A study of the validity and reliability of a social skills rating scale for use with the chrinically mentally ill

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the social skills section of th Day Treatment Client Assessment, a series of rating scales used to assess behaviors in chronically mentally ill adults. Forty-one clients enrolled in a day treatment program formed the 4 subject groups. Each group met for three 1-hour music therapy session specifically designed to foster social behaviors. Three observers participated in each group and rated the clients' behaviors using the Social Skills Scale. The observers' ratings were correlated with each other to determine the scale reliability, and were correlated with staff ratings of the same clients to determine the validity. Results showed that the scale was both reliable (.732 average) and valid (.628). Recommendations for further investigation included giving more attention to the development and standardization of assessments sensitive to the chronically mentally ill population.

Note: Day-Treatment-Client-Assessment.

Keyword(s): reliability, validity, social-skills-training, assessment, adult-patients, mental-illness, chronic, social-behaviors.

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