Abstract
Client satisfaction has emerged as an important variable in evaluating outcomes for mental health treatment, yet studies have seldom queried children and adolescents about their perceptions of the services they receive. The present study surveyed 20 youths receiving community-based, wraparound services about their satisfaction, sense of involvement, and feelings of unconditional care. Unconditional care, in this case, referred to the youth's sense that his or her caretakers would remain stable regardless of what happened. Each of these variables was in turn related to behavioral adjustment. It was found that both youths' sense of involvement and their perceptions that their care was unconditional were strongly associated with satisfaction with services. However, neither satisfaction nor involvement were correlated with the severity of subjects' acting-out behaviors. Subjects' perception that care was unconditional was strongly, negatively correlated with the severity of acting-out behaviors. Thus, while the relationship between satisfaction and behavior remains unclear, it appears that youths' perceptions of the stability of their services plays a role in their acting out. It was concluded that youths' feelings about their services can provide meaningful information for researchers and service providers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burchard, J. D., Burchard, S. N., Sewell, R., & VanDenberg, J. (1993).One kid at a time: Evaluative case studies and description of the Alaska Youth Initiative Demonstration Project. Washington, D. C.: CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Georgetown University Press.
Burchard, J. D., & Clarke, R. T. (1990). The role of individualized care in a service delivery system for children and adolescents with severely maladjusted behavior.The Journal of Mental Health Administration, 17, 48–59.
Burchard, J. D., & Schaefer, M. (1992). Improving accountability in a service delivery system in children's mental health.Clinical Psychology Review, 12, 867–882.
Distefano, M. K., Pryer, M. W., & Garrison, J. L. (1980). Attitudinal, demographic, and outcome correlates of clients' satisfaction.Psychological Reports, 47, 287–290.
Hawkins, R. P. (1991). Is social validity what we are interested in? Argument for a functional approach.Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 205–213.
Hawkins, R. P., Almeida, M. C., Fabry, B., & Reitz A. L. (1992). A scale to measure restrictiveness of living environments for troubled children and youths.Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 43, 54–58.
Kazdin, A. E. (1984). Acceptability of aversive procedures and medication as treatment alternatives for deviant child behavior.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 289–302.
Kazdin, A. E., Esveldt-Dawson, K., French, N. H., & Unis, A. S. (1987). Problem-solving skills training and relationship therapy in the treatment of antisocial child behavior.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 76–85.
Kazdin, A. E., French, N. H., & Sherrick, R. B. (1981). Acceptability of alternative treatments for children: Evaluations by inpatient children, parents, and staff.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 900–907.
Kirigin, K. A., Braukmann, C. J., Atwater, J. D., & Wolf M. M. (1982). An evaluation of Teaching-Family (Achievement Place) group homes for juvenile offenders.Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15, 1–16.
Kokotovic, A. M., & Tracey, T. J. (1987) Premature termination at a university counseling center.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34, 80–82.
Larson, D. L., Attkisson, W. A., Hargreaves, W. A., & Nguyen, T. D. (1979) Assessment of client/patient satisfaction: Development of a general scale.Evaluation and Program Planning, 2, 197–207.
Lebow, J. L. (1982). Pragmatic decisions in the evaluation of consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment.Evaluation and Program Planning, 5, 349–356.
Lebow, J. L. (1983). Client satisfaction with mental health treatment: Methodological considerations in assessment.Evaluation Review, 7, 729–752.
McMahon, R. J., & Forehand, R. L. (1983). Consumer satisfaction in behavioral treatment of children: Types, issues, and recommendations.Behavior Therapy, 14, 209–225.
McNeill, B. W., May, R. J., & Lee, V. E. (1987). Perceptions of counselor source characteristics by premature and successful terminators.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34, 86–89.
Pryer, M. W., Distefano, M. K., & Dinning, W. D. (1982). Clients' satisfaction and rehospitalization among psychiatric patients.Psychological Reports, 50, 629–630.
Sabourin, S., Bourgeois, L., Gendreau, P., & Morval, M. (1989). Self-deception, impression management, and consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment.Psychological Assessment, 1, 126–129.
Schwab, M. E., & Stone, K. (1983). Conceptual and methodologic issues in the evaluation of children's satisfaction with their mental health care.Evaluation and Program Planning, 6, 283–289.
Solnick, J. V., Braukmann, C. J., Bedlington, M. M., Kirigin, K. A., & Wolf, M. M. (1981).Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 9, 107–119.
Willer, B., & Miller, G. H. (1976). Client involvement in goal setting and its relationship to therapeutic outcome.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 32, 687–690.
Willer, B., & Miller, G. H. (1978). On the relationship of client satisfaction to client characteristics and outcome of treatment.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 34, 157–160.
Yoe, J. T., Bruns, E. J., Tighe, T. A., Santarcangelo, S., & Burchard, J. D. (1993, March).A comparison of two behavioral assessment methods for children at risk. Poster presented at the 6th annual research conference, A System of Care for Children's Mental Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rosen, L.D., Heckman, T., Carro, M.G. et al. Satisfaction, involvement, and unconditional care: The perceptions of children and adolescents receiving wraparound services. J Child Fam Stud 3, 55–67 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233911
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233911