Objective: In Japan, there were 1.17 million people with stroke in 2014; however, studies on community rehabilitation among stroke survivors are lacking. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale is used in many languages to evaluate patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese ABC scale (ABC-J) version among patients ! 6 months after stroke. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 88 post-stroke patients (mean age 66.5±9.5 years). The ABC-J was administered with the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG-T), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Geriatric Depression Scale-Short version-Japanese (GDS-S-J), and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). After a 1-2-week interval, the ABC-J was completed again by 69 of the patients. Reliability was investigated for reproducibility (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC], standard error of measurement [SEM], and minimal detectable change [MDC]) and internal consistency (Cronbach's α). Concurrent and convergent validities were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Results: The ABC-J showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95) and substantial test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.92, 95% confidence interval: 0.87-0.95), with SEM and MDC of 7.14 and 19.79, respectively. The total ABC-J score was significantly correlated with 10MWT (r = −0.51, p < 0.001), TUG-T (r = −0.55, p < 0.001), BBS (r = 0.61, p < 0.001), GDS-S-J (r = −0.27, p = 0.012), and FES-I (r = −0.77, p < 0.001). Conclusion: ABC-J is a valid and reliable measurement tool for investigating balance confidence among patients ! 6 months after stroke.

Background: The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale has been widely used as patient-reported outcome measures for community stroke rehabilitation and its short version is beginning to be used.Purpose: This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the short version of the ABC scale-Japanese (Short ABC-J).Methods: Eighty-four participants with chronic stroke (mean age was 66.4±9.7 years, mean time post stroke was 4.7±3.5 years) including 66 test-retest samples were analyzed. The Short ABC-J was assessed with the ABC-J, the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG-T).Results: The internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha 0.90), reproducibility was excellent [intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) 0.92], and levels of absolute reliability were acceptable (standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change 8.32 and 23.07, respectively). Concurrent, convergent, and discriminative validity were supported for the FES-I, ABC-J, BBS, and TUG-T (all |rho| >0.60, p < 0.001), and identifying balance and mobility (the area under the curve estimates ≥0.80) and discriminative power of the Short ABC-J were better than those of the FES-I and equal to or better than those of ABC-J. Conclusion:The Short ABC-J has good psychometric properties and is a valid and reliable measure of balance self-efficacy in Japanese community-dwelling people with chronic stroke. Further replication studies as well as other psychometric studies are needed.

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