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![Subscales and items of the OBI-Care [37]](publication/357288803/figure/tbl2/AS:11431281275235956@1725338321424/Subscales-and-items-of-the-OBI-Care-37_Q320.jpg)
Objectives
Informal caregivers often experience a restriction in occupational balance. The self-reported questionnaire on Occupational Balance in Informal Caregivers (OBI-Care) is a measurement instrument to assess occupational balance in informal caregivers. Measurement properties of the German version of the OBI-Care had previously been assessed...
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Citations
... Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha, where an alpha coefficient of 0.7 or higher was deemed acceptable (18). Inter-item correlations were calculated to evaluate internal consistency, with correlations greater than 0.7 indicating potential redundancy among items, warranting their removal (19). Data analysis was performed using Stata MP v.14 software. ...
Introduction
Cancer treatment can impose a significant financial burden on patients, impacting their quality of life. The COST-FACIT tool is commonly used to assess financial toxicity (FT) in cancer patients. This study aimed to translate and validate an Urdu version of the COST-FACIT tool in Pakistan.
Materials and Methods
A cross-sectional validation study was conducted at four tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, from October to December 2023. We translated and back-translated the 12-item COST-FACIT tool and validated it in accordance with FACIT guidelines. The study included 10 native Urdu-speaking cancer patients as recommended in the guidelines. The analysis included descriptive statistics, content validity indices, and assessment of internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha, analyzed with Stata MP v.14 software.
Results
The study population included 6 females (60%) and 4 males (40%), with most participants aged between 40 and 60 years (4 patients, 40%). The mean FACIT COST score was 16.3 (SD = 11.255, range 4–40), with 6 (60%) patients experiencing moderate (Grade 2) financial toxicity. Internal consistency was good, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.90, and content validity indices indicated items were relevant and clear (average expert CVI = 0.82 for relevance, 0.90 for clarity).
Conclusion
We have translated and validated an Urdu version of the COST-FACIT tool. It is a valid and reliable instrument to assess financial toxicity experienced by cancer patients in Pakistan.
... These findings indicate that the scale effectively measures the same underlying construct associated with sleep quality. The mean inter-item correlation of 0.308 supports this internal consistency, indicating a moderate correlation among the items 64,65 . Additionally, the testretest reliability assessment revealed significant temporal stability, with an ICC of 0.785, indicating consistent results across repeated administrations 66,67 . ...
Sleep quality is crucial for recovery in coronary care patients, yet sleep disturbances are prevalent in intensive care settings. This study aimed to validate the Persian version of the Sleep Quality Scale for Coronary Care Patients (SQ-CC-P) in the Iranian population and ensure its psychometric robustness for clinical and research applications. A methodological study was conducted in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and heart unit of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil Province, Iran, from May to September 2024, involving 220 participants diagnosed with acute coronary conditions. The SQ-CC-P, which includes self-assessment and environmental factors, was assessed for content validity, construct validity, and reliability in accordance with COSMIN guidelines. The SQ-CC-P demonstrated strong content validity, with CVI (0.80–0.92), CVR (0.70–1.00), S-CVI/UA (0.85), S-CVI/Ave (0.91), and Adjusted Kappa (0.697) confirming item relevance and necessity. Construct validity was supported by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which revealed a two-factor structure explaining 62.4% of the variance, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which showed strong factor loadings (0.72–0.82) and excellent model fit. The scale exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.862, McDonald’s omega = 0.864) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.785, 95% CI [0.718, 0.841]). The SQ-CC-P is a valid and reliable tool for assessing sleep quality among coronary care patients, addressing a critical gap in sleep assessment in intensive care settings.
... Mean inter-item correlations ranged from 0.28 (CRR) to 0.77 (ES). While most dimensions demonstrated inter-item correlations within the acceptable range (0.20-0.70) [68], ES and OS displayed notably high mean inter-item correlations (0.77 and 0.75, respectively), suggesting a need to investigate potential residual redundancies in these dimensions. These preliminary findings indicate that while the scale overall and most of its dimensions demonstrate acceptable psychometric properties, specific dimensions, such as CRR need further investigation. ...
Background/Objectives: With advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs), counseling chatbots are becoming essential tools for delivering scalable and accessible mental health support. Traditional evaluation scales, however, fail to adequately capture the sophisticated capabilities of these systems, such as personalized interactions, empathetic responses, and memory retention. This study aims to design a robust and comprehensive evaluation scale, the Comprehensive Evaluation Scale for LLM-Powered Counseling Chatbots (CES-LCC), using the eDelphi method to address this gap. Methods: A panel of 16 experts in psychology, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and digital therapeutics participated in two iterative eDelphi rounds. The process focused on refining dimensions and items based on qualitative and quantitative feedback. Initial validation, conducted after assembling the final version of the scale, involved 49 participants using the CES-LCC to evaluate an LLM-powered chatbot delivering Self-Help Plus (SH+), an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based intervention for stress management. Results: The final version of the CES-LCC features 27 items grouped into nine dimensions: Understanding Requests, Providing Helpful Information, Clarity and Relevance of Responses, Language Quality, Trust, Emotional Support, Guidance and Direction, Memory, and Overall Satisfaction. Initial real-world validation revealed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94), although minor adjustments are required for specific dimensions, such as Clarity and Relevance of Responses. Conclusions: The CES-LCC fills a critical gap in the evaluation of LLM-powered counseling chatbots, offering a standardized tool for assessing their multifaceted capabilities. While preliminary results are promising, further research is needed to validate the scale across diverse populations and settings.
... El OBI-Care Röschel et al., 2021) es un cuestionario autoadministrado que consta de 22 ítems, con cinco opciones de respuesta que van desde 1=muy satisfecho, hasta 5=muy insatisfecho. Estos ítems se organizan en 3 subescalas: la subescala 1, áreas ocupacionales, aborda la satisfacción con el alcance de ocupaciones en diferentes áreas; la subescala 2, características ocupacionales, se refiere a las características y efectos de las ocupaciones; y la subescala 3, resiliencia ocupacional, se centra en la adaptabilidad de las propias ocupaciones. ...
... Aunque actualmente existen otros instrumentos para la evaluación del equilibrio ocupacional, hasta donde sabemos, el OBI-Care es el primero centrado en la población de cuidadores informales Röschel et al., 2021). Los autores originales consideraron que la evaluación en este colectivo necesitaba recabar información en torno a 3 subescalas (áreas ocupacionales, características ocupacionales y resiliencia ocupacional), permitiendo identificar fácilmente qué áreas o características podrían estar impactando Tabla 3. Continuación... sobre el equilibrio ocupacional de la persona cuidadora. ...
Resumen Objetivo Traducir y adaptar transculturalmente el cuestionario de Equilibrio Ocupacional de los Cuidadores Informales (OBI-Care) al español para su uso en padres/madres cuidadores/as. Método Se siguió un proceso de traducción-retrotraducción, incluyendo discusión de expertos y prueba piloto. La versión utilizada en la prueba incluía diferentes preguntas (abiertas y valoraciones numéricas) que recogían comentarios y valoraciones de los participantes. El equipo investigador introdujo los cambios que formaron la versión final del cuestionario. Resultados El informe sobre la traducción directa recoge la comparación entre la traducción A y B y las decisiones del panel de expertos que derivaron en la primera versión del cuestionario adaptado. En él se añadieron modificaciones para mejorar la comprensión (en título, explicación, enunciados de las subescalas e ítems). El informe sobre la retrotraducción no indica diferencias entre las traducciones inversas A y B en cuanto a significado. En la prueba piloto participaron 30 sujetos (11 padres y madres cuidadores/as informales, 7 terapeutas ocupacionales activos y 12 estudiantes de máster) que hicieron diferentes propuestas. Se valoraron y se introdujeron cambios como añadir la definición del equilibrio ocupacional, indicar la finalidad del cuestionario y utilizar un lenguaje de género inclusivo. Así se llegó a la versión final de la adaptación española, que mantiene todos los ítems del cuestionario original. Conclusiones El OBI-Care-E es la versión traducida y adaptada al español del OBI- Care. Esta versión podría ser útil en la evaluación del equilibrio ocupacional de padres y madres cuidadores/as informales, aunque es necesario estudiar sus propiedades psicométricas.
... Other areas that tend to be especially altered in the CGs are related to their occupational functioning since important changes are generated in their roles, habits, and daily routines due to the demands involved in caring for their family member with AD (Fujihara et al., 2019;Gómez-Trinidad et al., 2021). If occupational balance is understood as the individual's perception of having an adequate quantity and variety of occupations in daily life, the experience of an adequate balance between meaningful activities, or the satisfaction with occupations in different areas, studies show that CGs of people with AD often experience a significant occupational imbalance (del-Pino-Casado et al., 2018Röschel et al., 2021Röschel et al., , 2022Wagman et al., 2012). Caring for a loved one with AD implies a great responsibility for the CGs, and, as dementia progresses, the CGs experience an occupational transition, in the sense that they leave previous meaningful occupations behind (family, job, career, leisure time, friends, sports, rest, etc.) and put their role as caregivers first (Groezinger et al., 2023;Persson & Zingmark, 2006;Yong et al., 2020). ...
Objectives
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Health Care (MBHC) Program on informal caregiver (CG) burden and occupational balance, as well as on the functional capacity of people with Alzheimer’s disease cared for.
Method
In this randomized controlled trial, 66 CGs were allocated to an MBHC (n = 33) and a treatment as usual (n = 33) group. Data collection included the Zarit Burden Interview, the Occupational Balance Questionnaire, and the Disability Assessment for Dementia. CGs were evaluated at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. A total of 50 (75.6%) and 30 (45.5%) CGs completed the post-intervention and the 3-month follow-up assessments, respectively. Linear regression and generalized linear mixed models were performed to explore the intervention effects.
Results
In comparison to treatment as usual, the MBHC intervention was associated with a significant decrease in CG burden post-intervention (β = − 7.04; 95% CI: − 13.19, − 0.88; p = 0.026). Furthermore, MBHC intervention was associated with a significant increase in CGs’ occupational balance right after intervention (β = 6.54; 95% CI: 1.85, 11.22; p = 0.007). However, these positive effects were not statistically significant at the 3-month follow-up. Finally, the functional capacity of the people with Alzheimer’s disease showed non-relevant changes or differences between groups.
Conclusions
This randomized controlled trial showed that an MBHC could have a positive impact in reducing CG burden and improving their occupational balance. These results highlight the viability of implementing an MBHC as a cost-effective, community-based care intervention aimed at improving mental well-being in CGs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
Preregistration
This study was registered on Clinicaltrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov) with ID, NCT03858283.
... We calculated the Kuder-Richardson 20 (Kuder and Richardson, 1937), with the arbitrary cutoff of KR-20 > 0.70, which is widely considered as presenting acceptable to good internal consistency (e.g., Ntumi et al., 2023), as well as inter-item correlations. For the latter, scores below 0.2 may indicate that items measure different constructs, whereas scores above 0.7 may indicate redundancy (Röschel et al., 2021). ...
This study introduces a novel linguistically simple, tablet-based, behavioral Theory of Mind (ToM) measure, designed for neurotypical (NT) and autistic children aged 4–10 years. A synthesis of five comprehensive reviews of existing ToM measures revealed significant gaps in their designs; the weaknesses include a mismatch between the operational and conceptual definition of ToM, high verbal demands in most measures, materials that are minimally interesting for children, and often a lack of psychometric evaluations. These findings call into question the suitability of most of the currently available ToM measures used in children, both with and without developmental disorders, such as children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For example, the assessment of ToM in children with ASD may require reduced reliance on complex language or social interaction that can be part of the diagnostic criteria of the condition. This newly designed ToM measure, developed in line with the “Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing” of the American Educational Research Association, is linguistically simple, tablet-based, suitable for children with ASD, and is available in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. With a sample of 234 participants, including 152 NT children and 82 children with ASD between 4 and 10 years of age, the new ToM measure’s psychometric properties were preliminarily evaluated. Descriptive statistics, measures of internal consistency, inter-item correlation, and validity checks were conducted in both groups. Further inspections of the measure’s scale- and item-level characteristics were conducted with the help of exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and item response theory (IRT) within the NT children’s group. These preliminary evaluations suggest that the newly developed ToM measure possesses good psychometric properties and is both accessible and engaging for children. Further investigation with a larger group of participants is necessary to reinforce these initial results.
... This was also determined to inspect if there are highly correlated items because it could indicate redundancy in the assessment tool, suggesting that some items may be measuring the same underlying construct and could potentially be simplified or combined. If inter-item correlations are 0.70 or higher, it suggests that the items are measuring nearly the same thing, and it may be advisable to remove one of them (Röschel and Wagner, 2021). Correlations between 0.30 and 0.70 are considered desirable, as lower values may suggest a lack of consistency among items, while higher values could indicate that some items are redundant (Hawker, 2008;Streiner & Norman, 1991). ...
... Notably, no correlation coefficients exceeding 0.70 were observed, indicating that none of the items are overly redundant or measuring the same underlying construct to a high degree. This aligns with the recommendation by Röschel and Wagner (2021) to retain these items in the scale, as they each contribute distinct information. ...
... Results in this matrix demonstrate that akin to the findings in Table 6, no highly correlated items were observed, as none of the correlation coefficients exceeded 0.70. This aligns with the recommendations of Hawker (2008), Streiner and Norman (1991), and Röschel and Wagner (2021), supporting the retention of these indicators in the scale due to their unique contributions. The computed inter-item correlations, ranging from 0.360 to 0.666, indicate moderate to strong relationships between some items. ...
Mathematics teaching in the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum encourages educators to adopt student-centered approaches and emphasize the development of 21st-century skills. Assessing the pedagogical practices of mathematics teachers using a specific tool validated through quantitative approaches is essential to ensure the effectiveness and quality of mathematics instruction. While previous research has focused on instrument validation in various areas, including self-efficacy of math teachers, mathematics teachers’ anxiety, and online education, existing classroom observation tools have limitations, particularly in assessing public school teachers' performance specifically intended for mathematics teachers. This study aimed to validate a mathematics teaching assessment scale. The scale, constructed based on the Department of Education's classroom observation tool, initially comprised 22 items across four constructs: Mastery of the K-12 Mathematics, Teaching Methodologies, ICT Integration, and Assessment of Learning. The scale was validated through content validation, reliability testing, inter-item correlation, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and discriminant validity. A total of 687 mathematics teachers from four public schools in each of the five municipalities of the National Capital Region participated. Content validity was established by eight experts using the Scale Content Validity Index and Item-Content Validity Index, with indices exceeding 0.833, indicating validity. Each construct demonstrated desirable reliability indices based on Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability coefficients. Confirmatory Factor Analysis removed six indicators, resulting in a final scale of 16 items across four constructs. The validated instrument can effectively evaluate mathematics teachers' classroom teaching, focusing on 21st-century skills and student-centered approaches.
... Therefore, sample size calculation followed recommendations for the exploration of measurement properties with Rasch model analyses [35]. Further details on sample size calculation can be found somewhere else [33,36]. ...
... Another measure on occupational balance is available in German [37]. However, the OBI-Care is the only one which was specifically developed to assess occupational balance in informal caregivers [33,36]. ...
... Selected measures were found to be valid and reliable [33,36,41,44,46,49,50]. Information on existing cut off points of the selected measures can be found elsewhere [42,44,47,51,52]. ...
Objectives
Population ageing leads to a noticeable increase in demand for informal care. Informal caregivers experience high caregiver burden, such as restricted subjective health and well-being. Occupational balance is associated with subjective health and well-being. However, associations between occupational balance and subjective health and well-being of informal caregivers of older persons have not been investigated yet. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore associations between occupational balance and subjective health and well-being of informal caregivers of older persons.
Methods
From September 2016 to July 2020, a cross-sectional multicenter study design was employed in Austria. Informal caregivers’ occupational balance, subjective health, and well-being as well as comorbidity of persons to be cared for were assessed with seven self-reported questionnaires. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients rs were calculated to determine associations between occupational balance and subjective health and well-being of informal caregivers of older persons.
Results
In total 118 informal caregivers, 102 (86%) female, and their persons to be cared for, 70 (59%) female, were considered for analyses. Median age was 58 years for informal caregivers and 81 years for persons to be cared for. Informal caregivers reported restrictions in occupational balance, subjective health, and well-being. Persons to be cared for showed comorbid health conditions. Significant associations between occupational balance and determinants of subjective health and well-being were identified (rs − 0.30 – 0.69; p ≤ 0.01).
Conclusions
As population ageing and the demand for informal care progress, efforts to support informal caregivers and to strengthen their occupational balance, subjective health and well-being are vital.
Aim
Frailty screening is gaining significant attention in Sub‐Saharan Africa. However, the frailty screening instruments used are developed and validated in high‐income countries and may not capture the cultural nuances that are associated with frailty in this region. This study aimed to develop a feasible frailty screening instrument for older people in Sub‐Saharan Africa.
Methods
A cross‐sectional secondary data analysis was conducted on a sample of 2860 community‐dwelling older people aged 60 years and above from Kenya and Ghana. A 33‐item Frailty Index was developed in each dataset using similar age‐related deficits. Item–total correlation and exploratory factor analysis were performed on the Kenyan dataset to identify the underlying dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the Ghanaian dataset to validate the factor structure identified in the exploratory factor analysis.
Results
The initial 33 health deficits were reduced to 17 deficits after excluding items with poor correlation and factor loadings. The final 17‐item frailty instrument yielded a robust five‐factor structure, including social and emotional relationships, physical mobility and functional independence, psychological well‐being, hearing ability, and vision. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the factor structure with good model fit indices. Reliability was excellent (>0.70) across the factors in both datasets, highlighting the instrument's suitability for frailty screening in Sub‐Saharan Africa.
Conclusion
The new frailty instrument has a clear multidimensional structure that captures key aspects of aging in Sub‐Saharan Africa. The tool offers a feasible and efficient means of identifying older people at risk for frailty to aid prompt interventions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; ••: ••–•• .
