Factor Structure, Reliability, and Convergent Validity of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey for Older Adults
Open accessAbstract
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS) (Goldberg, Brintnell, & Goldberg, 2002) in a sample of older adults living in the greater Los Angeles area. The EMAS evidenced moderate test—retest reliability (r = .56) and good internal consistency (α = .89). Exploratory factor analysis (principal components) discerned a two-component structure within the EMAS, indicative of Personal—Competence and Social—Experiential meaning. The EMAS demonstrated theoretically predicted zero-order correlations with measures of meaning and purpose in life, depressive symptomology, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life. Regression analyses discerned that purpose and meaning in life consistently predicted the EMAS and its components. Furthermore, individuals reporting greater levels of Social—Experiential relative to Personal—Competence meaning had the lowest levels of physical health-related quality of life. This study offers initial evidence in support of the EMAS as a valid measure of meaningful activity in older adults.
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The EMAS has good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity.
“The EMAS has good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity (Eakman et al., 2010).”
From The feasibility and preliminary effects of a pilot randomized controlled trial: Videoconferencing acceptance and commitment therapy in distressed family caregivers of people with dementia. (2023) · cites this paper as Eakman et al., 2010
The Results (Reliability Statistics; page not provided) report very good internal consistency (α = .89), but describe two-week test-retest reliability as moderate (r = .56), not good. The Discussion (Convergent Validity; page not provided) reports evidence of convergent validity. The claim overstates the test-retest finding. (LLM, conf=0.92)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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“Recently, there has been a growing recognition that engaging in personally valued activities (meaningful activities) are also beneficial for well-being in older adults [21,22].”
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“lifestyle that correlates with higher health-related quality of life among older adults (Eakman et al., 2010), which may in turn equip them with greater resilience to the adverse impacts of hot temperature on emotional well-being.”
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“…Meaning Scale (DMS; Steger et al., 2008), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al., 2006), Perceived Personal Meaning Scale (Wong, 1998), Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA; Eakman et al., 2010b) and the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS; Goldberg et al., 2002).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialFeasibility of a Group-Based Purpose Renewal Intervention for Cancer Survivors Via Zoom
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“Eakman and colleagues supported the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the EMAS among older adults (a¼ 0.89, test-retest r¼ 0.56) (Eakman et al., 2010) and college students (a¼ 0.88, test-retest r¼ 0.71) (Eakman, 2011).”
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“The EMAS has high internal consistency, convergent validity, and acceptable test – retest reliability; it has been used with older adults (Eakman et al., 2010).”
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“The EMAS demonstrated adequate test–retest reliability ( r = .71), internal consistency reliability ( α = .88), and significant convergent reliability with other assessments that measure similar constructs (Eakman, 2011; Eakman et al., 2010).”
Impact of Sharing Dance Older Adults on Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes
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“Furthermore, the average level of engagement in meaningful activities in this sample (M = 32.4, SD = 5.6) was lower than previous samples of college students (M = 33.4, SD = 5.8; Eakman, 2011) and communitydwelling older adults (M = 36.4, SD = 6.2; Eakman et al., 2010).”
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“There are inconsistencies, however, when comparing studies with Eakman et al. (2010).”
Self-citationAzar, E. F., Hancock, N., Doroud, N., Fossey, E. M., Hosseinzadeh, S., & Mirzaie, H. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-07526-4 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“From a construct validity perspective, meaningful occupation is only one pathway through which recovery manifests, and its influence may be mediated by factors such as symptom self-management, social connectedness, and personal growth, which are not directly assessed by the EMAS [48].”
Engagement in meaningful activities survey: Portuguese version for middle-age and older adults
Araújo, L., Teixeira, L., Abreu, T., & Ribeiro, Ó. (2025) · Educational Gerontology · doi:10.1080/03601277.2025.2502880 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“This was the case with the studies of Eakman et al. (2010) and Prat et al. (2019), with items of the scale loading on the personal competence component (PCC) (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and other loading on the social-experiential component (SEC) (items 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).”
InfluentialExamining the Relationship Between Meaningful Engagement and Well-Being Across Men and Women
Schmelzer, L., Peters, S. J., Mosiniak, G., & Raina, K. (2024) · OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health · doi:10.1177/15394492241271120 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“A balance of activities that are meaningful to an individual is essential to positive well-being (Eakman et al., 2010b; Hammell, 2004).”
Holmes, S. D., Scherr, S., O’Brien, E., Levy, S., Gurlu, M., Zhu, S.-J., Galik, E., & Resnick, B. (2024) · Research in Nursing and Health · doi:10.1002/nur.22415 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Holmes, S. D., Resnick, B., Galik, E., Levy, S., Scherr, S., & O’Brien, E. (2024) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2024.2342963 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Prior testing of the EMAS in older adults supports evidence of reliability based on internal consistency (alpha= 0.89) and moderate test-retest reliability ( r = 0.56) as well as construct validity (Eakman et al., 2010).”
InfluentialMassé, J., Nielsen, S. S., Christensen, J. R., Skou, S. T., Côté, J., Saunders, S., Lagueux, É., Boulanger, A., Perez-Martinez, J., Lussier, M., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences · doi:10.3389/fresc.2023.1281680 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Chao, S.-F., Su, C.-Y., & Chang, M. (2023) · BMC Geriatrics · doi:10.1186/s12877-023-04451-7 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Older adults may have varying attitudes towards the same activity, and the same activity may hold different meanings for an individual over time as their environment and health condition change [13, 14].”
BackgroundRomero-Ayuso, D., Jara-Urzúa, A., Ramírez-Ramírez, R., Ortiz-Rubio, A., Prieto-Moreno, R., & Triviño-Juárez, J. (2023) · Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1080/11038128.2023.2218573 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“In addition, other authors have shown that the EMAS shows good convergent validity with the perception of meaning and life goals [5,21].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMeaningful Activities During COVID-19 and Association With Mental Health in Belgian Adults.
Cruyt, E., de Vriendt, P., van de Velde, D., Oostra, K., Letter, M. D., de Pauw, R., Calders, P., Vlerick, P., Rodríguez-Bailón, M., Szmalec, A., et al. (2021) · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-130595/v1 · Cited by 2
“71) and signi cant positive correlations and negative zero-order correlations with measures of meaning and purpose in life, depressive symptomology, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life [49, 62].”
BackgroundLarivière, N., Aubin, G., Pépin, M.-È., Maurice, V., Lavertu, F., Tardif, C., Labbé, S., & Bejerholm, U. (2017) · International Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/00207411.2017.1368308 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Noce, P., Muñoz-Sánchez, R., Juárez-Leal, I., Piñero-Peñalver, J., Siendones-Molina, M., Hurtado-Pomares, M., Navarrete-Muñoz, E., & Valera-Gran, D. (2026) · Australian Occupational Therapy Journal · doi:10.1111/1440-1630.70106 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Translation and Evaluation of the Indonesian Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey.
Sumaryanto, E., Kawakatsu, Y., Persch, A. C., Dik, B. J., & Eakman, A. M. (2025) · OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health · doi:10.1177/15394492251379315 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationThe meaning of cooking: A scoping review
Seida, N., Hirose, R., Islam, A., & Bontje, P. (2025) · Journal of Occupational Science · doi:10.1080/14427591.2025.2501930 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Positive relationships have been reported between meaningful occupations and outcomes such as physical health, quality of life, life satisfaction, and meaning in life (Eakman et al., 2010; Eakman & Eklund, 2012).”
Akasaki, Y., Tabira, T., Maruta, M., Makizako, H., Shimokihara, S., Hidaka, Y., Kamasaki, T., Kukizako, W., Kubozono, T., & Ohishi, M. (2024) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.73433 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Eakman found substantial connections between meaningful activities and the fulfilment of basic psychological needs [28].”
Rodríguez-Bailón, M., Fernández-Solano, A., Merchán-Baeza, J., & Eakman, A. (2024) · Occupational Therapy in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/0164212x.2024.2369117 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“On the other hand, engagement in meaningful activities is closely linked to health-related quality of life (HRQOL), as evidenced by studies among women with cancer (Petruseviciene et al., 2018) and older adults (Eakman et al., 2010a).”
InfluentialSelf-citationUniversity of the 3rd Age (U3A): Coming to Calgary
Hirst, S., LeNavenec, C., & Stebbins, R. (2016) · Papers on postsecondary learning and teaching · doi:10.55016/ojs/pplt.v1y2016.30324 · Cited by 1
Purpose in Life Renewal for COVID-19 Survivors: A Feasibility Study
Wagener, S. G., Radomski, M. V., Castro‐Pearson, S., Anheluk, M., Carroll, G. L., Grabe, K., Kath, K., Kocian, A., Lindenfelser, L., Rademacher, J., et al. (2026) · OTJR Occupational Therapy Journal of Research · doi:10.1177/15394492261464079
Hatt, C. R., Eakman, A. M., & Bielak, A. A. M. (2026) · OBM Geriatrics · doi:10.21926/obm.geriatr.2602339
Self-citationLaane, S. A., Cook, L. G., Spence, J. S., & Chapman, S. B. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1826717
“The EMAS has shown good reliability and validity in community samples including individuals with mental illness (Eakman et al., 2010; Eakman, 2011; Goldberg et al., 2002).”
Prieto-Moreno, R., Martín-Franco, E., Mora-Traverso, M., Pozuelo-Calvo, R., Ariza-Vega, P., & Martín-Matillas, M. (2026) · BMC Geriatrics · doi:10.1186/s12877-026-07753-8
“The scale has demonstrated good internal consistency, validity with a Cronbach’s α of 0.89 [23].”
InfluentialKosasih, A. (2026) · KnE Social Sciences · doi:10.18502/kss.v11i3.20854
de Velde, L. V., Gardner, B., Dyck, D. V., Větrovský, T., & Compernolle, S. (2026) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.70144
“Finally, the reward value of SB was assessed using a modified version of the EMAS (Cruyt et al., 2023; Eakman et al., 2010).”
Şahin, D. S., Arifoğlu, A. T., Altun, G., & Artan, T. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-08462-y · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“In summary, Eakman et al. (2010) concluded that participation in activities personally perceived as “meaningful” by older adults is positively associated with life satisfaction and psychological well-being.”
InfluentialObuchi, K., Yokoi, K., Furukawa, T., Takebayashi, T., & Mutai, H. (2025) · British Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1177/03080226251353348
“The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey showed that engagement in meaningful activities correlates with a sense of purpose in life, reduced depressive symptoms, life satisfaction and HRQOL (Eakman et al., 2010).”
Meaningful Activity Approach for Persons with Dementia in Assisted Living
Holmes, S., Resnick, B., Galik, E., Scherr, S., O’Brien, E., Levy, S., Gurlu, M., & Zhu, S.-J. (2025) · Activities, Adaptation & Aging · doi:10.1080/01924788.2025.2496576
“Engagement in meaningful activity among individuals was evaluated using the 12-item EMAS measure which may be completed by the individual or a proxy informant (Eakman et al., 2010).”
InfluentialFernández-Solano, A., Rodríguez-Bailón, M., & del Baño-Aledo, M. E. (2022) · British Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1177/03080226221145389
“…closely connected to quality of life (Atler et al., 2018; Curtin et al., 2019) and therefore to health, which is one of the major determinants of quality of life together with well-being in all its domains (Kelley-Gillespie, 2009) and life satisfaction (Eakman et al., 2010; Goldberg et al., 2002).”
BackgroundEngagement with activity and functional status among older adults
Dombrowsky, T. (2018) · Nursing and Family Health Care · doi:10.15761/nfhc.1000101
- Authors
- Eakman, A. M., Carlson, M. E., & Clark, F. A.
- Affiliations
- Idaho State University (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Eakman, Aaron M.
- Venue
- OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 111-121
- ISSN
- 1539-4492 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-2383
- PMC
- PMC3172818
- OpenAlex
- W2029866355
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 90
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 11.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- OTJR Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Southern California
- Idaho State University
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG021108)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Therapy Practice and Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- meaningful activities, older adults, psychometric properties, factor structure, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, meaning in life, meaning of life, health-related quality of life, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms
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