Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Japanese version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ)

Abstract

Occupational balance is one of the most important concepts in the history of occupational therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop and verify the feasibility of the Japanese version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-J). The OBQ-J was developed according to the guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report instruments and the recommendations of Epstein et al. As a result, eleven items were developed that maintained the intent of the original version, were appropriate to Japanese culture, and were valid in terms of linguistic validity. Further study is warranted to investigate the reliability and validity of the OBQ-J.