The development of summary components for the Disablement in the Physically Active scale in collegiate athletes

Purpose: The Disablement in the Physically Active scale (DPA) is a generic patient-reported outcome designed to evaluate constructs of disability in physically active populations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the DPA scale structure for summary components. Methods: Four hundred and fifty-six collegiate athletes completed a demographic form and the DPA. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted with oblique rotation. Factors with eigenvalues >1 that explained >5 % of the variance were retained. Results: The PCA revealed a two-factor structure consistent with paradigms used to develop the original DPA. Items 1–12 loaded on Factors 1 and Items 13–16 loaded on Factor 2. Items 1–12 pertain to impairment, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Items 13–16 address psychosocial and emotional well-being. Consideration of item content suggested Factor 1 concerned physical function, while Factor 2 concerned mental well-being. Thus, items clustered around Factor 1 and 2 were identified as physical (DPA–PSC) and mental (DPA–MSC) summary components, respectively. Together, the factors accounted for 65.1 % of the variance. Conclusions: The PCA revealed a two-factor structure for the DPA that resulted in DPA–PSC and DPA–MSC. Analyzing the DPA as separate constructs may provide distinct information that could help to prescribe treatment and rehabilitation strategies.