Community Integration Questionnaire — Measuring Social and Productive Reintegration

WHODAS 2.0 measures disability (functional limitation) across six broad life domains (cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along, activities, participation). CIQ is narrower, focusing specifically on three participation domains (home, social, productive activity) and is more strongly validated in TBI. WHODAS is universal (any age, any condition); CIQ is most validated in TBI. Use CIQ for detailed tracking of community reintegration in TBI, WHODAS for broader cross-condition disability assessment.

CIQ is not recommended for acute phase (0–3 months), when individuals are still in hospitalization or early rehabilitation. Most items assume the person has had opportunity to engage in home, social, and work activities. CIQ is most valid at 1 year or later post-injury, when long-term community reintegration patterns have emerged. Use acute-phase measures (FIM+FAM, GOSE) instead.

Approximately 2 points per subscale (or 5 points total CIQ) is considered clinically meaningful in TBI. However, this varies by population and time point. Larger changes (5–10 points total) are more robust markers of intervention effect. For individuals already scoring high (25–30), floor in measurement precision may limit detectability of further gains.

A caregiver/proxy version has been developed but is less commonly used and has lower psychometric validation than self-report. If using proxy CIQ, acknowledge lower reliability and compare with self-report when available. Proxy and self-report often disagree, particularly on social and productive activities.

5–10 minutes in a structured interview format. Self-completion may be faster (3–5 minutes) for literate, cognitively intact individuals. In people with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment or communication disorders, 10–15 minutes may be needed for clarification.

Yes. CIQ is in the public domain and may be used without license fees. The original 1993 publication by Willer is available; some researchers and institutions have created their own versions or translations. Always cite the original Willer et al. (1993) source when using CIQ.

Yes, but with context. CIQ measures post-injury status; it does not control for pre-injury baseline. Always obtain pre-injury vocational, social, and living situation history. A CIQ of 12 in someone who was unemployed and isolated pre-injury may represent improvement; the same score in someone who was a CEO with active social life may represent decline. Use relative change or qualitative narrative to contextualize.

CIQ measures quantity and frequency of participation (how often someone works, socializes, manages home), not subjective quality of life or satisfaction. Someone might score high on CIQ (working, active social calendar) but report low life satisfaction if they feel purposeless or depressed. For quality of life, combine CIQ with mood/well-being measures (PHQ-9, Life Satisfaction Scale).