Short Scale Measuring Perceived Social Participation: Factorial Structure, Internal Consistency, Content Validity, Convergent Validity and Standard Values in a Representative German Sample

Abstract

Social participation is politically as well as socially and psychologically relevant for the coexistence of people in our society and the well-being of the individual. In light of the German Federal Participation Act and the partial equalization of the terms "(Social) Participation" and "Inclusion", social participation in recent years has frequently been restricted to people with disabilities with regard to the "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)" of the World Health Organization and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The question of participation, however, affects all people and is not only dependent on the degree of functional capacity or disability, but also on social inclusion, financial possibilities, regional affiliation, education, self-esteem and is correlated with health. In the present study, a new short scale of 5 items (KsT-5) for measuring the aspects "belonging", "self-efficacy", "need for recognition", "self-esteem" and "integration in the social environment" was tested on a German representative general population sample (N=2531) with regard to their psychometric quality criteria. It showed a good fit with a one-factor solution, a satisfactory internal consistency of Cronbach's α=0,73 and McDonald's ω=0,73 as well as good convergent validity over positive correlations with self-esteem and psychological as well as physical health. This study provides norm values of the new KsT-5 stratified according to gender and age as a prerequisite for use in future studies.