Work

Measuring Homework Completion in Behavioral Activation

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop and validate an observer-based coding system for the characterization and completion of homework assignments during Behavioral Activation (BA). Existing measures of homework completion are generally unsophisticated, and there is no current measure of homework completion designed to capture the particularities of BA. The tested scale sought to capture the type of assignment, realm of functioning targeted, extent of completion, and assignment difficulty. Homework assignments were drawn from 12 (mean age = 48, 83% female) clients in two trials of a 10-session BA manual targeting treatment-resistant depression in primary care. The two coders demonstrated acceptable or better reliability on most codes, and unreliable codes were dropped from the proposed scale. In addition, correlations between homework completion and outcome were strong, providing some support for construct validity. Ultimately, this line of research aims to develop a user-friendly, reliable measure of BA homework completion that can be completed by a therapist during session.

Source: Behavior Modification

DOI: 10.1177/0145445510373384

Authors: Andrew M. Busch, Lisa A. Uebelacker, Zornitsa Kalibatseva, Ivan W. Miller

Institutions: Brown University, Miriam Hospital, Butler Hospital, Michigan State University

Language: English

Topic: Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health