title: Psychometric investigation of a brief measure of outcomes in children's mental health.
abstract: The current investigation sought to provide reliability and validity evidence for the Child Outcomes Survey (COS), a brief measure designed with a dual purpose to measure functioning and therapeutic relationship and to serve as a clinician-caregiver communication tool. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed using a sample of 774 responses collected from 15 provider sites throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Results of the EFA (n = 387) uncovered a three factor structure (family functioning, child functioning, and therapeutic relationship) which was confirmed in the CFA (n = 387). The internal consistency reliability of the three subscales ranged from α = .76 to α = .91. There was a significant relationship between the therapeutic relationship subscale and the use of the COS as a communication aid (r s = .50, p < .001). Findings support the COS as an accurate measure of functioning and therapeutic relationship and its utility as a communication aid between clinician and caregiver.
authors.affiliation: Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, 112 Washington Place, Suite 700, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA, terhorstl@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Terhorst
authors.forename: Shari L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hutchison
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sorbero
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Judith W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dogin
authors.forename: Bradley D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011613:Psychotherapy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires