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Counseling scholars have increasingly utilized the relational-cultural theory (RCT) to promote growth fostering connections as a healthy way of managing various life problems. The Relational Health Indices (RHI) was developed to understand relational interactions among women. In an attempt to broaden the utility of the RHI, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Turkish language version of the RHI for research and clinical use. In translating the RHI from English to Turkish, we followed a seven-step process. Data were collected from 213 Turkish-speaking college students enrolled in two Turkish public universities with the mean age of 22.29 (SD= 3.41). The findings revealed that the RHI-T proved to be a two-factor structure (the Peer and Mentor subscales) among Turkish students and that the Community subscale was not an acceptable fit even after removing several items. Potential explanations, implications, and recommendations for clinical use and future research are provided.

The current study examined the measurement invariance (MI) of the Georgia Brief School Climate Inventory (GaBSCI) with a rural and predominately Hispanic sample (N = 413). The results present support for the one-factor structure and MI of the GaBSCI across genders and Spanish-speaking groups, but only partially for different school levels.

In April 2021, The Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Executive Council commissioned a time-referenced task group to revise the Responsibilities of Users of Standardized Tests (RUST) Statement (3rd edition) published by the Association for Assessment in Counseling (AAC) in 2003. The task group developed a work plan to implement a recursive process for document review, gap analysis, commentary representation, bias accounting, and content revision. While some updates to the document were minor, several substantive enhancements to the structure were made including a re-defined scope, definition of terms, and identification of values that are considered integral across all of the responsibilities. In addition the task group identified and included several updates to the document that are consistent with contemporary representations of evidence for test score validity/reliability and emphases on culturally responsive test administration, variance in score representation, training and supervision, use of technology-mediated testing platforms, and differential consequences of testing. [This content was prepared for the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling.]

The factor structure, measurement invariance, and internal consistency of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4) was examined with a rural, predominately Hispanic sample (N = 711). Findings supported use of a one-factor model across gender, age groups, and Spanish-speaking groups. Counseling practice and research implications are discussed.

As the counseling profession continues its globalization onto Ghanaian college campuses, there is an increased need for psychometric assessments that support programming and interventions that promote degree matriculation and general student well-being. A sample of 696 young adult Ghanaian college students completed the Inventory of New College Student Adjustment (INCA) and related measures to estimate evidence of internal structure and relationships with conceptually related constructs. Confirmatory factor analyses were completed and inspection of fit indices revealed strong evidence for internal structure, and bivariate correlations indicated statistically significant positive associations with related medium effect sizes between the INCA subscales (Supportive Network and Belief in Self) and related measures. Implications for use of the INCA to support the professional activities of Ghanaian counselors working on college campuses are provided.

A systematic search was conducted to identify measures of school climate developed and reported between 1993 to 2017. We coded data related to participant and setting characteristics, qualities of measures, amounts of validity evidence, and degrees of reliability estimates. Results indicated 9 school climate measures featuring disparate representation of academic atmosphere, community, safety, and institutional structures. Quality of validity and reliability evidence were wide-ranging with distinctive tiers emerging for consideration by school counselors and professional counselors working in schools.

We used multiple regression analyses to explore ways that hope, resilience, and happiness influenced school climate among 380 Hispanic/Latinx students. The results suggested that hypothesized protective factors explained school climate to a greater degree among middle school participants (R[superscript 2] = 0.23) when compared to those in high school (R[superscript 2] = 0.13). Although hope positively influenced school climate for both groups, happiness and resilience were uniquely influential. We discuss considerations for classroom lessons and school-wide initiatives.

This study provided preliminary evidence for a new Social Media Identity Distress Scale (SMIDS) using two subsamples of emerging adults (18-25 years of age) from Amazon Turk (each n = 373). The factor analysis revealed a single-factor scale explaining 72.9% of the variance in the items and supported a 20-item version of the original 66-item instrument. The evidence of convergent validity and reliability supported using the SMIDS as a potential instrument to evaluate the mental stress regarding the ability to create a coherent self-concept while engaging in social media activities experienced by emerging adults. Implications for practice and future directions of research are provided.

This study examined the degree that reliability coefficients for scores on the PTGI generalize across participant and study characteristics. Meta-analytic procedures resulted in observed and predicted mean alpha coefficients ranging from acceptable to excellent and appeared to be largely unrelated to the participant characteristics included in our meta-regression modeling procedures.

The Inventory of New College Student Adjustment (INCA) was developed to assist college student personnel in assessing adjustment difficulties experienced by first-year college students. A sample of 474 first-year college students (282 women, 59%; 192 men, 41%) enrolled in a first-year seminar course at a medium-sized 4-year university in the central southern region of the United States completed the INCA. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a two-factor scale explaining 47.17% of the variance in scores. Convergent validity analyses support the INCA as a sufficiently valid measure suitable for use as a brief screening tool in both research and practice settings.

As counselor preparation programs are compelled to demonstrate student social and cultural competence, valid inventories are needed to measure development consistent with contemporary standards. The Intersectional Privilege Screening Inventory was created for this purpose, was assessed using 4 types of validity evidence, and has results supporting its use in student development.

A guide for professional counselors and counseling researchers for calculating and interpreting Percent Improvement as an indicator of clinical significance is provided. Strategies for reporting findings are described and illustrated. Guidelines for contextualizing discussions of clinical significance within the boundaries of psychometric evidence are presented.

In this study, researchers examined the relationship among perceptions of support from high school teachers, enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, and Latina/o college students' vocational and college self-efficacy. Perceptions of investment and expectations from high school teachers positively predicted students' college self-efficacy. A positive predictive relationship was also detected between students' perceptions of accessibility to high school teachers and vocational self-efficacy. Significant differences regarding perceptions of support from teachers between AP and non-AP students were also found. Implications for practitioners and researchers are offered.

The present study is a systematic review of school climate measures developed for a Spanish-speaking K-12 population. Four instruments were included in the analyses representing data of 9,236 students with a mean of sample size of 2,309 students. Evidences for test content and internal structure were the most frequent representation of psychometric validity. Internal consistency, represented by Cronbach's alpha, ranged between 0.62 and 0.94. In addition, three instruments were translated from scales developed in the United States as evidence for test content validity. The findings of validity evidence, internal consistency, and context will guide school counselors in deciding the appropriate school climate measure to use among United States Latina/o students in Spanish. Consequently, the school climate assessment will compel school stakeholders to use results to advocate for the growth and inclusivity of Latina/o students.

Youth who are involved with the adoption and foster care systems report notable rates of complex trauma responses associated with their developmental experiences, which can have deleterious implications for well-being across the lifespan. We implemented a retrospective quasi-experimental non-inferiority evaluation design using a frequency matching approach to estimate the degree of differential treatment effects reported by youth who completed a Developmental Trauma and Attachment Program protocol in its standard (DTAP) or abbreviated (DTAP-A) format at a long-term residential care facility located in the Midwestern United States. Program completers were 28 youth (Mage = 12.39) who predominately identified as female (n = 23, 82%) with Caucasian/White (n = 12, 43%) or Multiracial (n = 10, 35%) racial identities. Analyses of scores on the UCLA Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index and Behavior Assessment System for Children (3rd ed.) did not identify any statistical or practical significance between DTAP and DTAP-A program completers self-reported treatment gains. However, DTAP program completers tended to report clinically significant changes in posttraumatic stress disorder and personal adjustment to greater degrees when compared to those completing the DTAP-A protocol. Implications for increasing access, resource management, and supporting a continuum of care approach are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the evaluation of four positive psychology assessments for use in clinical, education, and research settings with individuals in Ghana, Africa. The analyses attempted to identify validity evidence for internal structure and relationships with related variables for the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLS; Diener et al. "Journal of Personality Assessment," "49," 71-75, 1985), General Mattering Scale (GMS; Marcus 1991), Short Grit Scale (GS; Duckworth and Quinn "Journal of Personality Assessment," "9," 166-174, 2009), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al. "International Journal of Behavioral Medicine," "15," 194-200, 2008). The data yielded from 657 Ghanaian participants indicated factor structures ranging from a strong model fit (SLS and GMS) to an acceptable fit following modifications to factor structure (GS and BRS), while evidence based on relationships to related variables was convincing. Implications for use of these assessments and for future research are discussed.

AbstractThe Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) has an extensive history of use that often relies on inductions of reliability from precedent literature. We completed a systematic of the literature and extracted sample-specific reliability estimates for ProQOL subscale scores. Random effects meta-analytic modeling was implemented to identify mean estimates of reliability. Secondary analyses were completed to depict generalization across samples and possible scores in future studies. Our analyses detected mean internal consistency estimates for the Compassion Satisfaction (.875), Secondary Traumatic Stress (.808), and Burnout (.754) similar to those reported in the ProQOL manual. However, secondary analyses revealed statistical variations associated with the professional identity and proportions of ethnicity represented within samples. ProQOL score reliability has remained fairly stable over time with scores for Compassion Satisfaction and Secondary Traumatic Stress supporting use in basic research, but not clinical decision making, the Burnout scale was associated with more questionable precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counselor's right to utilize assessment, appraisal, and tests, and diagnose has substantive implications for professional counseling, counselor education, the provision of evidence‐based practice, and supporting client development across the life span. We identified documents detailing licensure rules and regulations for counselors' use of these clinical tools within the contiguous United States, Washington, DC, Alaska, Hawaii, and inhabited U.S. territories. Proportion comparisons over time, Fisher's exact test, and related effect sizes were computed to identify changes over time, as well as trends associated with regional professional association. Our results indicated increased representation over time of privileges allowing for the use of assessment, appraisal, and tests, and diagnosis within counselors' scope of practice and educational requirements, but modest representation of normal assessment use and allowable/nonallowable assessments and tests. Furthermore, we identified statistically significant differences in the regional representativeness of diagnostic privileges. Implications for counselor education and individual and association‐level advocacy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychology is a useful framework to understand Mexican American adolescents' academic experiences. We used a quantitative, predictive design to explore how presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, subjective happiness, hope, and family importance influenced 131 Mexican American adolescents' college-going beliefs. We used the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Subjective Happiness Scale, Hope Scale, Pan-Hispanic Familism Scale, and College-Going Self-Efficacy Scale to measure the aforementioned factors. Using multiple regression analysis, findings indicated that hope and familism were significant predictors of college-going beliefs. Higher levels of hope and familism positively predicted college-going beliefs. We provide a discussion regarding the importance of these findings as well as recommendations for future research.

It is imperative that counselors understand how to critically evaluate assessments before using them to make clinical decisions. This evaluation can be conducted through integrating the 5 sources of validity. Each source of validity is discussed, along with methods to appraise psychometric quality, throughout this special issue.

This article describes a 6-step process for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of counseling assessments from source document into a target language. An illustrative example is provided using the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008) and considerations for counseling researchers are discussed.

This study reports the development and evaluation of a Turkish-language version of three positive psychology assessments for use in clinical, education and research settings with Turkish-speaking individuals. A multistage translation of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al. in "International Journal of Behavioral Medicine," 15, 194-200, 2008), the General Mattering Scale (GMS; Marcus 1991) and the Short Grit Scale (GS; Duckworth & Quinn in "Journal of Personality Assessment," 91, 166-174. doi:10.1080/00223890802634290, 2009) is detailed, as well as the procedure used to evaluate the internal structure of the translated assessments. The results yielded from data of 268 participants indicated factor structures ranging from acceptable to robust model fit for the BRS, GMS, and GS. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.

In this article, we seek to broaden perspectives on program evaluation in the mental health domain. We argue that the social determinants of mental health (SDMH) framework can serve as a theory, within the context of theory‐driven evaluation, to guide evaluation practice in counseling and mental health. We posit that applying an SDMH framework enables evaluators to conduct more holistic, systems‐focused, and useful evaluations of mental health programs. The SDMH framework facilitates this by (1) serving as an empirically based framework to guide discussions about program design and improvement, (2) helping evaluators identify the most critical constructs to measure, and (3) connecting evaluators to previously validated instruments that measure those constructs. Additionally, through use of the SDMH framework, evaluators gain access to a literature base that helps build understanding of how to interpret evaluation findings. In contrast to traditional, goal‐oriented evaluation, such a theory‐driven approach has multiple advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]