A key informant needs assessment of an adult population: Application to consultation and prevention programs

Abstract

Sixty-three key informants first identified the four most important problems confronting adults between the ages of 30 and 40 years and then responded to a series of open-ended questions in relation to the two most important problems identified. Respondents then rated a list of life events and problem areas as to their seriousness and prevalence and identified those they viewed as most important. Respondent-generated problems, in order of importance, were financial, employment, parenting, health/mental health, and marital. As examples of the qualitative outcomes of the open-ended questions, responses are summarized in this article for two problems: financial and parenting. The two most important problems identified from the rating scales were financial troubles and divorce, followed by a number of items pertaining to mental health, child-rearing, and marital problems. The discussion focuses on considerations of reliability and validity and on implications of the findings for the design of services.