The Patient-Perceived Helpfulness of Measures Scale: Development and Validation of a Scale to Assess the Helpfulness of Using Measures in Psychological Treatment.

In response to the increase in Routine Outcome Monitoring and Clinical Feedback, the Patient-Perceived Helpfulness of Measures Scale (ppHMS) was developed to assess the helpfulness-as perceived by patients-of using measures in psychological treatment. Study 1: The construct of patient-perceived helpfulness of measures was explored using thematic analysis with 15 patients. Six helpful and three unhelpful themes were identified and informed item development. Study 2: 28 items were formulated and rated by experts. Ten items were taken forward for psychometric shortening in a sample of 76 patients. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) led to an adequately fitting six-item model with excellent internal consistency, and convergence with the Delighted-Terrible single item of product satisfaction and a single item of measure helpfulness. Study 3: In a stratified online sample of 514 U.K. psychotherapy patients, a five-item model constituted the best fit. The final ppHMS had excellent internal consistency (McDonald's ω = .90), convergent validity with psychotherapy satisfaction (r = .5; p < .001), divergence from social desirability (r = .1), and metric and scalar invariance across measures. Study 4: Analyses were replicated and confirmed in a stratified U.S. sample (n = 602). The ppHMS is a reliable and valid scale that can be used to assess and compare patients' perceptions of the helpfulness of different measures as part of their psychological treatment.

Factor Structure of the Urdu Version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale in Pakistan.

Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is one of the most commonly used self-report questionnaires to measure symptoms of anxiety disorders in adolescents. Despite its common use, studies that examine the psychometric properties of SCAS in Pakistan is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Urdu translated version of the SCAS among adolescents in Pakistan. A total of 1277 students (708 boys and 569 girls), aged 13 to17 years, who had been recruited from 13 schools in Rawalpindi, Pakistan participated in the study. The mean overall anxiety score was significantly higher in girls than males on all the SCAS subscales except for obsessive compulsive disorder. The internal consistency of the Urdu SCAS was good. Confirmatory factor analyses supported six separate factor structures. Results of the study are discussed with reference to the sociocultural milieu of Pakistan and culture sensitive conceptualization of anxiety and its subtypes.

Iranian adolescents' ability to recognize depression and beliefs about preventative strategies, treatments and causes of depression.

BACKGROUND: Since depression often has its onset during adolescence, knowledge about adolescents' ability to recognize depression and their beliefs about preventative strategies, treatments, and causes of depression are of importance. METHODS: A total of 1984 adolescents, aged 12-17 years, participated in this study. They were recruited from 16 urban and suburban schools in Ahvaz City, Iran by cluster sampling. Participants were presented with a vignette depicting depression that was developed by Jorm and colleagues. RESULTS: About half of the adolescents were able to correctly recognize depression. In terms of dealing with the depression depicted by the character in the vignette, older compared to younger participants, thought it best to ignore the individual or keep him/her busy. Younger adolescents were more likely to believe that depression was the result of god's will and a physical illness, whereas older adolescents tended to consider depression as resulting from the way in which people were raised, and from the normal ups and downs of life. Older, compared to younger adolescents, tended to endorse the preventative value of "not using marijuana" and "never drinking alcohol in excess". LIMITATIONS: Since a hypothetical vignette was used, the findings may not truly reflect the real life experience of depression. The sample was drawn from a single region in Iran. CONCLUSIONS: Given adolescents' relatively limited knowledge about depression and their beliefs about the causes and preventative strategies, there is fertile ground for health promotion in Iran.