Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the engagement in meaningful activities survey

Engaging in meaningful activities contributes to health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to measure this with reliable and valid evaluation tools. The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS-VL) has been cross-culturally validated in Flemish and the psychometric properties determined. The adaptation process followed the guidelines ‘Translation and Adaptation of Instruments’ and ‘Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self Report’. A forward and backward translation was performed. Three authors of the original EMAS were in close contact. Pretesting and cognitive interviews were performed on a sample of 10 chronically ill individuals. Psychometric analysis of survey data, collected during the COVID-19 lockdown ( N = 1938 Belgian adults, Flemish speaking), was performed. Internal consistency, factorial validity and construct validity were examined. The adaptation process involved an accurate analysis of the items of the EMAS by the expert panel and EMAS authors. The EMAS-VL showed high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.91). Exploratory factor analysis discerned an interpretable two-factorial structure of the EMAS-VL. As hypothesized, moderate associations were found between GHQ-12 ( r = −0.57) and CD-RISC ( r = 0.50) so the EMAS-VL possesses satisfactory construct validity as well. EMAS-VL is shown to be a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating meaning in activities in Flanders.