Volitional questionnaire: Psychometric evaluation of the finnish translation

Background: Supporting clients' motivation to engage in occupations is essential to occupational therapy practice. The Volitional Questionnaire Finnish version (VQ-FI) can be used to evaluate volitional behaviors of clients with limited ability to communicate.Objective: The many-facet Rasch model was used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the VQ-FI using the FACETS and WINSTEPS software.Methods and materials: Forty-two therapists received an in-person training on the VQ-FI and completed 226 independent ratings of clients. The VQ-FI was evaluated in its rating scale functioning, unidimensionality, person validity, rater severity, item targeting, and item/person separation.Results: The four-point rating scale demonstrated adequate functioning; the 'passive' rating category was rarely adopted. The VQ-FI showed unidimensionality, with all 14 items fitting the Rasch model. No evidence for ceiling or floor effects, and the assessment demonstrated appropriate item and person separation. The VQ-FI reliably separated participants to three levels of ability.Conclusions: The study provides preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the VQ-FI.Significance: The VQ-FI is an observational measure that can be used to evaluate clients' volitional behaviors. The VQ-FI offers practitioners and researchers a valid approach to evaluate volition that is theoretically grounded in the Model of Human Occupation.

Psychometric evaluation of the Finnish translation of the assessment of communication and interaction skills (ACIS-FI)

Background: The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) is a widely used conceptual practice model in Finland. Therefore, Finnish translations of valid and reliable MOHO assessments are needed.Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Finnish translation of the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS-FI) using the many-facet Rasch model approach.Methods and Materials: Twenty-eight occupational therapists completed an in-person training workshop on the ACIS-FI and participated as raters in this study. One hundred and forty-eight clients were rated using the ACIS-FI. Rating scale functioning, unidimensionality, person validity and rater severity, item targeting, and item and person separation statistics were examined.Results: The rating scales demonstrated adequate functioning; the rating category 'deficit' was infrequently adopted by the raters. The ACIS-FI had satisfactory construct validity, as confirmed by all items exhibiting unidimensionality within a single construct (i.e. communication and interaction skills), and appropriate item fit. Validity was further confirmed through low person misfit (6%) and low rater misfit (3.6%). No ceiling or floor effects were found. The ACIS-FI was able to separate clients into four levels of communication and interaction skills.Conclusions: This study offers evidence for the validity of the ACIS-FI as a measure of communication and interaction skills in occupational therapy.Significance: The ACIS-FI offers Finnish practitioners and researchers a valid tool to measure communication and interactions skills that is theoretically grounded in the MOHO.