PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to run a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and establish interrater reliability of the Complexity of Co-occupation (CoCO) scale. This poster describes two phases in the research.

• Phase I research question: Will the four-factor structure of the CoCO scale remain stable through a confirmatory factor analysis?

• Phase II research question: Will the interrater reliability of the CoCO scale meet a minimally acceptable level?

RATIONALE: Co-occupation occurs through the transformation of occupation through mutually engaged shared physicality, shared emotionality, and shared intentionality. However, a 2014 exploratory factor analysis found an additional factor—shared communication. This study in progress seeks to confirm the new four-factor structure of the CoCO scale and to evaluate initial interrater reliability. The purpose of occupational therapy is to promote participation with others, which often presents as co-occupation. This research addresses an assessment of participation in occupation with others as well as an American Occupational Therapy Foundation priority to determine means of evaluating occupational therapy client-centered outcomes.

DESIGN: This a psychometric study, specifically a CFA to validate the underlying constructs of the CoCO and methods to establish preliminary interrater reliability.

PARTICIPANTS: Phase 1 had 62 participants, ages 21–54 yr (60 women, 2 men), from two MOT program locations who all completed two semesters of their professional program.

Phase 2 had 4 raters: 2 novice and 2 expert occupational therapists.

METHOD: In Phase 1, the participants engaged in a face-to-face training module on co-occupation, with practice scoring using the CoCO scale and video clips. Following training, each participant was sent three unique YouTube videos for a desired total of 186 units scored. Data are currently underway using an online tool via PsycDATA.

In Phase 2, interrater reliability will engage 4 therapists, 2 novices and 2 experts, scoring the CoCO for five videos selected via a random numbers generator from the 186 videos in Phase 1.

ANALYSIS: In Phase 1, data will be entered into SPSS for a CFA. Demographic data will be separated from the rating data. In Phase 2, data will be analyzed using a Krippendorff’s α.

RESULTS: In Phase 1, data will be interpreted on the basis of whether the factors load as expected in the CFA, addressing the interrelationships among the scale items. In Phase 2, data will be interpreted on the basis of a determined coefficient and whether it meets a satisfactory level of .80.

DISCUSSION: Both phases of the study are occurring at time of submission. If we find satisfactory reliability and a validity factor structure, the CoCO tool could be a valuable tool to measure and understand co-occupation as experienced by clients in a range of contexts including mental health practice and dementia care.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Our professional organization calls for reliable and valid tools for clinical practice and research. Understanding and measuring how occupations are co-created is of value to the profession in that we treat our clients as individuals and as families/units of care within the sociocultural dimensions of care.