Content and construct validity of the Health of the Nation Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA)

Content and construct validity of the Health of the Nation Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA)

Research investigating the content and construct validity of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) is limited. The present investigation firstly explored the content validity of the HoNOSCA in two studies. The first study compared and contrasted the HoNOSCA against major developmental psychopathology theory and found that the scale contained some items reflecting family systems and developmental psychopathology theory but did not include items reflecting biological, cognitive and
attachment theory. This absence challenges the content validity of the HoNOSCA. Part B of Study 1 explored the face validity of the HoNOSCA through a focus group discussion with Child and Youth Mental Health Service clinicians. The HoNOSCA was perceived by staff to
reflect key features of diagnoses for the children and adolescents that they work with. The construct validity of the HoNOSCA was explored in Study 2. In Part A, responses from 245 participants were analysed. The Principle Components Analyses found the predicted fourfactor
structure of the HoNOSCA could not be confirmed. Discriminant Function Analysis found the HoNOSCA could significantly discriminate between internalization and
externalization disorders in children and adolescents. Profiles of mean scores illustrated different item elevation profiles for internalization (mood and anxiety disorders) and externalization (behavioural) disorders. Some initial normative data were collected in order to
illustrate how useful standardized norms could be to practicing clinicians. In Part B of the study, 83 participants with the diagnosis of anxiety disorder were extracted from the sample. Further Discriminant Function Analyses revealed that the HoNOSCA could not discriminate
between sub-types of anxiety disorders as diagnosed by the team. The content and construct validity of the HoNOSCA was then discussed and scale modifications were suggested that
may improve the validity of the scale.