The youth client satisfaction questionnaire: Development, construct validation, and factor structure

Abstract

Developed and pilot-tested a measure of satisfaction with mental health services for young clients. One hundred fifty youth from 11 to 17 years of age who had completed services received the measure as a telephone interview. Fourteen of 17 candidate items met criteria for test-retest reliability, part-whole correlation, and correlation with a validation item, and they were retained in the instrument. Total score test-retest reliability and internal consistency were highly satisfactory. Principal components analysis revealed two factors, labeled Relationship With Therapist and Benefits of Therapy. Unexpectedly, satisfaction scores were not related to change in youth self-reported behavior problems. However, convergent validity was indicated by significant relationships with change in parent-reported behavior problems, parent satisfaction, parent ratings of treatment progress, therapist ratings of progress, and Global Assessment of Functioning change scores. These results indicate that the Youth Client Satisfaction Questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of consumer evaluations of their treatment.