Validity of the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation

PURPOSE: There is still a need for a generic participation instrument that measures both objective and subjective participation in adults living in the community and that is feasible for use in rehabilitation practice. The Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-Participation) was developed to satisfy this need, comprising 31 items in three scales: Frequency, Restrictions and Satisfaction. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of this measure. METHODS: Cross-sectional study involving former rehabilitation outpatients from five rehabilitation facilities in the Netherlands (n = 395). The Frenchay Activities Index (FAI), the participation subtotal score of the ICF Measure of Participation and Activities Screener (IMPACT-SP) and the Participation Scale were included as reference measures. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the USER-Participation scales was satisfactory (α 0.70-0.91). Spearman correlations between these scales were between 0.36 and 0.52. Concurrent validity was shown by strong correlations between the Frequency scale and the FAI (0.59), the Restrictions scale and the IMPACT-SP (0.75) and the Satisfaction scale and the Participation Scale (-0.73). Discriminant validity was shown by significant differences in USER-Participation scores between participants with different levels of independence and between participants with different health conditions. CONCLUSION: The USER-Participation appears to be a valid measure to rate objective and subjective participation in persons with physical disabilities.