Alternate forms reliability of the Behavioral Relaxation Scale: Preliminary results.

Abstract

Alternate forms reliability of the Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS; Poppen,1998), a direct observation measure of relaxed behavior, was examined. A single BRS score, based on long duration observation (5-minute), has been found to be a valid measure of relaxation and is correlated with selfreport and some physiological measures. Recently, alternate forms of BRS observation have appeared in the literature; however, it is unknown if alternate forms are reliable relative to the long form observation method. BRS data from 10 adults, taking part in research on Behavioral Relaxation Training (BRT), were examined. Correlation analyses of long form BRS scores, interval-by-interval BRS (very short form: one 60-second; short form: two 60-second; medium form: three 60-second intervals) and composite BRS scores obtained from a single 120- or 180-second observation were conducted. All alternate forms BRS observation methods were robustly associated with long form BRS scores (r = > .80, p = .005). Alternate forms BRS observation methods provide more flexibility in applied situations without loss of reliability when measuring overt relaxed behavior. Further research needs to examine reliability of alternate forms BRS observation methods using physiological measures and direct observation measures as criterion