The Spanish version of Occupational Balance Questionnaire: psychometric properties and normative data in a representative sample of adults

Abstract

Background The Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) is an instrument that assesses occupational balance (OB). It has been transculturality adapted and validated in different countries, showing adequate psychometric properties. To date, no general population-based cut-off points for OB have been developed. Objective To assess the psychometric proprieties of the Spanish version OBQ (OBQ-E) and to estimate reference norms and the cut-off for OBQ-E in a representative sample of Spanish adults. Materials and methods A total of 797 adults were included in this validity study. Internal consistency, intra and test-retest reliability of OBQ-E were examined. To obtain the convergent validity and the divergent validity, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) were used respectively, compared with OBQ-E. To determine extreme and moderate disturbed OB stratified by age, sex, and educational level were used the 5 and 15% percentiles of OBQ-E. Results The OBQ-E showed good internal consistency ( α -Cronbach = 0.87), intraclass reliability (ICC = 0.87), and test-retest reliability (rho = 0.83). Convergent (SLS) and divergent (HAD) validity were moderate (rho = 0.39 and rho = −0.46, respectively). The lowest extreme disturbed OB cut-off point in men (17.2) and in women (24) appeared at the primary education level, under 40 years of age (men) and 40–65 years of age (women). Conclusions The OBQ-E presents adequate psychometric properties, and its normative data can be used as a reference to assess and monitor the occupational balance in the general Spanish population. KEY MESSAGES The ‘Occupational Balance Questionnaire’ (OBQ), stands out as a specific measure of the concept of Occupational Balance, considered as satisfaction with the number and variation of occupations in which the person participates. The OBQ is a short and simple instrument that can be a useful tool for use in population-based and epidemiological studies to monitor OB and explore the associated factors or implications of disturbed OB. The Spanish version of the OBQ (OBQ-E) seems to be a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess the perception of balance between occupations, related to health and well-being in the Spanish adult population.

Occupational Balance and Emotional Regulation in People With and Without Serious Mental Illness

“…The results of our study support our first hypothesis, which states that people with serious mental illness reported lower occupational balance than the healthy population. The cut-off points set for the OBQ-E for the general population (Peral-Gómez et al, 2022) are also consistent with these results. Previous studies have shown that lack of occupation is a problem for people with mental illness (Bejerholm & Björkman, 2011) which may have an impact on their quality of life (Wagman et al, 2021).…”

“…Occupational balance was measured with the Spanish version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-E) (Peral-Gómez et al, 2022). This has been described as an adequate questionnaire to register occupational balance in the Spanish population.…”

“…OBQ-E is validated in the Spanish population but not in mental health. However, the use of the OBQ-E could be justified by wanting to compare people with and without mental illness and because the OBQ-E has normative data that also allows a better assessment of the results (Peral-Gómez et al, 2022).…”

Usability of a mobile phone application to enhance activities of daily living in occupational therapy services for breast cancer survivors

“…Occupational Balance Questionnaire (Wagman & Håkansson, 2014). The assessment of occupational balance was conducted using the Spanish version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-E) (Peral-Gómez et al, 2022). It has been established as a suitable tool for measuring occupational balance in the Spanish population.…”

“…It consists of 13 questions that are rated on a six-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”. The instrument can be scored at the item level or by summing the responses to obtain a total score, which ranges from 0 to 65, where a higher score indicates greater occupational balance (Peral-Gómez et al, 2022).…”