Social-ecological assessment of environments: toward a two-factor model

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Assessing social environments is crucial for effective treatment programs.
• Existing models may lack independence and validity in specific settings.
• Residential treatment centers for disturbed youth require tailored assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a two-factor model for assessing social environments.
• To compare the two-factor model with Moos' established multidimensional framework.
• To develop a simplified and valid instrument for evaluating treatment settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Moos' Community-Oriented Programs Environment Scale (COPES) with modifications for residential settings.
• Administered parallel versions of COPES to residents and staff.
• Conducted principal component factor analyses on youth ratings from school and cottage environments.
• Included global satisfaction ratings as a comparative measure.

Main Results:

• Factor analyses consistently yielded two orthogonal factors in both school and cottage settings.
• These two factors closely aligned with two dimensions from Moos' model.
• The identified factors demonstrated greater independence and validity compared to Moos' dimensions.
• The factors significantly discriminated between the school and cottage environments.

Conclusions:

• The two-factor model provides a robust and simplified method for assessing social environments in residential treatment centers.
• This model enhances the validity and discriminative power of environmental assessments.
• The derived instruments offer a practical tool for evaluating diverse treatment programs and populations.