Emotional Experiences in Activities of Daily Living Scale (EEADLs)

Abstract

The Emotional Experiences in Activities of Daily Living Scale (EEADLs), developed by Hebert and Ricker in 2023, is a 125-item psychological instrument designed to quantify the emotional valence associated with the performance of daily occupations. The scale addresses a critical need to systematically measure emotional affect experienced during routine life tasks, thereby illustrating the broad spectrum of emotions tied to occupational performance and functional status.

The development process began with an initial list of seven emotional descriptors informed by research in flow theory and mindfulness for positive affect, and studies on psychological distress for negative affect. Concurrently, an initial collection of 35 occupational items was formulated by reviewing established measures of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and related occupational engagement tools. Following expert review and modification by a panel of occupational therapists, the measure was administered to a sample of undergraduate students in the United States. Subsequent exploratory principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported a highly stable final structure, retaining five emotion items and 25 occupational items, organized into a two-factor emotional structure and a three-factor occupational structure. The internal consistency of all subscales was established and reported as acceptable to good.

Keywords

Activities of Daily Living, Affective Valence, Complex Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Daily Occupations, Emotional Responses, Emotional Valence, Functional Status, Negative Affect, Occupational Therapy, Personal Care, Positive Affect, Simple Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.

Authors

Hebert, Karen R., Ricker, Timothy J.

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Purpose

The primary objective of the EEADLs instrument is to systematically assess the frequency with which specific emotional experiences arise during the performance of various Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This aims to bridge the gap between objective functional assessment and the subjective, affective experience of daily life.

By quantifying the emotional intensity—both positive (e.g., enjoyment) and negative (e.g., frustration)—associated with core daily tasks, the scale provides valuable data for researchers and practitioners, particularly in rehabilitation and occupational therapy, allowing for interventions focused on optimizing emotional well-being related to occupational engagement.

Construct

The EEADLs primarily measures the interaction between two core constructs: Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Emotional Experiences (Affective Valence). It focuses specifically on how individuals subjectively rate their emotions while performing necessary life tasks.

The scale operationalizes ADLs into three distinct occupational categories (Personal Care, Simple IADLs, and Complex IADLs) and measures the emotional response across a spectrum of positive and negative affect dimensions, thus providing a granular understanding of the emotional burden or fulfillment derived from daily function.

Validity

No data is Available. As of the initial publication detailing the scale’s development, specific information regarding formal construct or criterion validity was not reported. Further psychometric investigations are required to fully establish the validity profile of the EEADLs.

Reliability

The reliability of the EEADLs was established through the assessment of internal consistency across its subscales, measured using Cronbach’s alpha (coefficient alpha).

For the emotional subscales (Positive and Negative Emotion), the internal consistency was determined to be good, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from .81 to .82. Reliability for the occupational categories also demonstrated acceptable consistency. Coefficient alpha values spanned from a low of .635 for the positive affect ratings associated with complex Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) to a high of .723 for the positive affect ratings of personal care items, indicating reliable measurement across the instrument’s components.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the EEADLs was determined using a combination of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). An EFA conducted on the seven initial emotional rating scales identified two primary factors, accounting for 68% of the total variance: Positive Emotion and Negative Emotion. The items for “relaxation” and “boredom” failed to load distinctly and were subsequently removed from the final model.

For the occupational items, Exploratory Factor Analysis identified three factors explaining 40% of the total variance for the negative emotions subscale, and three factors explaining 35% of the total variance for the positive emotions subscale. A subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) demonstrated acceptable model fit for the resulting structures. The two-factor emotional subscales showed an acceptable fit with χ² (4, N= 328)= 21, p = .01 (CFI= 0.972, RMSEA= 0.072). The three occupational factors within the positive emotion subscale (χ² (4, N= 328) = 538, p = .03; CFI= 0.953, RMSEA= 0.055) and the negative emotion subscale (χ² (4, N = 328)= 591, p = .02; CFI= 0.956, RMSEA= 0.06) also demonstrated acceptable model fit.

The finalized structure of the EEADLs is organized around the following factors and subscales:

• Emotional Factors: Positive emotion; Negative emotion.

• Occupational Factors: Personal care; Complex instrumental activities of daily living (IADL); Simple instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: This is a paper-based inventory consisting of 125 items. The scale is structured with 25 distinct occupational items, each rated against 5 emotional items. For each listed occupation, respondents must first indicate whether they perform the activity at least once per week. If the answer is “Yes,” they then rate the frequency with which they have experienced each of the listed emotions while performing that activity over the last month. This rating is captured on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (“almost never”) to 5 (“almost always”).

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs); Thirties (30-39 yrs); Middle Age (40-64 yrs)

Population Details: The initial psychometric validation sample consisted of undergraduate students located in the United States.

Test Methodology: Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis; Principal Component Analysis

Keywords

Activities of Daily Living, Affective Valence, Complex Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Daily Occupations, Emotional Responses, Emotional Valence, Functional Status, Negative Affect, Negative Emotions, Occupational Therapy, Personal Care, Positive Affect, Positive Emotions, Simple Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Workplace Health and Well Being Measures.

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Authors

Hebert, Karen R.

• Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3233-7671

• Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

• Correspondence Address: University of South Dakota, Department of Occupational Therapy, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, 57069, [email protected]

Ricker, Timothy J.

• Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

• Affiliation Email addresses: No data is Available

• Correspondence Address: No data is Available

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

To obtain permission to use the scale, interested parties should contact the corresponding author, Karen R. Hebert.

• Permissions: Contact the corresponding author.

• Fee: No

• Commercial: No

• Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Hebert, K. R., & Ricker, T. J. (2023). Reliability of the emotional experiences in activities of Daily Living Scale. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 43(2), 271–279. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492221085288

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Items of the Emotional Experiences in Activities of Daily Living Scale (EEADLs)

No data is Available