M. Gawain Wells

Reliability and validity of the youth outcome questionnaire self-report

The psychometric properties of an adolescent mental health outcome instrument (Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report version [Y-OQ-SR]) were examined. Participants were 206 adolescents (ages 12-18; mean age=15). The Y-OQ-SR was evaluated in terms of its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Criterion measures included the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Self-Report of Personality-Adolescent Version (SRP), and the Child Behavior Checklist Youth Self Report (YSR). Analyses revealed very good internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Y-OQ-SR total score and subscales, and moderate to good concurrent validity with the SRP and YSR. The Y-OQ-SR appears to be a valid and reliable self-report measure of psychosocial distress that warrants further study in youth psychotherapy research.

Telehealth and the Deaf: A Comparison Study

Within the deaf population, an extreme mental health professional shortage exists that may be alleviated with videoconferencing technology-also known as telehealth. Moreover, much needed mental health education within the deaf population remains largely inaccessible. Researchers have warned that the deaf population may remain underserved if significant changes do not take place with traditional service delivery methods. This article evaluated the efficacy of telehealth in teaching psychoeducational objectives, with special emphasis given to its application to the deaf population. Results indicate that telehealth can be regarded as an efficacious and cost-effective option in delivering health care to the deaf population. Participants also indicated satisfaction with the telehealth technology. The use of printed transcripts for educational purposes is encouraged given the significant findings in this article. The findings also have implications for the literature on single-session interventions.

In-Home, Family-Centered Psychiatric Treatment for High-Risk Children and Youth

In-home services are a core component of family preservation services and were developed as an alternative to out-of-home placement for children and adolescents in need of intensive psychosocial intervention. Extant studies that evaluate the effectiveness of in-home service have been criticized because they often do not use reliable and valid outcome measures. In this study we describe and evaluate an in-home program used by a large multistate health care organization in the Rocky Mountain region. An outcome measure that is currently being used by several managed care companies, the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Burlingame, Wells, & Lambert, 1995), was used to objectively evaluate response to treatment in 104 patients ranging in age from 4 to17 who received in-home care. Using Jacobson and Truaxs (1991) method, 62% of these patients demonstrated reliable improvement and 28% were classified as meeting the recovery criterion. Fiscal, patient care, and future research implications for in-home care are explored.

Effectiveness of a Psychoeducational Parenting Group on Child, Parent and Family Behavior: A Pilot Study in a Family Practice Clinic with an Underserved Population

Although integrated care for adults in primary care has steadily increased over the last several decades, there remains a paucity of research regarding integrated care for children in primary care. To report results of a pilot study testing initial feasibility of a parenting psychoeducational group targeting child behavioral problems within a primary care clinic. The participants (n = 35) were parents representing an underserved population from an inner-city primary care clinic. Participants attended a 12-week psychoeducational parenting group and reported pre- and post-measures of family functioning, child misbehavior and dyadic functioning. Paired t-tests and effects sizes are reported. Participants reported statistically significant improvement in family functioning, child misbehavior, and couple functioning after participating in the parenting psychoeducational group. Results suggest initial feasibility of a parenting psychoeducational group within a primary care clinic with an underserved population. This intervention may be useful for other primary care clinics seeking to offer more integrative care options for children and their families.

Self-punitive behavior in the rat: A free-operant demonstration

In an attempt to generalize alleyway findings to another stimulus situation, this experiment was designed to produce self-punitive behavior in an operant conditioning chamber using procedures which were, as nearly as possible, analogous to the alleyway problem. Rats were trained to press a lever on a fixed ratio (FR) schedule to terminate foot shock. After the pressing response had been conditioned to FR 12, Ss were randomly divided into experimental and control groups and an extinction test was given. Control Ss received no shock during extinction trials; experimental Ss received no shock unless they pressed the bar four times, at which time shock came on and continued until S pressed eight more times. Two measures, total number of responses during extinction, and total latencies for the first four responses, reflected the facilitative effect of punishment on responding. It was concluded that self-punitive behavior can be produced in the rat using a lever-pressing procedure.