Cognitive interviews on the Swedish occupational balance questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy
• Psychometrics
• Health Sciences

Background:

• The Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11) is a key tool for self-rated occupational balance.
• Further development is underway, including the creation of 11 new tentative items.
• Understanding user interpretation is crucial for instrument refinement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and describe adult interpretations and reasoning regarding the OBQ11.
• To analyze responses to the overall instrument, individual items, and new tentative items.

Main Methods:

• Cognitive interviews were conducted with eight diverse participants.
• Purposive and convenience sampling were used for participant selection.
• Inductive content analysis was applied to interview data.

Main Results:

• Three primary categories emerged: 'Difficulties understanding the items,' 'Structure of the instrument,' and 'Missed perspectives in the instrument.'
• Specific subcategories detailed comprehension challenges, structural issues, and identified gaps in the instrument's scope.
• Participants affirmed the relevance of the instrument for occupational balance assessment.

Conclusions:

• The OBQ11 is perceived as relevant for assessing occupational balance.
• Results highlight the need for item clarification and reordering in future versions.
• These findings will inform the development of an improved occupational balance assessment tool.