Assessment of Time Management Skills: Psychometric Properties of the Swedish Version (ATMS–S)

PURPOSE: Being able to plan and organize one’s activities in relation to time is an important prerequisite for managing daily life, in relation to both home and family life and work. In order to evaluate interventions that aim to improve daily time management skills, instruments are needed to measure this ability. The Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS) measures self-rated ability to handle time in daily activities and is available in English. The ATMS has 30 questions, each with four graded answers, and has recently been translated into Swedish in a research version. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Swedish version of the ATMS (ATMS–S).

DESIGN: Inclusion criteria were age 18 yr or older, willingness to participate, and ability to read and understand Swedish to the extent of being able to answer the ATMS. One group (N = 94) included persons with a known or self-reported cognitive disability who had a diagnosis of either a schizophrenia spectrum disorder or a neurodevelopmental disorder such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or mild intellectual disability who were recruited from outpatient psychiatric clinics or adult habilitation services in different parts of Sweden, both densely populated and rural areas. The comparison group (N = 144) was a convenience sample of participants from the general population with no reported cognitive disability.

METHOD: The Swedish test version included a short study-specific questionnaire to collect demographic information on age, sex, family and living arrangements, work, and whether the person had a disability affecting time management skills. Written consent was obtained. The ATMS–S along with the demographic questionnaire was given to each participant to complete and return to the researchers. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and ethical approval was obtained from the regional ethical review board in Uppsala, Sweden (DNR 2013/323). Data were analyzed using the Rasch measurement model.

RESULTS: Analysis showed that the ATMS–S is valid as a rating scale of time management; however, the ATMS measures more than one dimension and thus needs to be separated into subscales. Further analysis showed that the ATMS–S has three subscales: (1) time management, 11 items with excellent psychometric properties; (2) organization and planning, 11 items with excellent psychometric properties but two with a slight misfit that will be subject to rephrasing; and (3) regulation of emotions, five items demonstrating excellent psychometric properties. The original ATMS was designed to evaluate the outcome effectiveness of rehabilitation designed to improve time management skills. Two areas designed to be assessed were self-assessment awareness and use of active time management strategies to plan and manage daily life tasks.

CONCLUSION: The ATMS–S has three subscales with excellent to fair psychometric properties. ATMS–S is demonstrated to be a feasible method for self-rating of time management, organization, and planning and for regulation of emotions for persons with and without cognitive disabilities associated with serious mental illness or neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, ASD, and mild ID. The Assessment of Time Management Skills–Swedish Version (ATMS–S) is a promising, easily administered self-rating of daily time management. The ATMS–S provides occupational therapists a structured way to assess clients who have reduced time management skills due to higher-level cognitive disorders.