Exploring two subdimensions of participation, involvement and engagement: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The conceptualisation of participation is an ongoing discussion with importance for measurement purposes. The aim of this study was to explore the two subjective subdimensions of participation, involvement and engagement. The purpose was related to measure development within the field of paediatric rehabilitation. METHODS: In a scoping review, following the PRISMA-ScR, the databases MEDLINE, PubMed, Academic Research Complete, PsychINFO, and Business Source Complete were searched for publications that described engagement and/or involvement constructs. RESULTS: Thirty-nine publications met the inclusion criteria. Involvement could be conceptualised as an unobservable state of motivation, arousal, or interest towards a specific activity or product. Building a consensus over different fields of research, engagement can be seen as the individual's behavioural, cognitive and affective investment during role performance. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review points in a direction that the two subdimensions of participation need to be separated, with involvement being a more stable internal state of interest towards an activity, and engagement referring to the specific behaviour, emotions, and thoughts meanwhile participating in a specific setting. Clear definition of concepts will enhance the development of measures to evaluate rehabilitation interventions in the field of occupational therapy and related fields.

Testing ActiveYou II: Applying Cognitive Interviews in Improving Item Quality and Applicability of a Web-Based, Self-Report Instrument on Participation in Children with Disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Children and youth with disabilities participate less in leisure activities than their nondisabled peers. Increasing participation is a primary goal of rehabilitation interventions. However, valid measures that include the individual's perspectives and facilitating and hindering factors for participation are lacking in the Norwegian setting. In this study, ActiveYou II, a self-report, web-based instrument under development, was tested to obtain item quality and applicability. METHODS: Nine children with disabilities participated in cognitive interviews, testing a first set of ActiveYou II items. The verbal probe method for cognitive interviews was applied. RESULTS: The children's comprehension and responses through cognitive interviews improved the applicability and item quality of ActiveYou II. Item adjustments were made to the wording of the questions and response alternatives, and the number of response alternatives were decreased where appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The use of cognitive interviews with children before performing further psychometric testing has been very useful in the development process of ActiveYou II. Adjustments of the questions and response alternatives were made accordingly.

Perceived facilitators and barriers for participation in leisure activities in children with disabilities: Perspectives of children, parents and professionals.

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge about facilitators and barriers to leisure activity participation for children with disabilities in Norway, which is needed to improve rehabilitation interventions. AIM: This study aims to explore the main facilitators and barriers for participation in leisure activities for children and youth with disabilities in Norway. METHODS: Semi-structured group interviews with 31 parents, 20 healthcare professionals, and nine children with disabilities were conducted. Qualitative content analysis with thematic coding was used, and the model of factors affecting the participation of children with disabilities developed by King et al. was applied for further deductive analysis. RESULTS: Child factors, as viewed by parents and professionals, worked primarily as barriers and tended to increase with the child's age. The children themselves focussed on their own preferences, friendship and enjoyment as their main facilitators for participation. Most environmental and family factors worked both as facilitators and as barriers, with parental support as the most important facilitator. Differences between urban and rural areas in the availability and accessibility of activities were reported. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Knowledge from this study is important for the improvement of rehabilitation interventions that aim to increase participation in leisure activities for children and youth with disabilities.