Development and validation of the O-MAMA - 'Older adults' meaningful maternal-role activities assessment'

Participation is necessary for healthy aging. Identifying meaningful activities of older adults is crucial for promoting participation. This study aimed to describe the development and content validity of the O-MAMA, a self-report questionnaire for assessing participation in meaningful maternal-role activities among older women, and to establish its internal reliability and construct validity.

The O-MAMA measures participation in meaningful maternal-role activities, producing two scores among activities identified as meaningful: %Participation, indicating the proportion of activities in which the mother actively participates, and %Non-Participation, indicating the proportion of activities in which she does not participate. A cross-sectional study included community-dwelling older mothers. In addition to the O-MAMA, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNL) and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLq) were administered to assess participation and independence in daily living (respectively). Cognition and mobility were also assessed. Correlations between O-MAMA scores to the other assessments were conducted.

Expert feedback from five occupational therapy practitioners (11-28 years of experience) and three older mothers (aged 70-74) was used to improve O-MAMA. Sixty-one women, mean (SD) age 78.6 (5.9) participated in the study. Their median (IQR) RNL score was 93.63 (81.8-89.1)/100 and IADLq 22.0 (21.0-23.0)/23. Cronbach's alpha was α = 0.85 for both %Participation and %Non-Participation. RNL correlated positively with %Participation (r = 0.54, p<.01) and IADLq correlated negatively with %Non-Participation (r=-0.29, p<.05).

O-MAMA is reliable and valid for assessing participation in maternal-role activities of community-dwelling older women. Further research should assess its clinical use in health-promotion interventions.