Measuring the occupational balance of people with insomnia in a Chinese population: Preliminary psychometric evidence on the Chinese version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire

Background Occupational balance, a fundamental concept in occupational therapy, is the arrangement of right amount and variety of occupations contributes to a person’s health and well-being. This study was aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OB-Quest) for people with insomnia. Methods The OB-Quest was translated into traditional Chinese and reviewed by an expert panel for content validity, cultural relevance and translation accuracy. Internal consistency, factor analysis and convergent validity, as well as test–retest reliability, were explored. Results The participants (n = 205), 115 adults with insomnia and 90 adults without insomnia, completed a survey of demographic background, the Chinese version of OB-Quest and the Chinese Insomnia Severity Index (C-ISI). The Chinese version of OB-Quest demonstrated excellent test–retest reliability (ICC= 0.98) and good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α  =  0.80). Factor analysis indicated that a single-factor solution explained 42% of the variance, and 9 out of 10 items had a factor loading of 0.4 or above. The Chinese version of OB-Quest had significant correlations with C-ISI (r = –0.88; p < 0.001). A significant difference was found in occupational balance between groups with different levels of insomnia severity and without insomnia (F = 169.72; p < 0.001). As in a previous study, age, living environment and life role had no significant relationship with occupational balance. Conclusion The Chinese version of OB-Quest is a short, easy to understand and culturally relevant assessment for Chinese. It demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties and had significant correlations with insomnia.