Assessing therapy-relevant cognitive capacities in young people: development and psychometric evaluation of the self-reflection and insight scale for youth.
BACKGROUND
The effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy with young people may be influenced by a young person's capacity for self-reflection and insight. Clinicians who assess clients' proficiencies in these cognitive capacities can better tailor cognitive and behavioural techniques to the client, facilitating engagement and enhancing treatment outcome. It is therefore important that sound instruments for assessing self-reflection and insight in young people are available.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the current study was to translate and adapt the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) for use with a child and adolescent population (Study 1), and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the resulting measure, the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale for Youth (SRIS-Y; Study 2).


METHODS
In Study 1 (n=145), the comprehensibility of the SRIS-Y was assessed in a community sample of children and adolescents. Study 2 (n=215) then explored the reliability and structural, convergent, and divergent validity of the SRIS-Y.


RESULTS
The SRIS-Y was found to be comprehensible to young people, and had good reliability and structural validity.


CONCLUSIONS
It appears that the SRIS-Y is a sound instrument for assessing therapy-relevant cognitive capacities in young people, of potential benefit in both research and clinical contexts. Future research foci include the predictive validity of the instrument.
Sauter
Floor M
FM
Leiden University, Developmental Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands. fmsauter@yahoo.com
Heyne
David
D
Blöte
Anke W
AW
van Widenfelt
Brigit M
BM
Westenberg
P Michiel
PM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult