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Convergent Validity of the Strength-Based Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale with Youth in a Residential Setting

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Abstract

Strength-based assessment has been identified as an appropriate approach to use in planning treatment and evaluating outcomes of youth in residential settings. In previous research, the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2, a standardized and norm-referenced strength-based measure, has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity with youth served in community and educational settings. The purpose of the present study was to examine the internal reliability and convergent validity of the BERS-2 by comparing the test to the Child Behavior Checklist and the Symptoms and Functioning Severity Scale. The results indicate that the scores from the BERS-2 are internally consistent and converge with other behavioral and emotional measures which, taken together, suggest that the BERS-2 could be acceptable for assessing the emotional and behavioral strengths of youth in residential settings. Study limitations and future research directions are identified.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported herein was supported, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health through grant R34MH080941 and by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education through grant R324B110001 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the US Department of Education. Dr. Duppong Hurley is an investigator with the Implementation Research Institute (IRI) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis through an award from the National Institute of Mental Health (R25 MH080916-01A2) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI).

Conflict of Interest

The third author of this manuscript is the author of the BERS-2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 247 Barkley Memorial Center, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0732, USA

    Kristin Duppong Hurley PhD, Matthew C. Lambert PhD & Michael H. Epstein EdD

  2. Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, Boys Town, NE, USA

    Amy Stevens MA

Authors
  1. Kristin Duppong Hurley PhD
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  2. Matthew C. Lambert PhD
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  3. Michael H. Epstein EdD
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  4. Amy Stevens MA
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Correspondence to Kristin Duppong Hurley PhD.

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Duppong Hurley, K., Lambert, M.C., Epstein, M.H. et al. Convergent Validity of the Strength-Based Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale with Youth in a Residential Setting. J Behav Health Serv Res 42, 346–354 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9389-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9389-0

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