Abstract
The study described here examined three issues: (a) therapists' perceptions of the relative value of certain daily living skills to function in chronically mentally ill persons, (b) the potential for clustering skills into defined groups, and (c) the relationship of therapists' perceptions of the relative value of these skills to the therapists' characteristics. An understanding of therapists' perceptions of the importance of certain skills to a clinical population assists in decision making regarding evaluation and treatment and can also assist in the process of establishing content validity for assessment instruments. The clustering of skills may suggest that different levels or categories of skills exist that may affect treatment. Recognition of the variables that influence the perceived value of skills to a clinical population aids in the understanding of the clinical reasoning process, especially if the terminology in a specific practice area varies or is not well defined.
The results of this pilot study show that daily living skills for chronically mentally ill persons can be identified and clustered into groups representing different levels of function. The therapists' characteristics examined here did not seem to influence the perceived value of these skills.
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