A new tool to measure occupational balance: Adolescent Occupational Balance Scale (A-OBS)

Abstract

Background

The concept of occupational balance in adolescents is not clear enough.

Aim

The current study aims at developing a valid and reliable scale to measure occupational balance in adolescents.

Method

We conducted online interviews with the participant adolescents via semi-structured interview forms. We applied the Davis technique twice to 10 expert panellists and the test form to 600 individuals. Two weeks later, we re-tested 153 of the participants. We then carried out item analysis to evaluate the internal consistency of the scale. We also conducted explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the construct validity of the scale.

Findings

The content validity index of the scale was found to be 0.986. EFA showed that the scale consisting of 27 items had a six-factor structure explaining 56.7% of the total variance. Model fit indices about the structure created by factor combination technique in CFA were CMIN/df = 2.135; RMSEA = 0.06; GFI = 0.866; NFI = 0.81, CFI = 0.887, TLI = 0.868; IFI = 0.89. The analysis to test the reliability of the scale resulted in ICC: 0.993 and Cronbach’s alpha: 0.997. Pre-test and post-test analyses showed very strong correlational coefficients (p < 0.005).

Conclusion

A-OBS is a valid and reliable scale consisting of 27 items and 4 sub-dimensions. It can be used in studies that will focus on occupational balance in healthy adolescents. It is the first occupational balance scale developed for adolescents in the occupational therapy literature. We recommend further studies to validate the scale and adapt it to different languages and cultures.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• occupational therapy
• paediatrics
• psychometric

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgments

The authors want to thank all the individuals who participated in this study.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the local institutional ethical board (Hacettepe University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee) with the registration number (GO 14/416).

Consent form

All respondents signed informed consent forms for participation.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the development of the study methodology, data collection and analysis. All authors participated in writing, reviewing and editing the manuscript, and approved the final version.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.