The contribution of psychological assessment to community mental health services

Specialist psychological assessment plays a potentially important role in multidisciplinary community mental health settings. This portfolio describes and evaluates this psychological assessment and provides four case studies.

Adaptive behaviour in Australia : what items are essential for assessing independent living?

Adaptive behaviour is important in the assessment of eligibility for intellectual disability services. However, there is some question about which behaviours should be assessed. The purpose of the present study was to clarify which everyday behaviours are considered essential for independent functioning by young adults in the Australian community. Parents, disability workers, and young adults judged the importance of 130 everyday behaviours. Items that assessed safety, health, self-care, functional literacy and numeracy, respecting others' rights, and day-to-day decisionmaking were most frequently rated as essential for independent functioning. Our findings raise important questions about the assessment of adaptive behaviour in Australia, and point to the need for a more valid approach to the measurement of adaptive behaviour for the purpose of eligibility assessment. The research provides a first step towards providing such a scale for use in the Australian context.

Influence of an adventure learning program, using group adventure initiative tasks, on participant self-esteem

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of an adventure learning program, based on participation in group adventure initiative tasks (GAITs), on participant self-esteem and, further, to examine any associated gender differences in the dependent variable. The study took place within the framework of the 'Group Dynamics in Action' unit offered at the University of South Australia, Underdale Campus, in semester 2, 1994. The course included participation in group adventure initiative tasks, the identification and examination of group dynamic processes, the investigation of individual roles within the small group and the review of these processes in the group setting. The program also included an experience on a high ropes course. Both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered to gain insight into gender differences and their relationship to the dependent variable and also to provide insight into any discrepancy in outcomes between males and females with regard to participation in group adventure initiative tasks. The sample set of participants was drawn from undergraduate students studying at the University of South Australia in the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education (Secondary Physical Education Teaching) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sport Science) courses. Subjects were assigned to either experimental or control conditions and the experimental group were then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Sixty one (N = 61) male and female subjects were tested pre and post-treatment period. Psychological tests included the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory (Coopersmith 1981) and an adaptation of Coopersmith's Behaviour Rating Form (Coopersmith 1967). Qualitative data was gathered using Kuhn's Twenty Statements Test (Kuhn and McPartland 1954), a self-esteem questionnaire, observations made by the researcher and other staff about subjects interactions and from weekly journals kept by subjects throughout the treatment. The duration of the treatment period was 14 weeks consisting of 14, 2 hour seminars.

Spurious precision : variability in procedural validity of diagnostic procedures in psychotic disorders and implications for research and treatment

Very few studies have quantified the level of agreement among alternative diagnostic procedures that use a common set of fixed operational criteria. The authors examined the procedural validity of four independent methods of assigning DSM-III-R diagnoses of psychotic disorders. METHOD: The research was conducted as a satellite study to the DSM-IV Field Trial for Schizophrenia and Related Psychotic Disorders. The setting was the National Health and Medical Research Council Schizophrenia Research Unit's Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, which focuses on first-episode psychosis. Consecutively admitted patients (N = 50) were assessed by independent raters who used four different procedures to determine a DSM-III-R diagnosis. These procedures were 1) the diagnostic instrument developed for the DSM-IV field trial, 2) the Royal Park Multidiagnostic Instrument for Psychosis, 3) the Munich Diagnostic Checklists, and 4) a consensus DSM-III-R diagnosis assigned by a team of clinician researchers who were expert in the use of diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Concordance between pairs of diagnostic procedures was only moderate. Corresponding levels of percent agreement, however, ranged from 66% to 76%, with converse misclassification rates of 24%-34% (assuming one procedure to be "correct"). CONCLUSIONS: These findings have significant research and clinical implications. Despite the introduction of operationally defined diagnoses, there remained an appreciable level of differential classification or misclassification arising from variability in the method of assigning the diagnostic criteria rather than the criteria themselves. Such misclassification may impede neurobiological research and have harmful clinical effects on patients with first-episode psychosis.

Cognitive ability and FFM personality predictors of military training performance

This study demonstrated the validity of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality trait domains over a measure of general cognitive ability in predicting training performance among military trainees. The results provide support to the growing consensus on the superiority of the FFM traits in predicting criteria on practical importance.

Psychological responses to acute resistance exercise in men and women who are obese

The purpose of the study was to investigate the psychological response to the very first session of resistance exercise on positive well-being (PWB), psychological distress (PD), and perception of fatigue in untrained men and women who are obese. Forty-five (male = 22, female = 23) untrained, middle-aged volunteers (mean ± SEM, 51.0 ± 1.0; range, 40-69 years) participated in the study. Participants were divided into 4 groups according to sex and obesity level (i.e., men who are obese, men who are nonobese, women who are obese, women who are nonobese). The threshold for obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥94 cm for men and 80 cm for women. Measures included body composition, aerobic power, muscle strength, and quality of life (Short Form 36, SF-36). Before and after resistance exercise, participants completed the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES). Paired sample t-tests were used to assess changes in SEES scores within group pre- and post-exercise and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used to assess changes in SEES scores between groups. Exercise increased the perception of PWB in both women who are obese and nonobese, without changes in PD or fatigue. In women, the change in PWB after exercise was negatively correlated with most scales of the SF-36, particularly with the mental health dimension (r = -0.55, p < 0.01). No significant changes in PWB, PD, or fatigue were found in men who are obese. Acute resistance exercise improved PWB in women who are obese and nonobese and those with lower self-perceived quality of life scores at the start improved the most. In addition, resistance exercise did not increase feelings of distress in either women or men who are obese.

A critical review of psychological instruments used in police officer selection

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the instruments used in the screening process, with particular attention given to supporting research validation. Psychological screening is a well-established process used in the selection of employees across public safety industries, particularly in police settings. Screening in and screening out are both possible, with screening out being the most commonly used method. Little attention, however, has been given to evaluating the comparative validities of the instruments used.

Design/methodology/approach
This review investigates literature supporting the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the California Personality Inventory (CPI), the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI), the Australian Institute of Forensic Psychology's test battery (AIFP), and some other less researched tests. Research supporting the validity of each test is discussed.

Findings
It was found that no test possesses unequivocal research support, although the CPI and AIFP tests show promise. Most formal research into the validity of the instruments lacks appropriate experimental structure and is therefore less powerful as “evidence” of the utility of the instrument(s).

Practical implications
This research raises the notion that many current screening practices are likely to be adding minimal value to the selection process by way of using instruments that are not “cut out” for the job. This has implications for policy and practice at the recruitment stage of police employment.

Originality/value
This research provides a critical overview of the instruments and their validity studies rather than examining the general process of psychological screening. As such, it is useful to those working in selection who are facing the choice of psychological instrument. Possibilities for future research are presented, and development opportunities for a best practice instrument are discussed.