Validity and reliability of the Leisure Assessment Inventory

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Recreation Therapy
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Assessing leisure behavior is crucial for adults with intellectual disabilities.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture the nuances of leisure for this population.
• The Leisure Assessment Inventory (LAI) was developed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Leisure Assessment Inventory (LAI).
• To determine the LAI's suitability for assessing leisure behavior in adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
• To examine the psychometric properties of the LAI across four key indexes.

Main Methods:

• The Leisure Assessment Inventory (LAI) was administered to 92 adults aged 30 and older with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
• Leisure behavior was assessed using four indexes: Leisure Activity Participation, Leisure Preference, Leisure Interest, and Leisure Constraints.
• Test-retest reliability and various forms of validity (convergent, discriminant, construct) were examined.

Main Results:

• Two indexes, Leisure Activity Participation and Leisure Interest, demonstrated high test-retest reliability.
• Leisure Preference and Leisure Constraints indexes showed moderate consistency.
• The study provided evidence for the inventory's stability, consistency, and validity.

Conclusions:

• The Leisure Assessment Inventory (LAI) is a reliable and valid tool for assessing leisure behavior in adults with intellectual disabilities.
• The findings support the LAI's utility in understanding leisure participation, preferences, interests, and constraints.
• The LAI can inform interventions aimed at improving leisure experiences for this population.