Psychometric Measures of Instruments of Occupational Performance in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Because instruments are routinely employed by health professionals, it is essential to establish their psychometric quality, particularly regarding validity evidence. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to analyse the psychometric measures used in studies of validity evidence of instruments for assessing the occupational performance of children with developmental coordination disorder. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) guidelines using five electronic databases. RESULTS: Twenty-four articles were included, with 17 different scales. Discriminant validation was the most reported psychometric measure, with half of the studies reporting using parametric and nonparametric analyses. Among the psychometric methods verified in the studies, reliability analysis was the most prevalent, using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest; one study used ordinal alpha. One third of the studies used exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis for internal structure. CONCLUSION: The validation techniques used varied among the studies found, and these were sometimes incomplete and confusing, as well as an insignificant result in relation to the use of more contemporary concepts for the types of validity evidence. Factor analysis for internal structure was rarely reported in the studies; however, it stands out for being a more robust technique for this type of validation.