Outcome questionnaire-45 as a brief screen for psychological disturbance with learning and attention disabled college students
There is a large and growing number of college students diagnosed with a learning disability or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This population is more vulnerable to psychological problems due to the strain their disability presents when striving to achieve higher education. There are also a sizable number of college students who suffer from psychological distress, which typically interferes with their academic performance and jeopardizes their graduation. Research shows that identifying college students with psychological problems and referral for psychotherapy reduces psychological distress and facilitates obtaining a college degree. Many college students undergo an evaluation for learning/attention problems each year. This evaluation typically includes a psychological measure, generally the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The MMPI-2 is a measure with empirical support for this application, yet it has several significant drawbacks. It is very long, expensive, and is much more comprehensive than is needed for this particular application. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Outcome Questionaire-45 (OQ-45) as an alternative to the MMPI-2 for the assessment of psychological functioning within a learning/attention evaluation. The OQ-45 is a brief measure which evaluates psychological distress and can be used as a screening device for possible emotional difficulties which may interfere with academic performance. Over a four-year period MMPI-2 and OQ-45 scores were collected from 223 university students seeking a psychoeducational evaluation for possible learning/attention diagnoses. Examination of their OQ-45 and MMPI-2 records indicate that the OQ-45 was able to accurately identify 70\% of those students the MMPI-2 classified as either clinical and in need of psychological treatment or non-clinical. Further research will be needed to evaluate if a different OQ-45 clinical cut off score is needed for this unique population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
https://www.upress.umn.edu/test-division/bibliography/2000-2009/2005/harvey_outcome_2005
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Quinten J Harvey
(2005)
Outcome questionnaire-45 as a brief screen for psychological disturbance with learning and attention disabled college students
PhD thesis.