title: Empirical study of mental health professionals' knowledge and attitudes towards the concept of age appropriateness.
abstract: Questionnaires on age appropriateness were completed by 100 mental health professionals from 10 states. In general, the respondents were familiar with the concept and had learned about age appropriateness from a variety of sources. Age appropriateness was defined in terms of chronological age rather than mental age or the two concepts combined. Respondents viewed it as a particularly important component in treatment success, especially in working with people who have developmental disabilities, adolescents, and young adults. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research were provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Matson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sadowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matese
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benavidez
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012040:Regional Health Planning; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires