Active Support Measure: a multilevel exploratory factor analysis.

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Active Support is a person-centred practice promoting meaningful activities and social interactions for individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs).
• The Active Support Measure (ASM) is an observational tool assessing the quality of staff support for people with IDs in supported accommodation.
• Understanding the ASM's underlying constructs is crucial for refining support quality assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the underlying constructs of the Active Support Measure (ASM).
• To validate the ASM as a tool for measuring the quality of support for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Multilevel exploratory factor analysis was applied to ASM data.
• Data were collected from 884 individuals with IDs across 236 Australian supported accommodation services.
• The study utilized data from a longitudinal study of Active Support.

Main Results:

• Multilevel exploratory factor analysis identified two primary factors from 12 of the ASM's 15 items.
• These factors were named 'Supporting Engagement in Activities' and 'Interacting with the Person'.
• The analysis confirmed the structural validity of a 12-item ASM.

Conclusions:

• The 12-item ASM effectively measures two key dimensions of staff support quality.
• Effective Active Support integrates both technical and interpersonal skills.
• The validated ASM can enhance the assessment and improvement of support for individuals with IDs.