Introduction: Have you experienced a life altering event? You are not the only one. Occupational disruption is an unavoidable reality that happens to all human beings. However, there is a gap in the existing literature on the etiology and prevalence of occupational disruption and its impact on individuals across ages, cultures, gender categories, and other intersectional identities with little or no information available on how to assess the level of disruption on otherwise reliable routines, roles and /or habits of individuals. Occupational science and occupational therapy study occupational disruption, which is frequently confused with the constructs of occupational deprivation and occupational dysfunction.
Objectives: This study will 1) distinguish occupational disruption from occupational deprivation and dysfunction; 2) illustrate the global scope and spectrum of occupational disruption; and 3) measure the incidence and severity of occupational disruption relative to recovery.
Methods/Results: This instrumentation study utilized the Pan Occupational Paradigm model to differentiate the constructs and provided evidence on the psychometrics of a newly developed assessment called the Scale of Occupational Disruption.
Conclusion/Contribution: Although the primary author has conducted pilot studies using the assessment on different populations in the United States since 2019, his efforts on scale development have led to pursuing collaborative projects with occupational scientists internationally. To further understand the influence of occupational disruption on human resilience, the collaborators will continue to refine and expand the study into diverse contexts on a global scale. Eventually, the Scale results will inform the design of adaptation strategies to promote recovery for those who are affected.