An exploration of the psychometric properties of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI Obs-40) with young people

Abstract

ABSTRACT Many young people experience poor mental health, which, if left untreated, can have detrimental effects into adulthood. Person-centered and humanistic therapies are widely used for this population. However, the evidence for their effectiveness is limited, and tools to assess person-centered therapy’s ‘core conditions’ with young people is also lacking. The Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory Observer Form (BLRI Obs-40) assesses the therapist-provided conditions of empathy, congruence, level of regard, and unconditionality of regard. This study assesses the psychometric properties of the BLRI Obs-40 with young people, using data from 136 audio recordings of school-based humanistic counseling. The scale’s internal consistency was high and the five-month test-retest reliability was satisfactory. Inter-rater reliability, however, was poor. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported the original four-subscale dimensionality of the scale. The BLRI Obs-40 showed good convergent validity with the Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy Scale adapted for young people (PCEPS-YP). The BLRI Obs-40 may be used with young populations for practice, supervision, and research. However, further exploration of, and evidence for, the scale’s psychometric properties are recommended to validate its use. Extended training of raters will be essential to enhance the scale’s inter-rater reliability.