Assessment of time management skills: psychometric properties of the Swedish version.

BACKGROUND: Persons with impaired time management skills are often in need of occupational therapy. Valid and reliable instruments to assess time management and organizational skills are needed for the evaluation of intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS-S) for persons with and without impaired time management skills. METHOD: A total of 238 persons participated in the study, of whom 94 had self-reported impaired time management skills due to mental disorders such as schizophrenic spectrum or neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mild intellectual disabilities, and 144 persons had no reported impaired time management skills. Rasch analysis was used to analyze data. RESULTS: Three subscales were detected: the time management subscale with 11 items, the organization & planning subscale with 11 items, and the subscale of regulation of emotions with 5 items, with excellent to acceptable psychometric properties. The conclusions were that: ATMS-S is a valid instrument for self-rating of time management, organization & planning and for the regulation of emotions. ATMS-S can be useful for persons with mental disorders including mild neurodevelopmental disorders.

Self-rating of daily time management in children: psychometric properties of the Time-S.

BACKGROUND: Impaired ability to manage time has been shown in several diagnoses common in childhood. Impaired ability involves activities and participation domain (daily time management, DTM) and body function and structure domain (time-processing ability, TPA). DTM needs to be evaluated from an individual's own perspective. To date, there has been a lack of self-rating instruments for children that focus on DTM. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe psychometric properties of Time-S when used in children aged 10-17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, CP or mild ID. Further, to test whether TPA correlates with self-rated DTM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-three children aged 10-17 years participated in the study. Rasch analysis was used to assess psychometric properties. Correlation analysis was performed between Time-S and a measure of TPA. RESULTS: The 21 items of the Time-S questionnaire fit into a unitary construct measuring self-perceived daily management of an individual's time. A non-significant, small correlation was found between TPA and DTM. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: The results indicate good psychometric properties for the questionnaire. The questionnaire is potentially useful in intervention planning and evaluation.