit, and strong internal consistency. Hypothesis testing supported construct validity, while interpretability analyses revealed ceiling effects for two domains. Discussion: The measure provides a psychometrically sound tool to guide targeted transition planning and support for care-experienced young people.