To facilitate rigorous research on community programs to promote positive intergroup relations among youth, 2 studies were conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the Youth Diversity Acceptance Scale (YoDA). In Study 1, a unifactorial structure was identified for the YoDA using data provided by 126 high school youth involved in a…

Site-level assessment questionnaires (SLAQs) were developed to assess nutrition and physical activity practices and environments in schools and other places children spend time in order to facilitate program planning and evaluation. After expert panel review for content validity, questionnaires were feasibility tested by users in six schools,…

Community-based learning (CBL) integrates problem-based service-learning, volunteerism, and experiential learning across a variety of disciplines. The Community-Based Learning Impact Scale is an instrument developed to measure the impact on a liberal arts university campus. Scale items were generated from focus groups, literature, and existing…

Community-based education programs must demonstrate effectiveness to various funding sources. The pilot study reported here (funded by CYFAR, NIFA, USDA award #2008-41520-04810) had the goal of determining if state level programs with varied curriculum could use a common evaluation tool to demonstrate efficacy. Results in parenting and youth…

To increase public awareness and sensitivity, a two-stage screening with a community-based approach is proposed, with the use of the broadband Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS) developmental instrument in the first stage and the narrowband Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in the second stage. Thus, the purpose of this study was to…

Background: Interpersonal staff behaviour is one of the instigating factors associated with challenging behaviour in clients with intellectual disabilities (ID). There are several studies focusing on the influence of intrapersonal staff characteristics--such as beliefs, attributions and emotional reactions--on staff behaviour. Little is known,…

The factor validity of the new Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) was determined with 1,040 adults, ages 18-89, who were mentally retarded and living in group homes. The original ABC factor structure appeared valid for scoring the ABC-C with this population. Variables studied included age, gender, level of mental retardation,…

This study examined the internal validity and reasons for false positives for the Ten Question Screen (with and without probes), used by community workers in developing nations to assess type and severity of disability. Results support the use of the screen but only if paired with measurements of hearing and visual impairments. (DB)

A quality-of-life index proposed as an outcome and criterion measure for goodness-of-fit between persons and their environments was tested on data from 685 Nebraska community-based mental retardation programs. Administrative and programmatic uses of the information are discussed. (Author/MSE)

The Self-Report Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ), a measure of depressive symptomatology in persons with mental retardation, was administered to 89 mentally retarded adults living in community-based settings. The SRDQ demonstrated high internal consistency reliability, as well as moderate stability over an 11-week period. Content validity and…

The effects of two different approaches to training community nurses in patient self-care were evaluated. In an intensive workshop, 36 nurses were trained, and 19 of them received further personal guidance 11 times during a 6-month period. Their performance was assessed before the educational intervention, after the workshop, and after the…

This study evaluated the Consent Screening Interview, which assesses the ability of adults with developmental disabilities to give direct consent for community residential placement. Interviews conducted with 17 adults with mental retardation and a control group of 8 individuals indicated that the instrument differentiated between those subjects…

An 82-item multidimensional questionnaire, the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale, was recently developed in Italy to measure client satisfaction with psychiatric services. The scale contains 29 items from the English Service Satisfaction Scale. Psychometric characteristics and test use are discussed. Results support the use of the scale in service…

Objective/Method: The use of brief, reliable, valid, and practical measures of substance use is critical for conducting individual assessments and program evaluation for integrated mental health-substance abuse services for persons with serious mental illness. This investigation examines the internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity,…

Twenty adult psychiatric outpatients were assessed by their primary therapists on the Current Behavior Inventory prior to placing them in community settings. The diagnoses included schizophrenia, major affective disorder, dysthymic disorder, and atypical paranoid disorder. The inventory assessed behaviors in four areas: independent community…