ACCEPTABILITY OF INTERVENTIONS OF STAFF IN SHORT TERM CARE SETTING FOR CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES COMPARING RATING AND HIERARCHICAL SELECTION

Author

Florence O. Holmes, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

8-1-2015

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Behavior Analysis and Therapy

First Advisor

Dixion, Mark

Second Advisor

Baker, Jonathan

Abstract

Florence O. Holmes, for the Masters Of Science Degree in Behavioral Analysis and Therapy, presented on July, 2015, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: ACCEPTABILITY OF INTERVENTIONS OF STAFF IN SHORT TERM CARE SETTING FOR CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES COMPARING RATING AND HIERARCHICAL SELECTION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Mark Dixon, Ph.D. The present study asked twenty active treatment team members, in a children’s behavioral health hospital in Springfield, IL to answer a pen and paper survey. This study extended research on treatment acceptability by replicating, Baker and LeBlanc (2011), who compared ratings and hierarchical selections in a long term care facility with older adults. Specifically, participants were given the opportunity to rate treatments using a treatment acceptability survey, and were then given a choice (i.e., asked to select which they would be most comfortable implementing) between various treatment options with using a variety of scenarios and choices. In this study it was interesting to find that though an individual selected a treatment as being a good treatment, when asked what they would feel comfortable using in a pinch did not always match what they related as being acceptable. In comparison the results of Baker and LeBlanc are very similar to the current study. In contrast, the rating for the behavioral intervention was higher in the present study and was also selected much more than in Baker and LeBlanc. Baker and LeBlanc reported statistically significant correlations between selections and ratings. Although this study did not recruit enough participants to allow for a statistical analysis, 50% of the participants in this study had a match for what they rated the highest compared to what they selected the most.