TY - JOUR T1 - Item response theory and clinical measurement JF - Annual Review of Clinical Psychology Y1 - 2009 A1 - Reise, S. P. A1 - Waller, N. G. KW - *Psychological Theory KW - Humans KW - Mental Disorders/diagnosis/psychology KW - Psychological Tests KW - Psychometrics KW - Quality of Life KW - Questionnaires AB - In this review, we examine studies that use item response theory (IRT) to explore the psychometric properties of clinical measures. Next, we consider how IRT has been used in clinical research for: scale linking, computerized adaptive testing, and differential item functioning analysis. Finally, we consider the scale properties of IRT trait scores. We conclude that there are notable differences between cognitive and clinical measures that have relevance for IRT modeling. Future research should be directed toward a better understanding of the metric of the latent trait and the psychological processes that lead to individual differences in item response behaviors. VL - 5 SN - 1548-5951 (Electronic) N1 - Reise, Steven PWaller, Niels GU01 AR 52177/AR/NIAMS NIH HHS/United StatesResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralReviewUnited StatesAnnual review of clinical psychologyAnnu Rev Clin Psychol. 2009;5:27-48. ER -