https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2024.736
Development and preliminary validation of the Clinician Affective REsponse (CARE) scale
Submitted: November 12, 2023
Accepted: February 19, 2024
Published: March 21, 2024
Accepted: February 19, 2024
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APPENDIX: 137
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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The present study reports on the development and validation of the clinician affective response (CARE) scale. The CARE scale was designed as a self-report measure of therapists’ patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward the patient during an individual psychotherapy session. An initial pool of 116 items was generated, and its quality was evaluated by subject matter experts. Validation data were gathered from licensed psychotherapists (n=554). We used exploratory factor analysis and item response theory-graded response modeling to select items, confirmatory factor analysis to test how well the factor structure fit the data, and k-fold cross-validation to ascertain the robustness of the model. Criterion validity was evaluated by correlating the scores of the scale with the characteristics of therapists, patients, and treatment. The selected model consists of 15 items and a 3-factor structure, which showed excellent model fit, good internal consistency, and evidence of criterion validity. The CARE scale, short and quick to complete, enables therapists to reflect on and recognize their inner experiences and quantify these experiences in ways conducive to statistical analysis and research. Furthermore, the monitoring of these affective reactions toward their patients can guide therapeutic interventions and inform clinical supervisors.
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Stefana, A., Fusar-Poli, P., Langfus, J., Vieta, E., & Youngstrom, E. (2024). Development and preliminary validation of the Clinician Affective REsponse (CARE) scale. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2024.736
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