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Preliminary Evaluation of an Observational Measure of Group Cohesion for Group Psychotherapy
Author(s) -
Lerner Matthew D.,
McLeod Bryce D.,
Mikami Amori Y.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.21933
Subject(s) - psychology , observational study , inter rater reliability , clinical psychology , group psychotherapy , cohesion (chemistry) , construct validity , group cohesiveness , internal consistency , test validity , psychometrics , psychotherapist , developmental psychology , social psychology , rating scale , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry , pathology
Objective Group psychotherapy research would benefit from an observational measure of group cohesion to complement existing self‐report measures. This study introduces the Therapy Process Observational Coding System‐Group Cohesion scale (TPOCS‐GC), which observationally assesses cohesion between each member and the group. Method In total 27 parents participated in a group parent‐training social competency intervention for children with attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder. Independent coders double‐coded group cohesion and the alliance in 144 client‐sessions. Parents, teachers, and children completed cognitive, behavioral, and therapy participation measures. Results The TPOCS‐GC demonstrated modest to strong item‐level interrater reliability and acceptable internal consistency. Group cohesion evidenced moderate stability over the course of treatment. Relations between TPOCS‐GC and theoretically linked and unrelated variables provided some evidence for construct and predictive validity. Conclusions This preliminary study suggests that the TPOCS‐GC is a reliable instrument that may help fill an instrumentation gap in the field.