Psychometric evaluation of the Work Readiness Questionnaire in schizophrenia

Objective/Introduction. Unemployment can negatively impact quality of life among patients with schizophrenia. Employment status depends on ability, opportunity, education, and cultural influences. A clinician-rated scale of work readiness, independent of current work status, can be a valuable assessment tool. A series of studies were conducted to create and validate a Work Readiness Questionnaire (WoRQ) for clinicians to assess patient ability to engage in socially useful activity, independent of work availability. Methods.Content validity, test‐retest andinter-raterreliability,andconstructvalidity were evaluated in three separate studies. Results. Content validity was supported. Cronbach’s α was 0.91, in the excellent range. Clinicians endorsed WoRQ concepts, including treatment adherence, physical appearance, social competence, and symptom control. The final readiness decision showed good test‐retest reliability and moderate inter-rater reliability. Work readiness was associated withhigher functionand lower levelsof negative symptoms. Lowpositiveand highnegativepredictive values confirmed the concept validity. Discussion. The WoRQ has suitable psychometric properties for use in a clinical trial for patients with a broad range of symptom severity. The scale may be applicable to assess therapeutic interventions. It is not intended to assess eligibility for supported work interventions. Conclusions. The WoRQ is suitable for use in schizophrenia clinical trials to assess patient work functional potential.