Empirically Derived Life Skill Factors for Program Evaluation in Rehabilitation

Abstract

Life skills can be viewed as those skills considered essential for effective living. Therefore, significant deficiencies in life skills (e.g., use of public transportation) as well as deficiencies in vocational skills must be addressed through rehabilitation services if desired vocational rehabilitation goals are to be achieved. Consequently, assessment of pre to post changes in the life skills of consumers of rehabilitation services can be viewed as a relevant component of any rehabilitation program evaluation model. This paper reported the development of the Life Skills Inventory (LSI) as one component measure of a multidimensional program evaluation system. Factor analysis results indicated a five-factor solution for the LSI (general employability skills, work-related communication skills, self-direction skills, work tolerance skills, and self-care skills) to be optimal both in terms of parsimony and interpretability, providing empirical evidence for its factorial structure. Cluster analysis, to identify clusters of participants on the basis of their mean item scores on each of the LSI factors, revealed three different subgroup LSI profiles. These groups were subsequently compared on their self-reported quality of life in order to further investigate the construct validity of the LSI. Applications of the LSI within the framework of a multidimensional program evaluation system were discussed.