Objective: This study describes the development of an engagement scale for use with youth in residential treatment centers. Engagement includes attitude about treatment, bond with providers, and participation in treatment activities. Method: Interview data were collected at the midpoint in residence of 130 youth in two centers. Items were selected to capture practitioners' description of three related concepts in a logic model. The authors conducted confirmatory factor analysis and examined interitem reliability. Results: Results indicate a single underlying factor, which the authors label engagement, an acceptable level of reliability, and strong content validity. Conclusion: The scale integrates several concepts in the treatment process literature and might serve to assess youth engagement in residential settings. Additional study should examine construct and construct validity.
Altman, J. (2003). A qualitative examination of client participation in agency-initiated services. Families in Society, 84, 471-479.
2.
Bagdasaryan, S. (2005). Evaluating family preservation services: Reframing the question of effectiveness. Children and Youth Services Review, 27, 615-635.
3.
Beck, A.T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders . New York: International Universities Press.
4.
Broome, K.M., Joe, G.W., & Simpson, D.D. (2001). Engagement models for adolescents in DATOS-A. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 608-623.
5.
Cancer Prevention Research Center, University of Rhode Island. (n.d.). Smoking: URICA (Long Form). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc/Measures/Smoking04urica.htm
6.
Carlson, B.E., Barr, W.B., & Young, K.J. (1994). Factors associated with treatment outcomes of male adolescents. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth , 12, 39-58.
7.
Dawson, K., & Berry, M. (2002). Engaging families in child welfare services: An evidence-based approach to best practice. Child Welfare, 81, 293-317.
8.
Dore, M.M., & Alexander, L.B. (1996). Preserving families at risk of child abuse and neglect: The role of the helping alliance. Child Abuse & Neglect, 20, 349-361.
9.
Dumas, J.E., & Albin, J.B. (1986). Parent training outcome: Does active parent involvement matter? Behavioral Research, 24, 227-230.
10.
Fiorentine, R., Nakashima, J., & Anglin, M.D. (1999). Client engagement in drug treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 17, 199-206.
11.
Foltz, R. (2004). The efficacy of residential treatment: An overview of the evidence. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 22, 1-19.
12.
Goodrum, S., Staton, M., Leukefeld, C., Webster, M.J., & Purvis, R.T. (2003). Perceptions of prison-based substance abuse treatment program among some staff and participants. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 37, 27-46.
13.
Guterman, N.B., & Blythe, B.J. (1986). Toward ecologically based intervention in residential treatment for children. Social Service Review, 60, 633-643.
14.
Hair, H.J. (2005). Outcomes for children and adolescents after residential treatment: A review of research from 1993 to 2003. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 551-575.
15.
Hatcher, R., & Barends, A. (1996). Patients' view of the alliance in psychotherapy: Exploratory factor analysis of three alliance measures. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 64, 1326-1336.
16.
Hawley, P.H. (2003). Strategies of control, aggression, and morality in preschoolers: An evolutionary perspective. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 85, 213-235.
17.
Hoagwood, K.E. (2005). Family-based services in children's mental health: A research review and synthesis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 690-713.
18.
Horvath, A.O., & Greenberg, L.S. (1986). The development of the Working Alliance Inventory. In L. Greenberg & W. Pinsoff (Eds.), The psychotherapeutic process: A resource handbook (pp. 529-556). New York: Guilford.
19.
Horvath, A.O., & Greenberg, L.S. (1989). The development and validation of the Working Alliance Inventory. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 36, 223-233.
20.
Horvath, A.O., & Greenberg, L.S. (1994). The working alliance: Theory, research, and practice. New York: John Wiley.
21.
Kazdin, A., & Wassell, G. (1999). Barriers to treatment participation and therapeutic change among children referred for conduct disorder. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 28, 160-171.
22.
Kelman, H.C. (1958). Compliance, identification, and internalization: Three processes of attitude change. Journal of Conflict Resolution , 2, 51-60.
23.
Kline, P. (1994). An easy guide to factor analysis. New York: Routledge.
24.
Larson, R. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development . American Psychologist, 55, 170-183.
25.
Littell, J.H., Alexander, L.B., & Reynolds, W.W. (2001). Client participation: Central and underinvestigated elements of intervention. Social Service Review, 75, 1-28.
26.
Littell, J.H., & Tajima, E.A. (2000). A multilevel model of client participation in intensive family preservation services. Social Service Review , 74, 405-435.
27.
Longshore, D., & Teruya, C. (2006). Treatment motivation in drug users: A theory-based analysis. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 81, 179-188.
28.
Mann-Feder, V.R. (1996). Adolescents in therapeutic communities. Adolescence, 31, 17-29.
29.
Martin, D.J., Graske, J.P., & Davis, M.K. (2000). Relation of the therapeutic alliance with outcome and other variables: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 438-450.
30.
McClintock, C. (1984). Toward a theory of formative program evaluation . In D. C. Cordray & M. W. Lipsey, (Ed.), Evaluation studies review annual (Vol. 11, pp. 205-223). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
31.
McEwen, C.A. (1978). Designing correctional organizations for youths: Dilemmas for subcultural development. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
32.
McKay, J.R., McLellan, A.T., Alterman, A.I., Cacciola, J.S., Rutherford, M.J., & O'Brien, C.P. (1998). Predictors of participation in aftercare sessions and self-help groups following completion of intensive outpatient treatment for substance abuse. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59, 152-162.
33.
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oak, CA: Sage.
34.
Miller, W.R., & Rollnick, S. (1991). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people to change addictive behavior. New York: Guilford.
35.
Nickerson, A.B., Brooks, J.L., Colby, S.A., Rickert, J.M., & Salamone, F.J. (2006). Family involvement in residential treatment: Staff, parent, and adolescent perspectives. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 15, 681-694.
36.
Patton, M.Q. (1989). A context and boundaries for a theory-driven approach to validity. Evaluation and Program Planning, 12, 375-377.
37.
Peled, E., & Edleson, J.L. (1998). Predicting children's domestic violence service participation and completion. Research on Social Work Practice , 8, 698-712.
38.
Prochaska, J., & DiClemente, C. (1985). Common processes of self-change in smoking, weight control, and psychological distress. In S. Shiffman & T. A. Wills (Eds.), Coping and substance abuse (pp. 345-363). New York: Academic Press.
39.
Reid, W.J. (1987). Evaluating an intervention in developmental research . Journal of Social Service Research, 11, 17-37.
40.
Reid, W.J. (1990). Change-process research: A new paradigm? In L. Videka-Sherman & W. J. Reid (Eds.), Advances in clinical social work research (pp. 130-148). Silver Spring, MD: NASW Press.
41.
Reid, W.J. (1996). Task-centered social work. In F. J. Turner (Ed.), Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (pp. 617-640). New York: Simon & Schuster.
42.
Rife, J.C., First, R.J., Greenlee, R.W., Miller, L.D., & Feichter, M.A. (1991). Case management with homeless mentally ill people. Health and Social Work, 16, 58-67.
43.
Roberts, R. W., & Nee, R. H. (Eds.). (1974). Theories of social case-work (4th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
44.
Rogers, C.R. (1951). Client-centered therapy. Boston : Houghton Mifflin.
Shirk, S.R., & Karver, M. (2003). Prediction of treatment outcome from relationship variables in child and adolescent therapy: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 452-464.
47.
Simpson, D.D., Joe, G.W., Rowan-Szal, G.A., & Greener, J.M. (1997). Drug abuse treatment components that improve retention . Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 14, 565-572.
48.
Smalley, R.E. (1967). Theory for social work practice. New York: Columbia University Press.
49.
Smithgall, C.D. (2003). Assessing the worker-client relationship in child welfare and family preservation services. Chicago: University of Chicago.
50.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
51.
Street, D., Vinter, R.D., & Perrow, C. (1966). Organization for treatment: A comparative study of institutions for delinquents. New York: Free Press.
52.
Thornberry, T., & Krohn, M. (2000). The self-report method for measuring delinquency and crime. In Crime & Justice 2000: Measurement and analysis of crime and justice (Vol. 4, pp. 33-83). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
53.
Weiss, C.H. (1995). Nothing so practical as a good theory: Exploring theory-based evaluation for comprehensive community initiatives for children and families. In J. P. Connell, A. C. Kubisch, L. B. Schorr, & C. H. Weiss (Eds.), New approach to evaluate community initiatives (pp. 65-92). Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
54.
Yatchmenoff, D.K. (2005). Measuring client engagement from the client's perspective in nonvoluntary child protection services. Research on Social Work Practice, 15, 84-96.
