Outcomes of a Character Strengths-Based Intervention on Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youths. The MOS 36-Item Short Form Health Survey: reliability, validity, and preliminary findings in schizophrenic outpatients. A strengths based method for homeless youth: Effectiveness and fidelity of Houvast The acceptability and effectiveness of patient-reported assessments and feedback in a managed behavioral healthcare setting. The Effect of Training in a Strengths Model of Case Management on Client Outcomes in a Community Mental Health Center Strengths-based positive psychology interventions: a randomized placebo-controlled online trial on long-term effects for a signature strengths- vs. a lesser strengths-intervention Self-esteem as an outcome measure in studies of vocational rehabilitation for adults with severe mental illness. Reviewing studies with diverse designs: the development and evaluation of a new tool. The nature and prevalence of psychological problems in New Zealand primary healthcare: a report on Mental Health and General Practice Investigation (MaGPIe). Results of a randomized controlled trial of mental illness self-management using Wellness Recovery Action Planning. The Social Functioning Questionnaire: A Rapid and Robust Measure of Perceived Functioning Randomized controlled trial of illness management and recovery in multiple-unit supportive housing. Feasibility, psychometric performance, and stability across modes of administration of the CARES-SF. Examining the factor structure of the recovery assessment scale. Protective Effects of Psychological Strengths Against Psychiatric Disorders Among Soldiers. Development and evaluation of an instrument to assess social difficulties in routine oncology practice Development and validation of a patient-based health-related quality of life questionnaire in schizophrenia: the S-QoL
OBJECTIVE Mental health treatment approaches based on character strengths can be used to complement the traditional focus on functional impairment . The study tested use of a character strengths-based intervention to enhance the self-esteem and self-efficacy of psychiatrically hospitalized youths . METHODS Eighty-one hospitalized adolescents were r and omly assigned to intervention or comparison groups . The intervention used the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth to discover character strengths and incorporate them into coping skills . Self-efficacy and self-esteem were measured at baseline , postintervention , two weeks , and three months . RESULTS Self-esteem and self-efficacy initially increased in both groups , but only the intervention group showed sustained improvement . The intervention was associated with increased self-efficacy at two weeks and increased self-efficacy and self-esteem at three months . CONCLUSIONS A brief , easily administered character strengths-based intervention may be an adjunctive tool in the treatment of psychiatrically hospitalized youths OBJECTIVES The authors test the reliability and validity of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey ( SF-36 ) as a written , self-administered survey in out patients with chronic schizophrenia . METHODS Thirty-six schizophrenic out patients completed a written and oral form of the SF-36 . A psychiatrist rated the patients using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale to determine severity of psychopathology . Cognitive functioning and academic achievement were also assessed . Internal consistency , test-retest reliability , concurrent and discriminative validity of the oral and written versions were determined . RESULTS The SF-36 in both forms was shown to have good internal consistency , stability , and concurrent validity . The mental health SF-36 subscales had poor discriminant validity , compared with the physical functioning scale that demonstrated good discriminant validity . CONCLUSIONS The validity of using the written form of the SF-36 on a sample of patients with chronic mental illness was demonstrated . The SF-36 appears to be an appropriate outcome measure for changes in physical and role functioning in consumers of outpatient mental health programs Background While homelessness among youth is a serious problem , there is little information about evidence -based interventions for homeless youth . In cooperation with professionals and youths , Wolf ( 2012 ) developed Houvast ( Dutch for ‘ grip ’ ) : a strengths based method grounded in scientific and practice evidence . The main aim of Houvast is to improve the quality of life of homeless youths by focusing on their strengths , thus stimulating their capacity for autonomy and self-reliance . Method / Design The effectiveness and fidelity of Houvast  will be tested in ten Dutch services for homeless youth which are r and omly allocated to an intervention group ( n = 5 ) , or a control group which provides care as usual  ( n = 5 ) . Measurements of both objective and subjective quality of life and secondary outcomes ( mental and physical health , substance use , coping , resilience , psychological needs , care needs , working relationship with the professional and attainment of personal goals ) will be conducted among homeless youths ( n = 251 ) . Youths in both groups will be interviewed by means of a structured interview at baseline , at time of ending care or after having received care for six months ( T1 ) and at nine months after baseline ( T2 ) . Model fidelity will be tested around T1 . Discussion This study is unique as it includes a large number of homeless youths who are followed for a period of nine months , and because it focuses on a strengths based approach . If the Houvast method proves to be effective in improving quality of life it will be the first evidence -based intervention for homeless youth . Trail registration Netherl and s Trail Register OBJECTIVE To determine whether providing clinicians with the results of a patient-reported mental health assessment would have a significant impact on patients ' mental health outcomes . STUDY DESIGN The study used a portion of the SCL-90 ( Symptom Checklist-90 ) to track the perceived mental health of 1374 patients in a managed behavioral healthcare system over 6 weeks . METHODS Participants were r and omized into a feedback group whose clinicians received clinical feedback reports at intake and at 6 weeks , and a control group whose clinicians received no report . RESULTS Patients in the feedback group achieved statistically significant improvement in clinical status relative to controls . CONCLUSIONS Overall , the study suggests that patient-reported mental health assessment s have the potential both to become acceptable to clinicians and to improve the effectiveness of clinical care The purpose of this study was to determine theeffect on client outcomes produced by training casemanagers in a strengths model of case management . Outcomes of interest included client 's quality of life , vocation/education , residential living , hospitalization rate , hospital days , and symptoms . Italso compared the results obtained by the strengthsmodel with results of a generalist model .  Case managers at the experimental site were trained in thestrengths model .  Those at the control site received notraining . Data were collected at both sites prior totraining and three months later . Improvement in quality of life , symptoms , and vocational/educational outcomes were found in the experimental group . Quality of life and vocational/educational outcomes were betterin the experimental group than in the control group Recent years have seen an increasing interest in research in positive psychology interventions . There is broad evidence for their effectiveness in increasing well-being and ameliorating depression .  Intentional activities that focus on those character strengths , which are most typical for a person ( i.e. , signature strengths , SS ) and encourage their usage in a new way have been identified as highly effective . The current study aims at comparing an intervention aim ed at using SS with one on using individual low scoring ( or lesser ) strengths in a r and omized placebo-controlled trial . A total of 375 adults were r and omly assigned to one of the two intervention conditions [ i.e. , using five signature vs. five lesser strengths ( LS ) in a new way ] or a placebo control condition ( i.e. , early memories ) . We measured happiness and depressive symptoms at five time points ( i.e. , pre- and post-test , 1- , 3- , and 6-months follow-ups ) and character strengths at pre-test . The main findings are that ( 1 ) there were increases in happiness for up to 3 months and decreases in depressive symptoms in the short term in both intervention conditions ; ( 2 ) participants found working with strengths equally rewarding ( enjoyment and benefit ) in both conditions ; ( 3 ) those participants that reported generally higher levels of strengths benefitted more from working on LS rather than SS and those with comparatively lower levels of strengths tended to benefit more from working on SS ; and ( 4 ) deviations from an average profile derived from a large sample of German-speakers completing the Values-in-Action Inventory of Strengths were associated with greater benefit from the interventions in the SS-condition . We conclude that working on character strengths is effective for increasing happiness and discuss how these interventions could be tailored to the individual for promoting their effectiveness OBJECTIVE Self-esteem is widely used as an outcome variable in studies of psychiatric rehabilitation , based on the assumption that improved functional status leads to higher self-esteem . Little is known , however , about the determinants of self-esteem among adults with severe mental illness . The utility of a popular measure of global self-esteem-the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale-as  an outcome measure was examined in this population . METHODS A total of 143 participants enrolled in a study of vocational rehabilitation were assessed at baseline and six , 12 , and 18 months later using measures of  self-esteem , symptoms , life satisfaction , work status , housing status , and total income . RESULTS Scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale did not vary with work status or other functional outcomes but instead were strongly related to measures of life satisfaction and affective symptoms . CONCLUSIONS The hypothesis that working leads to improved self-esteem for people with severe mental illness was not supported . For this population , self-esteem , as measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale , appears to be a relatively stable trait that reflects general life satisfaction and affective symptoms rather than objective functional status UNLABELLED RATIONALE , AIMS & OBJECTIVE : Tools for the assessment of the quality of research studies tend to be specific to a particular research design ( e.g. r and omized controlled trials , or qualitative interviews ) . This makes it difficult to assess the quality of a body of research that addresses the same or a similar research question but using different approaches . The aim of this paper is to describe the development and preliminary evaluation of a  quality assessment tool that can be applied to a method ologically diverse set of research articles . METHODS The  16-item quality assessment tool ( QATSDD )  was assessed to determine its reliability and validity when used by health services research ers in the disciplines of psychology , sociology and nursing . Qualitative feedback was also gathered from mixed- methods health research ers regarding the comprehension , content , perceived value and usability of the tool . RESULTS Reference to existing widely used quality assessment tools and experts in systematic review confirmed that the components of the tool represented the construct of ' good research technique ' being assessed . Face validity was subsequently established through feedback from a sample of nine health research ers .  Inter-rater reliability was established through substantial agreement between three review ers when applying the tool to a set of three research papers ( κ = 71.5 % ) , and good to substantial agreement between their scores at time 1 and after a 6-week interval at time 2 confirmed test-retest reliability . CONCLUSIONS The QATSDD shows good reliability and validity for use in the quality assessment of a diversity of studies , and may be an extremely useful tool for review ers to st and ardize and increase the rigour of their assessment s in review s of the published papers which include qualitative and quantitative work AIMS This paper describes the methods used in a study of the prevalence and types of common mental disorders among patients attending New Zeal and general practice s , and reports some key findings from the first phase of the study . The study also aim ed to determine the degree of associated disability and other factors influencing recognition , management , course and outcome of these disorders , and subsequent papers will address these issues . METHODS General practitioners ( GPs ) were selected r and omly . In the first phase of the study , all adult attenders at each practice on selected days were administered a short question naire , the General Health Question naire ( GHQ-12 ) , which screens for psychological symptoms . The GP recorded the reasons for each consultation , and was interviewed at the end of each day about selected patients to determine their opinion about the type of psychological problems experienced . Selected patients were then visited in their own homes and an extensive interview conducted , which included the Composite International Diagnostic Interview ( CIDI ) to determine mental health status , the World Health Organization 's Disability Assessment Schedule ( WHODAS ) to determine disability , and a detailed exploration of use of health services . In the second phase of the study , patients were contacted by telephone at three , six , nine and 12 months , and both patients and GPs were re-interviewed at 12 months . RESULTS The study achieved a very high response rate among the GPs ( 90 % ) . Nearly all eligible patients ( 93 % ) completed the  GHQ screening  , and their response rate was 70 % for the first-phase interview . GPs thought that 54 % of female and 46 % of male patients had experienced some level of psychological problems in the past year .  GHQ  screening also found that more than half of those attending their general practitioner experienced some psychological symptoms at initial screening , and the CIDI interview found that more than one in three had a diagnosable mental disorder during the past 12 months . The most common mental disorders were depressive , anxiety and substance use disorders . These disorders were more common among younger than older general practice attenders , and comorbidity was high . CONCLUSIONS Mental health problems are very common among general practice attenders . Contrary to the prevailing view that general practitioners seldom identify psychological problems in their patients , they identified about half their patients as having some type of psychological problems in the past year , although they considered that these were moderate or severe in about only one in ten patients . Further work from this large New Zeal and study will focus on the nature of the relationship between disorder and disability , and on the recognition , management and outcome of psychological problems The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a peer-led illness self-management intervention called Wellness Recovery Action Planning ( WRAP ) by comparing it with usual care . The primary outcome was reduction of psychiatric symptoms , with secondary outcomes of increased hopefulness , and enhanced quality of life ( QOL ) .  A total of 519 adults with severe and persistent mental illness were recruited from outpatient community mental health setting s in 6 Ohio communities and r and omly assigned to the 8-week intervention or a wait-list control condition . Outcomes were assessed at end of treatment and at 6-month follow-up using an intent-to-treat mixed-effects r and om regression analysis . Compared to controls , at immediate postintervention and at 6-month follow-up , WRAP participants reported : ( 1 ) significantly greater reduction over time in Brief Symptom Inventory Global Symptom Severity and Positive Symptom Total , ( 2 ) significantly greater improvement over time in hopefulness as assessed by the Hope Scale total score and subscale for goal directed hopefulness , and ( 3 ) enhanced improvement over time in QOL as assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF environment subscale . These results indicate that peer-delivered mental illness self-management training reduces psychiatric symptoms , enhances participants ' hopefulness , and improves their QOL over time . This confirms the importance of peer-led wellness management interventions , such as WRAP , as part of a group of evidence -based recovery-oriented services Background : The Social Functioning Question naire ( SFQ ) , an eight-item selfreport scale ( score range 0–24 ) , was developed from the Social Functioning Schedule ( SFS ) , a semi-structured interview which has been used primarily with non-psychotic patients and has good test-retest and inter-rater reliability as well as construct validity . The SFQ was developed following the need for a quick assessment of perceived social function . Aims : To give further details of old and new data sets from studies involving over 4000 subjects assessed with the SFQ illustrating its epidemiological and clinical associations . Method : New data were analysed from a national epidemiological study , a comparison of key-worker and subject versions of the SFQ , and re analysis of data from three earlier clinical studies , of psychiatric emergencies , general practice psychiatric patients and those with recurrent psychotic illnesses . These data were examined further to determine their range , their relationship to other clinical measures , and change over time in clinical trials . Results : The  population mean score in 4164 subjects was 4.6 and the data from all studies suggested that a score of 10 or more indicated poor social functioning . Those presenting as psychiatric emergencies had the poorest social function ( mean 11.4 ) and psychiatric patients from general practice the best function ( mean 7.7 ) of the clinical population s. The eight item scores had a normal distribution in psychiatric population s and a skewed one in a normal population ; scores were relatively stable over the short ( weeks ) and long-term ( months ) , and were high in the presence of acute mental health disturbance and personality disorder , giving support to the validity of the scale . The results from a UK sample of a r and omly selected population specifically weighted for ethnic minorities showed similar social function across groups OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effects of the illness management and recovery program on mental illness and functional outcomes of persons with serious mental illness who were receiving supportive housing services . METHODS A r and omized controlled trial was conducted with 104 persons with serious mental illness who were assigned either to illness management classes for six months or to a waitlist control group , with follow-up assessment s conducted six months posttreatment . Assessment s included self-reports , nonblinded clinical ratings , and blinded interview ratings and included the domains of illness management , symptoms , psychosocial functioning , hospitalizations , and substance abuse and dependence . RESULTS Participants assigned to the program showed significantly greater improvements than the control group in self-reported and clinician ratings of illness management , interview-based ratings of symptoms on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale , and interview-based ratings of psychosocial functioning on the abbreviated Quality of Life Scale . Participants in both groups improved in self-ratings of symptom distress and had low rates of hospitalization and substance abuse over the course of the study . CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the program was effective at improving illness management and functional outcomes for persons with serious mental illness who were receiving supportive housing services BACKGROUND The primary objective was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System-Short Form ( the CARES-SF ) as a quality of life instrument in clinical trials [ 10 ] . PATIENTS AND METHODS A heterogeneous sample of 485 cancer patients completed the CARES-SF before treatment ( T1 ) , one month later ( T2 ) , and three months following T2 ( T3 ) . At T3 the patients completed the question naire either by mail , in a telephone interview , or in the clinic . A sub- sample of patients completed the CARES-SF a fourth time ( T4 ) one week following T3 , for purpose s of test-retest reliability estimation . RESULTS On average , the CARES-SF required 11 minutes for completion and could be completed by 90 % of the patients without assistance . However , 82 % of the patients reported difficulty with at least one item . Multitrait scaling analysis and factor analysis generally confirmed the hypothesized scale structure . Internal consistency reliability coefficients exceeded the 0.70 criterion for four of six multi-item scales . The test-retest reliability coefficients of the six scales were above 0.70 . No systematic differences were found in the psychometrics of the CARES-SF across administration conditions . In the mail condition the proportion of missing items was significantly higher , and patients reported having significantly more problems than in both the telephone and in-clinic condition . According to expectation , selective scales distinguished clearly between patients differing in disease stage , performance status , treatment modality and tumor response . Additionally , selective scales were responsive to changes in health status over time . CONCLUSION These results lend support to the reliability and validity of the CARES-SF in assessing the quality of life of patients with cancer . At the same time , efforts to refine the question naire are recommended This article follows up on earlier research examining the factor structure of a measure of recovery from serious mental illness . Exactly 1,824 persons with serious mental illness who were participating in the baseline interview for a multistate study on consumer-operated services completed the  Recovery Assessment Scale ( RAS ) plus measures representing hope , meaning of life , quality of life , symptoms , and empowerment . Results of exploratory and subsequent confirmatory factor analyses of the RAS for r and om halves of the sample yielded five factors : personal confidence and hope , willingness to ask for help , goal and success orientation , reliance on others , and no domination by symptoms . Subsequent regression analyses showed that these five factors were uniquely related to the additional constructs assessed in the study . We compared these findings with those of other studies to summarize the factor structure that currently emerges on recovery This study prospect ively examined psychological strengths targeted in U.S. Army training programs as predictors of psychiatric diagnosis in active duty soldiers . At baseline , the cohort ( 140,584 soldiers ) was without psychiatric disorder . Soldiers were then followed for 2 yr and classified as healthy , or acquiring a psychiatric diagnosis ( adjustment disorder , anxiety disorder , depression , or post-traumatic stress disorder ) , or being prescribed psychotropic medication without a psychiatric diagnosis . Soldiers who remained healthy reported significantly higher strengths scores at baseline , compared with soldiers who were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder . In addition , soldiers in the worst strengths decile were twice as likely to develop a psychiatric disorder , compared with soldiers in the top 50 % on baseline strengths . Strengths afforded the greatest protection against depression . Offering tailored resilience training programs could help the Army steel vulnerable soldiers against the challenges of life , military training , and combat Purpose : To develop and preliminarily evaluate a Social Difficulties Inventory ( SDI ) for use in oncology practice . Methods : Item generation from patients ( n=96 ) , staff ( n=49 ) and the literature . Questions constructed and pre-tested ( n=42 ) result ing in a 22-item question naire . Psychometric evaluation ( n=271 ) assessed frequency of endorsement , factor structure , summated scales and construct validity followed by r and omisation to criterion validity or test-retest arms . Results : Items met preset frequency of endorsement criteria . Factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure , three clearly definable , ( 1 ) Physical ability , ( 2 ) Providing for the family and ( 3 ) Contact with others , explaining 45.8 % variance . Summated scales developed from these demonstrated good reliability ( Cronbach ’s alpha > 0.7 ) and were used to test and confirmed construct validity . Several comparators from the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule ( LEDS ) and CAncer Rehabilitation Evaluation System Short Form ( CARES-SF ) tested criterion validity and majority agreements were moderate to good . Test – retest reliability was good with most kappa values > 0.6 . One item was eliminated result ing in a 21-item question naire . Conclusion : The SDI is relevant and easy to underst and . Initial psychometric evaluation was encouraging . Ongoing work to evaluate the clinical meaning and utility of the instrument and to examine the relationships between SDI scores and clinical outcomes will provide guidance about its usefulness as an assessment tool in routine oncology practice We developed a self-administered instrument to assess  health-related quality of life ( HRQL ) among people with schizophrenia . The S-QoL , based on Calman 's approach to the subject 's point of view , is a multidimensional instrument that is sensitive to change . The scale is a 41-item question naire with eight subscales ( psychological well-being , self-esteem , family relationships , relationships with friends , resilience , physical well-being , autonomy and sentimental life ) and a total score . In-depth interviews with patients determined the pertinent issues for item development . The validation study , performed with 207 patients , showed high internal consistency reliability , reproducibility and responsiveness . Construct validity was confirmed using established clinical and HRQL measures . S-QoL covers domains that differ from areas tapped in other measures , with greater responsiveness . The S-QoL is an efficient instrument for the measurement of the impact of schizophrenia  on individuals ' lives
The Client Assessment of Strengths , Interests and Goals ( CASIG ) had the strongest psychometric evidence .
The SAW and CASIG assessment s can be tentatively recommended within clinical practice , although the evidence for all strengths assessment s is currently limited .
These categories form the basis of an empirically based definition of strengths that could be used as a conceptual foundation for new clinical assessment
Strengths assessment s focus on the individual 's talents , abilities , re sources , and strengths .
No systematic review of strengths assessment s for use within mental health population s has been published .
The aims of this study were to describe and evaluate strengths assessment s  for use within mental health services .