A Guide To Family Intervention and Prevention Program Evaluation

Date of Publication: December 2000

Section 7: Measuring Outcomes

Key Points & Introduction

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Key Points

Measurement is extremely important for assessing the effectiveness of the program. Measures can be used for screening, assessment, and outcome measurement.
The following are considered in choosing measures for program outcomes:
- Does the measure tap relevant areas of client functioning?
- Does the measure make sense to the evaluator and the clients?
- Does the measure have scientific credibility in predicting outcome of interest (validity)?
- Does the measure tap the same outcomes at different times (reliability)?
- Was the measure tested on a population that has characteristics similar to clients in the program being evaluated (target population)?
Are the measures easy to administer and score, are they affordable, and are they acceptable to the clients?
Good measures are not enough. Care must be taken to monitor how they are completed, and how program participants and staff view the measurement process.

Why is measurement important to assessing program effectiveness? How should outcomes be measured? In answering these questions this section provides detailed information on how to measure short-term and long-term goals that are common to programs promoting family well-being and prevention of family violence. The major focus is on quantitative measures of outcomes, and on the use of standardized measures (measures that have undergone repeated testing to insure their reliability and validity). Criteria for measurement selection are presented and domains of measurement are listed.

Self-report versus Observational Measures

The majority of measures provided here are self-report measures because the self-report strategy is most easily adapted to program evaluation. However, there may be inherent limitations to self-report inventories. One example of a limitation is when self-report communication is relied on over a rater's own observation and evaluation of the couple's interaction. Self-report measures do not capture the sequential nature of communication processes. There may be little correlation between self-report and observational measures of marital and family interaction. In fact, the whole area of marital and family assessment continues to be an area of ongoing development.

Although many regard self assessments for measuring change in marital and family therapy, for one example, as capable of providing only a limited picture of family status and improvement, they can be very useful for several reasons:

Self-report instruments may contribute to planning an intervention.
Self-report instruments are a cost-effective way to collect information.
Self-report measures may provide a safe way to disclose important information.

Bottom Line: An important justification for using self-report measures is that self-reports may be the only way to capture non-observable dimensions of the family experience.

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