Purpose: To develop and test the Maastricht Social Participation Profile (MSPP), an instrument measuring the actual social participation by older adults with a chronic physical illness, in accordance with their own definition of social participation.
Methods: The development process consisted of a number of steps, ending with a field test in two waves (n = 412 and n = 125) among a random sample of people older than 59 years with either COPD or diabetes mellitus. Reproducibility was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and smallest real differences at group level (SRDs(group)). Convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated with Pearson correlation coefficients between the MSPP and the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI).
Results: The MSPP consists of four indices: consumptive participation, formal social participation, informal social participation-acquaintances and informal social participation-family. Each index measured diversity and frequency of participation. ICCs ranged between 0.63 and 0.83. SRDs(group) ranged between 0.05 and 0.09. Convergent and discriminant validity were supported by the correlations between the MSPP(frequency) and the FAI.
Conclusions: The MSPP has good validity and acceptable reproducibility. Its distinguishing features are its focus on actual social participation and the possibility to calculate both diversity and frequency scores.