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Validity of the Assistance to Participate Scale with Parents of typically developing Australian children aged three to eight years
Author(s) -
Joyce Kahli,
BourkeTaylor Helen,
WilkesGillan Sarah
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1630.12409
Subject(s) - construct validity , psychology , cronbach's alpha , scale (ratio) , quality of life (healthcare) , clinical psychology , typically developing , developmental psychology , psychometrics , physics , quantum mechanics , psychotherapist , autism
Background/aim The Assistance to Participate Scale ( APS ) measures the assistance parents provide to children with disability to participate in play and leisure. The primary aim of this study was to extend the psychometric development of the APS through application to a typically developing sample. Methods Parents ( N = 125) of typically developing Australian children aged three to eight years completed an online questionnaire comprising the APS , Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory ( PEDI ), Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (Peds QL ) (caregiver scales) and demographic questions. Guided by the CO nsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement IN struments ( COSMIN ), structural validity of the APS was investigated using principal components analysis; internal consistency reliability through calculation of Cronbach's α; construct validity through convergence with previously validated measures of paediatric occupational performance and quality of life ( PEDI , Peds QL ) and investigation of five research hypotheses developed a priori. Results Structural validity of the APS was confirmed. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.76) was good for this unidimensional scale. Construct validity was substantiated by moderate correlations with the PEDI and Peds QL (physical), and data that supported all research hypotheses. Statistically significant differences were found in APS scores based on sex ( P = 0.018), age ( P < 0.001), school attendance ( P < 0.001) and elder sibling ( P = 0.006). Conclusions Results of this study indicate the APS is a valid and reliable measure of the parental role in a typically developing child's play. Validation upon a typically developing sample offers preliminary guidelines regarding the normative pattern of assistance provided to children during play. Further research in line with the COSMIN is required.