Convergent Validity of Three Occupational Self-Assessments

This study examined the convergent validity of three assessments: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), the Occupational Self Assessment (OSA), and the Melville–Nelson Self-Identified Goals Assessment (SIGA). All three assessments are designed to elicit client self-assessments of occupational performance, but each assessment involves a unique protocol. To provide partial information on clinical utility, duration of administration was also measured. Eighteen women and 12 men with varying diagnoses receiving rehabilitation in a Midwest transitional care center were administered these assessments in a counterbalanced order. Mean participant age was 74.0 years (SD = 9.9). Statistically significant positive Pearson correlations were found among the three primary variables: r =.51, p = 0.004 for COPM (performance) and OSA (competence); r =.58, p < 0.001 for COPM (performance) and SIGA (overall); and r =.41, p = 0.025 for OSA (performance) and SIGA (overall). The COPM was used as a model for the development of the SIGA, so the relatively robust correlation between these two assessments was anticipated. Durations of administration were positively skewed, so medians are reported: 17.5 min for the COPM, 12.5 min for the OSA, and 5.0 min for the SIGA. All three assessments gather data useful for a client-centered approach to occupational therapy but vary in format and duration of administration.