Measurement tools

These resources and webinars review measurement tools used in psychological testing.  You are already familiar with many of these.  The selection of a tool appropriate to your population and construct is essential for the success of your evaluation.

You will see how validity and reliability are assessed for a measurement tool.  The basic process to examine the validity and reliability of a measurement tool reveals that the process is quite accessible.

In his webinar “Outcome Evaluation for Torture Treatment Centers: Concepts and Strategies”, Ken Miller’s case studies of tool development will inspire you.  Methods to develop new tools are reviewed, as well as steps to take when using a new tool which has not yet been validated for a population.

Commonly Used Mental Health Tools

This is a selected list of mental health evaluation tools that are often used by Survivor of Torture programs. It provides information about each tool, including where you can obtain it for use.

Assessing Trauma & Associated Symptoms in Refugees & Torture Survivors

In this webinar, Dr. Michael Hollifield, M.D. focuses on clinical care for refugees and torture survivors, and ways to measure trauma symptoms. He reviews numerous measurement instruments, identifying whether each measurement tool has been tested for reliability and validity for certain populations. He reviews how to choose a tool that fits your own needs. He provides many useful attachments, including a set of the “comprehensive trauma inventory” (CTI) forms.

Outcome Evaluation for Torture Treatment Centers: Concepts and Strategies

This webinar by Ken Miller is part of a full day seminar, with two detailed case studies and group exercises, leading torture treatment providers through the process of developing a culturally sensitive measurement tool. In both case studies, he shows the steps used to develop and evaluate a measure. These case studies illustrate sensitivity to cultural factors when measuring indicators of well-being and healing.

In the first example, Dr. Miller provides the detailed methodology used to assess mental health in post-war Afghanistan, showing the development and implementation the Afghan Symptom Checklist (ASCL). The second example recounts the development of the “Children’s Daily Stressor Scale (CDSS)” in Sri Lanka. Both examples show how you can use informal narratives to identify indicators and then use those to develop a questionnaire. Useful detail includes how to graphically communicate choices on a Likert scale, and processes to analyze your data.