Development and validation of the Illinois Brief Functioning Inventory

BACKGROUND: Individuals with disabilities experience disruptions in life participation at the onset or exacerbation of a disability. The multiple dimensions of functioning impacted go beyond the symptoms of a disabling condition and assessing an individual's level of functioning is a critical first step of a strengths-based rehabilitation approach. With functioning playing an important role in the vocational rehabilitation process, it would be important to have an assessment tool that can be used to measure an individual's level of functioning. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Illinois Brief Functioning Inventory (IBFI), a scale developed to measure the multi-dimensional nature of functioning as it relates to vocational rehabilitation, career development, and employment of people with disabilities. METHODS: Factor analysis, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), was used to determine and validate the underlying dimension of IBFI. RESULTS: Overall, the study findings indicate strong psychometrics for a 26-item instrument comprised of five meaningful subscales identifying functioning across physical, cognitive, and emotional dimensions. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide initial psychometric support regarding the IBFI as an instrument that can be used to identify an individual's current level of functioning.