1.2 Construct Validity of the Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 for Adolescents: Comparisons With the Youth Self-Report in an Outpatient Setting

Abstract

The Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 (SOS-10) was initially developed to assess adult patients’ overall psychological health across a wide range of populations and pathologies. The primary purpose of the scale is to assess change over a patient’s treatment course, translating to overall treatment outcome. The SOS-10 was shown to be a valid measure of psychological health and well-being in both adult and adolescent inpatients. This study looks to extend the research with the SOS-10 by assessing its validity with an outpatient sample of adolescents and young adults utilizing a well-established questionnaire, the Youth Self-Report (YSR). This is essential for the growing need for determining the efficacy of treatments in real-time to further efficiency in the current climate of increasing demand yet continued scarcity of child and adolescent psychiatry resources. A total of 121 adolescent and young adult outpatients, and their parents when applicable, were consented. This sample consisted of 55% females with an average age of 18.77 years (SD = 3.2) and ethnicities of 35.3% White, 31.9% African American, 23.3% Hispanic, 2.6% Asian, and 6.9% identified as other. Diagnostically, 55% had a mood disorder, 19.3% ADHD, 8.3% conduct disorder/ODD, 8.3% PTSD, 0.9% psychosis, and 8.3% other. Of these 121 outpatients, 53 completed both the SOS-10 and the YSR as part of a larger intake battery of assessments. Higher scores on the SOS-10 are indicative of better psychological health. The SOS-10 was negatively correlated with YSR’s depressive problems (r = –0.54), anxiety problems (r = –0.33), somatic problems (r = –0.27), obsessive compulsive problems (r = –0.31), and stress problems (r = –0.42). Consistent with the study’s hypothesis, results demonstrate the SOS-10 as a valid tool for assessing psychological health and well-being in the adolescent and young adult outpatient population. The SOS-10 is easy to self-administer, is short in duration, and is applicable across various mental health disorders, therefore making it a feasible objective method of continually assessing patient progress in an outpatient setting. In doing so, treatment can potentially be tailored to patients’ levels of distress and psychological well-being.